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Meet & greet: Jason Callister (builder), Bonnie Slade (founder NaturKidz), and their children Willa, nine, and Finn, seven.
The property: Renovated four-bedroom ’80s house in Nelson.
The family on their colourful staircase, which is painted in Resene Spinnaker.
Sometimes to fit in, you have to stand out. That’s the philosophy behind our Resene Colour Homes winner of 2023/2024, which saw Bonnie Slade and Jason Callister take out the top prize with their fearless use of a mix of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen and Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss paint in their Nelson home.
The house, a “1980s fibre cement board box”, was the ugly duckling in a row of heritage homes. When the couple moved in, they undertook a bold, brilliant renovation to add colour and warmth to the home. In the living room, the floorboards are painted in Resene Spinnaker with Resene Aquamarine used as a striking green feature wall for contrast. “Bonnie is a real trendsetter. I never thought to paint my floorboards blue, but now I’m eyeing up my own at home,” says editor Fiona Hawtin.
Bold use of colour can be seen on the floorboards, which are painted in Resene Spinnaker, and complemented with a tribal patchwork area rug.
In the bathroom, a custom vanity in Resene Hive acts as a playful burst of yellow next to the concrete top and was also used on the back door. The white walls throughout the home are painted Resene Sea Fog.
But the piece de resistance belongs to the floating staircase painted in Resene Spinnaker and balustrade in Resene Foundry, which pairs perfectly with a Sara Hughes installation that covers
the two-storey walls and huge picture window. “It was designed for this space.” The colours complement the blue floating staircase and custom-made black balustrade. On the exterior, Resene Foundry is perfectly placed on the bottom half of the building. Colourful chalk illustrations by their children, Willa and Finn, adorn the charcoal paint.
Resene Foundry makes a statement on the house exterior.
“Bonnie’s embrace of colour is a masterclass in making a home your own through paint colours you love,” Resene marketing manager Karen Warman says.
Bonnie feels ecstatic about winning the coveted title, saying it’s “such a lovely acknowledgement of the hard work we put in. It definitely didn’t happen overnight.”
The bathroom has a custom vanity in Resene Hive.
As for the $5000 prize money, they’re planning on putting it towards a family holiday, as well as “shouting ourselves a nice celebratory bubbles”.
The house feels pretty much complete, but then again, there’s always something on the to-do list. Their son just moved into his own room, so the couple want to paint the ceiling navy blue, adding a solar system for a special celestial touch.
For anyone else wanting to experiment with colour, Bonnie says to not be afraid of dabbling in it. “Colour can add so much personality, if you’re living in it for a while don’t design it for resale. Colour can often be easily painted over if you do go to sell, so enjoy it for you in the meantime.”
More Resene colours to try (left to right): Resene Boundless, Resene Morning Haze, Resene Now Or Never.
Words by: Caroline Moratti
Photography by: Daniel Allen
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