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Nelson’s historic Brown House settlers cottage has had a bold new makeover. The exterior lives up to the house name in Resene Brown Pod with trim in Resene Black White and a bold front door in Resene Scrumptious.
The bold feature joinery in the lounge is Resene Indian Ink, teamed with Resene Merino and Resene Half Merino walls, skirtings and ceilings.
The exterior spaces create an urban oasis. The house exterior is Resene Brown Pod and the trims are Resene Black White.
The architects kept the building’s front façade but reconfigured the rest of the house into a three bedroom dwelling. The exterior is in Resene Brown Pod with trim in Resene Black White. The right courtyard wall is in Resene Truffle, the upper left side is Resene Double Foundry.
Another sunny secluded outdoor area. The weatherboards are in Resene Brown Pod, the window trim is Resene Black White and the courtyard wall is Resene Truffle.
The stylish modern bathroom has walls, ceiling and skirtings in Resene Merino and Half Merino.
The house can sleep up to six guests. Here the walls, skirtings and ceiling are Resene Merino and Resene Half Merino.
Cottage owners Marcia and Ben Pearson relax on a benchseat painted in Resene Scrumptious in the new outdoor living area.
Settlers’ cottage gets a cheeky new look
A stunning makeover of one of Nelson’s historic settlers’ cottages has left it looking rich and colourful, much like its past. Right down to the hot pink Resene Scrumptious front door.
The original Brown House, which dates back to the 1860s, is located in the heart of Nelson on a long narrow site between two busy streets. Like many older Nelson homes the original building was narrow and dark, and has over the years, been used for both retail and hospitality businesses.
The challenge for Redbox Architects was to turn the neglected building into a unique urban dwelling which could be used for short-term accommodation. The project won the architects a Housing – Alterations and Additions regional award in the NZ Institute of Architects awards programme.
At the heart of the transformation were key Resene colour choices that reflected the building’s name and history, while bringing it up to date.
Redbox architect Amy Burn tells us more.
How did your design choices meet the clients’ brief?
The existing building was in a state of disrepair with a lot of the finishing timber damaged or removed. With hardly any original materials and features left it required extensive renovation and modernisation, while still respecting the original building.
Working within the original building footprint, we retained the front façade while the rest of the house was stripped back to the framing. It was then reconfigured into a three-bedroom dwelling that can sleep up to six guests.
What Resene colours did you use?
In conjunction with the clients, we chose Resene Brown Pod for the exterior weatherboard, to reflect the name Brown House. We then used Resene Black White on all the exterior trims, with Resene Truffle and Resene Double Foundry on the exterior courtyard walls. We added a bold front door in Resene Scrumptious and repeated this colour for the wooden bench-seat in the courtyard.
Inside we used Resene Merino and Half Merino on all the walls and skirting and for the feature joinery in the living room we used Resene Indian Ink.
Top tip: When you’re using dark exterior colours like Resene Brown Pod, ask for Resene CoolColour paint, which reflects more of the sun’s UV rays than a standard colour to help protect the paint and the cladding.
What part of the design are you most happy with?
The feeling of space and volume that is created within a small footprint as the exterior spaces which create a little urban oasis in the industrial urban fabric.
What was the biggest challenge?
Working within council regulations is always a challenge but overall it ran fairly smoothly.
Were there any other professionals involved?
Wendy Osbourne from Tresson Interiors did the shutters and window treatments and did a fantastic job.
See more about Redbox Architects here.
Images Kate MacPherson
Published: 27 Sep 2018
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing editor@habitatbyresene.co.nz.
Nelson’s historic Brown House settlers cottage has had a bold new makeover. The exterior lives up to the house name in Resene Brown Pod with trim in Resene Black White and a bold front door in Resene Scrumptious.
The bold feature joinery in the lounge is Resene Indian Ink, teamed with Resene Merino and Resene Half Merino walls, skirtings and ceilings.
The exterior spaces create an urban oasis. The house exterior is Resene Brown Pod and the trims are Resene Black White.
The architects kept the building’s front façade but reconfigured the rest of the house into a three bedroom dwelling. The exterior is in Resene Brown Pod with trim in Resene Black White. The right courtyard wall is in Resene Truffle, the upper left side is Resene Double Foundry.
Another sunny secluded outdoor area. The weatherboards are in Resene Brown Pod, the window trim is Resene Black White and the courtyard wall is Resene Truffle.
The stylish modern bathroom has walls, ceiling and skirtings in Resene Merino and Half Merino.
The house can sleep up to six guests. Here the walls, skirtings and ceiling are Resene Merino and Resene Half Merino.
Cottage owners Marcia and Ben Pearson relax on a benchseat painted in Resene Scrumptious in the new outdoor living area.
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