Peter and Bubbles originally had this house built as a weekend retreat, but ended up loving it so much that they moved in permanently. Designed by Pacific Environments Architects NZ Ltd, the home, near Matakana, won a Resene Total Colour Residential Exterior Maestro Award this year, recognising excellence of colour use.

Most of the house, inside and out, is neutrally painted in Resene Seashell and Resene Half Linen, chosen deliberately to provide a backdrop to Peter and Bubbles' eclectic collections and the native timbers that they salvaged from the seashore. But there are also touches of red Resene Burgundy, selected because of its similarity in colour to pohutukawa flowers and the association with Christmas, joy and celebration. "Without this unexpected use of colour, the house would appear bland," acknowledged the architects, who also used Resene Burgundy to highlight the house's structural innovation.

How would you describe your interior design style? Simple and open. We like basic materials highlighted with a splash of colour.

What was the biggest challenge with creating your home interior look? No challenge, we really enjoyed it and think it just came naturally.

What was the greatest success? The kauri timber cabinets, shelves and tables. We milled our own kauri tree that had fallen down the cliff. It took two years to be transformed from a tree lying in the ocean, to tables. The red glass door is pretty cool, too.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look? Keep it simple.

Which space do you get your greatest satisfaction from? The lounge area with the open fire and spectacular view. It is the centre of the house.

Why did you choose the paint colours? We like the colour combination of Resene Half Linen and Resene Burgundy - one is very neutral but warm, while the other is bold and stands out.

The red glass door is one of Peter and Bubbles' favourite features of the house.

The bathroom and ensuite have sliding cavity doors (painted Resene Burgundy) that enable them to become totally open plan, or totally private.

Peter and Bubbles's dining area opens to an outdoor fireplace and views of native bush. In this photo, the sliding cavity doors to the bedroom are closed, creating a Resene Burgundy feature wall.

The pavillion style house is open to the elements, but also easily protected from them with the slide of a door.

Retro chairs continue the red theme.