Inside style
Setting the mood
Want to add some flair? Easy, says Gerald Parsonson of award-winning Wellington studio Parsonson Architects.
IS COLOUR AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF DESIGN?
Colour expresses vibrancy, mood and personality, and adds richness to life. If budgets are tight and construction needs to be economical, a tasteful, well-chosen colour scheme can really lift the feeling and quality of a project for no extra cost.
WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH?
Firstly, decide on what feeling you are after. Calm and relaxed? Warm and textural?
Then select colours accordingly. It’s very easy to default to off-whites, beiges and greys, but it can be more fun and experiential to explore richer colours. Hallways between spaces, studies and bedrooms are good places to explore using more colour if you are feeling tentative.
TELL US ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
It’s a family holiday home in Riversdale, outside Wellington. The house exterior has been stained a weathered grey colour, like the driftwood you find at the beach, with brighter contrasting coloured panels made up of Resene Woodstock, Resene Spring Rain, Resene Charm, Resene White Pointer and Resene Stack. Interior spaces are open and light using Resene Eighth Blanc. The hallway joining the bedrooms is painted a mid-dark blue called Resene Bismark to add some richness at the centre of the house.
WHY DID YOU USE THOSE COLOURS?
The Riversdale subdivision was originally conceived as a playful European style development with flags flying, modern coastal homes and colourful flower gardens. Some 70 years later, many of the hardier flowering shrubs have survived in the gardens and dunes, and our selection of brighter exterior colours references this.
WHAT ELSE ARE YOU LIKING RIGHT NOW?
I think all colours can work really well in the right context, amount or combination. If a colour is very bright, it can be used in a small amount, such as on the edge of a door or some other detail. A go-to favourite of ours is Resene Tom Thumb, which is a great green to use outside that relates to our landscapes.
