Sometimes to fit in, you have to stand out. That’s the philosophy behind Your Home and Garden magazine’s Resene Colour Homes winner of 2023/2024, which saw Bonnie Slade and Jason Callister take out the top prize. Their fearless use of a mix of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen and Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss paint in their Nelson home is a visual delight.
The house, a “1980s fibre cement board box”, was the ugly duckling in a row of heritage homes. When the couple moved in, they undertook a bold, brilliant renovation to add colour and warmth to the home. In the living room, the floorboards are painted in Resene Spinnaker, with Resene Aquamarine used as a striking green feature wall for contrast.
“Bonnie is a real trendsetter,” says Your Home and Garden editor Fiona Hawtin. “I never thought to paint my floorboards blue, but now I’m eyeing up my own at home.”
In the bathroom, a custom vanity in Resene Hive acts as a playful burst of yellow next to the concrete top and was also used on the back door. The white walls throughout the home are painted Resene Sea Fog.
But the pièce de résistance belongs to the floating staircase painted in Resene Spinnaker and balustrade in Resene Foundry, which pairs perfectly with a Sara Hughes art installation that covers the two-storey walls and huge picture window. “It was designed for this space.”
On the exterior, Resene Foundry is perfectly placed on the bottom half of the building. Colourful chalk illustrations by their children, Willa and Finn, adorn the charcoal paint.
“Bonnie’s embrace of colour is a masterclass in making a home your own through paint colours you love,” says Resene marketing manager Karen Warman.
Bonnie feels ecstatic about winning the coveted title, saying it’s “such a lovely acknowledgement of the hard work we put in. It definitely didn’t happen overnight.”
The house feels pretty much complete, but then again, there’s always something on the to-do list. Their son just moved into his own room, so the couple want to paint the ceiling navy blue, adding a solar system for a special celestial touch.
For anyone wanting to experiment with colour in their own home, Bonnie says to not be afraid of dabbling in it.
“Colour can add so much personality – if you’re going to be living in it for a while, don’t design it for resale. Colour can often be easily painted over if you do go to sell, so enjoy it for you in the meantime.”
