RESENE COLOUR HOME AWARDS
This year’s Resene Colour Home Awards winner started small by painting vases before going all out with eye-catching murals
Meet this year’s winner
Soothing pools of colour that uplift and bring a sense of joy were the impetus for the home of this year’s Resene Colour Home Awards winner.
The murals were painted by Jasmin Vallance in three rooms of her Point England home in Auckland. The seed to decorate was planted after she dabbled in the effects of paint during lockdown last year.
While she was online seeking inspiration, the work of a woman painting and upcycling items with paint caught her eye. “I thought ‘I can do that’,” Jasmin says. “So I started painting vases and furniture, and my confidence grew from there.”
As her approach evolved, she applied her creativity to the hallway, spare room and office in her home, bringing in soulful, earthy neutrals with pink, green and black. Despite entering the Resene Colour Home Awards, she didn’t expect to win and is still adjusting to the fact that her creations took the title and $5000 cash prize.
“I’m shocked,” she says. “There were other houses I was up against that were amazing, I didn’t think I’d have a chance. I’m just a Joe Blogg, I don’t have a design background.”
Jasmin was at work, where she is employed in construction support, when she saw the email revealing her as the winner. “I was sitting at my desk and let out a squeal, then ran around the office yelling
‘I won! I won!’ I hugged my dad, who I work for, and called my partner and Mum to let them know. I feel like I’m still fizzing from it now.”
The archway and circle, which are a part of her winning scheme, are comforting to the eye. “They’re not boxy,” she says. “I’m drawn to those non-uniform shapes. The hallway arch looks like a doorway that could lead somewhere else.”
“I started seeing a few arches around and thought I’ll have a go,” she says. “It took a bit of convincing to get my partner, Matt Palmer, to come on board. I was gung-ho, thinking, ‘Let’s go for it and do a black arch because, being paint, we can just paint over it if need be’.”
An arch in Resene Black felt like a safe colour to use in the hallway, not being too bright or intense. “I wasn’t hugely comfortable with colour at that stage. But as soon as I saw it, I thought I’d move to more colourful colours in other parts of the house.”
This approach evolved to choosing the terracotta of Resene Moccasin in the spare bedroom, in a giant circle. “I like those earthy neutral colours and didn’t want to go for a whole bright orange.”
“I like the terracotta look, but was very millennial by putting a poll on Instagram asking whether I should go for terracotta or blush. Terracotta was the answer.”
Knowing she and Matt wanted that room to be a nursery one day, such a genderneutral colour was key – she’s already got her mind set on painting an organic rainbow.
A mirror was placed in the centre of the terracotta circle, reminding Jasmin of a sunrise. “The shape is plain and simple, but then the colour adds an extra layer of warmth to the room.”
In the study, Jasmin went with curves again, this time in different forms: “I was trying to paint triangular-like shapes with a fluid movement to them.” The theme here was to tie in with all of the colours in the house by using Resene Moccasin, Resene Flax and Resene Dust Storm. “It was a nice way to make all of the colours cohesive and pull it all together. I enjoyed bookending them with Resene Moccasin at the top and bottom. This also has a slight sunrise vibe.”
“Overall, we wanted a fun, slightly different vibe,” she says. “The murals were so simple to paint and I knew I could easily achieve them by myself. They just bring a bit of joy to our home.”
“I’m drawn to those non-uniform shapes. The hallway arch looks like a doorway that could lead somewhere else.”
JASMIN VALLANCE