Resene Colour Home Awards

An art deco gem in New Plymouth is restored to its former glory by a pair of dedicated DIY decorators

A refurbished art deco gem

When you live in a heritage listed home, care and consideration must go into a new paint job. Jane Dubbelt and Pete Walker have lived in their 1930s art deco house in New Plymouth for 27 years. 20 years after their last paint job, they turned to the same line of Resene paint to refurbish the home. “We knew the product stood the test of time,” the couple said in their entry. The weatherproof Resene X-200 in ‘Half Haystack’ was used for the majority of the house, while the trim was painted in Resene ‘Green Smoke’. “We wanted to keep in character with the colour schemes used in the 1930s.” The couple painted the house themselves over four summers, proving that using colour with restraint can be a brave statement in itself.

Timber fences were stained with Resene Woodsman Wood Oil Stain in ‘Pitch Black’. The concrete fence and garage walls were painted in Resene Lumbersider ‘Half Haystack’ and Resene Hi-Glo CoolColour ‘Ironsand’ was used for the garage roof.

Restoring the windows required meticulous work. The majority of them were removed – 42 in total – before being stripped and restored, then painted in Resene Lustacryl ‘Haystack’. Rotten wood was replaced, while soft wood that couldn’t be replaced was...