Before the refresh, the beige brick, weathered timber, steel garage door and tiled roof of Lisa’s home was looking a bit on the tired side.

While the original timber panelling above Lisa's garage door was an interesting feature, the wood itself was weathered beyond saving.

Designer Deanna Hills of The Designery Room was enlisted to help. She says that her mandate was to modernise the house and give it a stylish look, bringing it up to scratch, without going overboard on budget. Her selection of Resene paint products and a simple colour palette were just the ticket.

A fresh coat of Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Element on the brick, gables and garage door, Resene Summit Roof in Resene Element on the roof, Resene Woodsman Pitch Black CoolColour on the cedar cladding and windowheads and Resene Sea Fog on the fascia, spouting, soffits, posts, downpipes and garage surrounds made all the difference in this monochromatic modernisation.

“Resene Element is a lovely soft black, which toned in with the old school bronze joinery, as we wanted to hide the joinery to an extent. We didn’t want to accentuate any of the timber elements, so we went for Resene Woodsman Pitch Black in the CoolColour formula. It flows seamlessly to the Resene Element on the bricks and also gave the house a lovely sense of height,” explains Deanna.

“We wanted to add some character and definition, so we used Resene Sonyx 101 tinted to Resene Half Sea Fog on the fascia and key pieces of trim. This black and white scheme gives a modern yet timeless look to the home and worked really well with the existing materials and substrates.”

Deanna says that the right tradie was important to make sure we the right finishes and products were used on the existing and weathered materials. “We also needed someone who took attention to detail. Our painters, Hallie Decorators, did an amazing job.”

“The main challenge was the cedar gable above the garage. This timber was left for too long and – let’s say it was past its used-by date. The painter ended up needing to organise installation of new timber.”

Serendipitously, the change-out ended up benefiting the overall design as they were able to get rid of the odd triangular shape from the front of the house and tone the horizontal boards in with the existing cedar windowheads.

“The painted brick was definitely the most successful element of the project,” says Deanna. “It’s actually a very simple and cosy effective way to modernise an old dated brick home. 

It’s just looks spectacular – like a completely different home.”

With little more than a fresh coat of paint, Lisa’s home has been completely transformed. The brick, gables and garage door has been painted with Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Element on, Resene Summit Roof in Resene Element was used on the roof, Resene Woodsman Pitch Black CoolColour was used on the cedar cladding and windowheads and Resene Sea Fog contrasts on the fascia, spouting, soffits, posts, downpipes and garage surrounds.

While Lisa’s new façade is a knock-out, Designer Deanna Hills of The Designery Room also suggested this ‘fantasy alternative’ – given an unlimited-budget:

“This house has some lovely bones. We wanted to work with the existing structure but completely transform this house into a fresh modern home – with a Mediterranean twist. The version shows another idea for a relaxing home exterior, featuring a fresh white colour palette and a minimalist garden full of gorgeous greenery.

“The seamless flow of Resene Whitewater to Resene Half White Pointer gives the house lovely simplicity. Adding in some beautiful raw copper features, which obtrudes out framing the windows. This warm contrast mixed with the fresh white scheme, adds a modern twist to the home and toning in with the warm timber hues.”

And since we were in daydream mode, we also let Kate Rogan and Eva Nash of Rogan Nash Architects take a crack at dreaming up their own alternative scheme:

“Our inspiration comes from recent projects, both in the planning and the colour scheme.  We find in urban areas people are forgoing the garage in favour of an extra living space. So with this in mind we have altered the house to create another living area at the front and changed the cladding to cedar with a Resene Woodsman stain. The rest of the scheme is also urban focused with the dark roof and joinery, the bagged brick walls are in a lighter colour to give relief to the scheme and tropical planting sets off the palette.”

All three of these façade designs teach some important lessons. Here are three takeaways you don’t want to miss out on:

Takeaway #1: Contrast is king

Whether it’s dark on light or light on dark, homes that have high contrast between different elements are usually the best looking ones on the block. While it’s much more common for homeowners to choose white trims and soffits over slightly darker cladding, dark trim over light cladding can be a showstopper.

Same goes with unique features. If it’s a different material than the rest of your house – such as your front door or decorative timber louvres above your garage – paint it a different colour than anything else on your house to give it even greater definition.

Remember though, don’t go overboard.  Only contrast elements you want to be noticed. 

Takeaway #2: Bring colour off the walls

Landscaping is an art in and of itself, and bringing in features like raised beds or planter boxes can make an incredible impact on the impression your home makes from the kerbside. Try painting them in the same contrasting colour that you used to define your window trims or soffits to bring the colour off the walls and into the garden for a cohesive look.

Takeaway #3: Yes, you can paint pretty much anything – even your roof

When your roof starts looking less than wonderful, it’s a common reaction to want to replace it. But if the damage is only cosmetic, a fresh coat of paint could be all it takes to keep it looking good for many more years. The Resene Roof Colour System include matches for precoated roofs so that you can return it to its original hue, or go for something completely new. 

designersThe Designery Room, Rogan Nash Architects
illustrations Malcolm White