Jack of all trades

Rosemary and Russell have spent 20 years building and renovating. They began with the construction and finishing of their first house and are currently working on the renovation of their present home. Their biggest renovation project was the total redesign and build of a new kitchen.

This renovation took just over eight months. Neither could take time out from their day jobs so they spent many late nights and weekends immersed in their plans and covered in sawdust and paint.

There is now nothing left of the original kitchen. Each stage of planning, design, construction, painting, installation of benches and flooring, plus all electrical work (overseen by a registered electrician and code compliant) and plumbing has been done by them. Once construction had finished the painting process began. Using a spray gun and compressor they applied two coats of Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat then three topcoats of Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel tinted to Resene Half Drought. This product responds well to spray application as they had previously found when building other cabinetry in their lounge room renovation.

Their central moveable island with Rimu top was their own design/build and was sprayed with Resene Lustacryl tinted to Resene Double Drought as a contrast. This colour was also used on the greenhouse window. As their living, dining and kitchen area is all open plan, they painted the entire area in Resene Half Drought to complement the kitchen cabinetry. The feature wall in the living room was painted with Resene Pohutukawa. New carpet, drapes and blinds were installed to complete the renovation along with new Westinghouse kitchen appliances.

The Resene palette used is very complex but also very versatile. Rosemary and Russell are sure their friends and family thought they had ‘lost the plot’ as they visited through the renovation process but they had a vision firmly fixed in their minds. They coped with living in a garage for the best part of two years while they built their first house through ice, snow, flood and the odd grumpy subcontractor. So bits of missing bench, power tools aplenty to trip over, the combination of a microwave and small benchtop oven to cook in plus an ample mix of dust were not going to distract them from what they knew they could achieve.

They are ecstatic with the finished result, which is basically in the same space as the old kitchen. They have created a lot more storage combined with a better ergonomic flow and a more user friendly space to work in.

Kitchen, living and dining rooms		Feature wall living room
Resene Double Drought	Resene Half Drought	Resene Pohutukawa

Thanks to Rosemary and Russell Lye of Kaiapoi.

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Index - Kitchens - Bathrooms - Bedrooms - Children's bedrooms - Hallways - Entranceways - Lounges - Dining rooms - Home exteriors - Other inspiring projects