We take a gander at the Resene Total Colour Awards winners for some much-needed colour inspiration – oh yeah, and we also find the gin bar of our dreams. Ain’t life grand!
In a year that seemed dominated by doom and gloom, there’s been a real yearning for colour to come back into our lives in whatever way we can manage.
Think crisp blues that remind you of the sea; gorgeous greens that almost make you feel you’re running through grass; yellows that vibe through everything like the sun.
Or hell, we’ll take the beige of a pizza being eaten in a real-life restaurant!
But while things are looking up (*knocks on wood ferociously*) there have still been plenty of vibrant, happy and simply stunning colour-filled projects – and they serve as perfect inspiration for your own home projects!
A strong selection of winners were recognised at the Resene Total Colour Awards – and in Resene’s 75th birthday year, it seems fitting that the latest awards have been a true celebration of all things colour. From neutral to bright, pastel to weathered, each winner’s palette is distinctively unique in hue – yet all share an excellence in colour selection.
It was captivating colour which beautifully complements its classical architecture that won Christchurch’s Public Trust Building the top colour award for 2021. The project was bestowed both the Resene Total Colour Master Nightingale Award, named after the Nightingale family who founded and still run Resene today, as well as the Resene Heritage Award. The project features Resene Blanc, Resene Half Beryl Green, Resene Jaguar, Resene Smoky Green, Resene Sanguine Brown and Resene Wan White – authentic selections which pay homage to the building’s rich history.
The Resene Total Colour Awards were launched to encourage and celebrate excellent and creative use of colour; to showcase striking colour palettes and combinations and provide fresh inspiration – and this year’s submissions did not disappoint.
As so many projects have been delayed over the last 18 months, there was a pronounced shift to making the most of what already exists, with many older projects lovingly brought to life with painstaking attention to detail, care and fresh coats of new Resene colour. It did not go unnoticed by the judging panel, which included Sylvia Sandford (colour expert), John Walsh (previous editor of Architecture, architecture writer) and Laura Lynn Johnston (editor of BlackWhite magazine, previous editor of habitat magazine).
Here are some of our favourite highlights of the award-winners:
Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Public + Retail Award
gin gin – cocktail bar + eatery by Brett and Hollis Giddens (main image)
*Books flights to Christchurch immediately*. Is this not the best-looking bar you ever did see – and that’s BEFORE we get to the gin? Putting aside the fact the bar is decked out in Capsule’s signature pink and green, this is what we think bars in heaven look like. It makes you want more, it makes you interested, it makes you happy – and really, the judges put it best when they described it as a ‘daring sense of occasion’.
This project uses (L-R) Resene Madison, Resene My Pink, Resene Permanent Green and Resene Shilo. (Images by Sarah Rowlands)
Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Office Colour Maestro Award
Cosmic Corner Headquarters by Daniel Sullivan, Common Ltd, with Jenna Ingram
Ok so this is the bathroom of our dreams. Maybe our skincare routines would actually happen if we had a powder room like this. Right? Bathrooms are the place in your home where you can have a little fun with your colour palette and as the judges said, the choice of bold hues radiates energy and vibrancy. Who doesn’t want more of that first thing in the morning?
This project uses (L-R each row) Resene Awash, Resene Casal, Resene Green Meets Blue, Resene Half Turbo, Resene Pitch Black, Resene Quarter Tapa, Resene Rouge, Resene Shadowy Blue and Resene Wan White. (Images by Sarah Rowlands.)
Resene Total Colour Commercial Exterior Colour Maestro Award
‘As One Door Closes, Another Opens’ by Will Cooke
I mean, what a title for 2021, right? Some of our favourite, ridiculously happy colours paired together in a vibrant, unexpected and joyful way.
This project uses (L-R each row) Resene Charlotte, Resene Confederate Grey, Resene Cupid, Resene Glamour Puss, Resene Glorious, Resene Happy, Resene Half Spray, Resene Hit Pink, Resene Melanie, Resene Smitten, Resene Scrumptious, Resene Southern Cross, Resene Supernova, Resene Tropical Blue, Resene Twilight and Resene Wewak.
Resene Total Colour Rising Star Award
Colour, Hell of a Good Thing! by Belinda Burke
Agreed – can we be transported into this scene asap?! The judges reckoned it was filled with a light and bright energy and we are *vibing that* for the new year!
This project uses Resene Happy, Resene Marionette and Resene Outrageous
We hope this has inspired to you inject a little colour in your 2022 decor plans!
