Alistair's architecturally designed home sits perched above Narrowneck Beach, giving it wide sea views and a direct view of Rangitoto Island. The contemporary design house, with huge proportions and clean lines, has been Alistair's home since 2007, but it hasn't always looked this good. "It was presented in a less than optimal manner," says Alistair diplomatically, recalling the all-beige exterior and unappealing interior of the house when he bought it. "However, it was beautifully constructed and had magnificent views. We saw the potential that it had."

These days the house is absolutely stunning, with a multitude of soft shades enhancing the exterior. Now we've just got to persuade Alistair to let us show you the inside! Watch this space...

What did your home look like before the renovation? The exterior was essentially a non-differentiated beige which presented more like an industrial building than residential, with no clear context or perspective.

Where did your inspiration come from? The inspiration came from a visit a couple of years ago to St Petersburg and seeing the classic St Petersburg colours which define the city’s architecture.

What was the biggest challenge? The greatest challenge was converting the “St Petersburg” concept to something which would work with this property. We had to work around the fact that the building has a large quantity of stained material and multiple shutters. The shutters were the first to go, which simplified the lines of the house and "cleaned" the perspective.

What was the greatest success? The greatest success is that the home now has clear external perspective, excellent balance in the colours used, and a freshness of presentation that it previously did not enjoy. The addition of a feature front door, in Resene Pohutukawa red, was the only deviation from the original theme, but it has served only to dramatically enhance the presentation rather than detract from it. The end result of the entire renovation has exceeded our expectations.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look? My advice would be to recognise your own limitations and recognise the subtleties in what you are trying to achieve. The original palette option I took to Amanda at Designworx was not miles away from what we envisaged, but the end result is so much different after her input - the balance in colours, and the delineation of lines through the use of colour, is very satisfying. I am not an interior designer so could have ended up with a sub-optimum end result had I gone it alone.

What colours did you use? The red front door is Resene Pohutukawa. The body of the building and the boundary wall are Resene Washed Green, which is a very calming colour. The soffits, eaves, struts and garage door are Resene Half Lemon Grass. The window and door frames are Resene Half Tea. The pagodas, posts, fascia boards, entrance gates and side gates are Resene Shadow Match. The hues chosen fitted with the brief of the St Petersburg concept, but because the light here is very different, we chose shades that are more muted, to fit in more comfortably with the environment. The colours of the magnificent sea vista are also reflected in the palette.

The swimming pool and spa are enclosed in a private sunny courtyard. (The body of the building and the boundary wall are Resene Washed Green. The window and door frames are Resene Half Tea.)

A detail of the swimming pool, which has also been refreshed with new colours.

The house as it appears from the road. (The body of the building is Resene Washed Green. The soffits, eaves, struts and garage door are Resene Half Lemon Grass. The window and door frames are Resene Half Tea.)