Nothing Neutral here

A fun beach retreat away from the city

These clients' love of colour and bravery meant that we were able to really push the boundaries and use colour in unexpected and exciting ways throughout their beach home.

See more of the design story below the gallery.

2023 Dulux Colour Awards Finalist

The design story behind Joyful Raumati Beach

Our feature project is the spectacular beach home of a fun loving and creative couple. The brief was create a retreat away from the city that gave them somewhere to relax, entertain - and most of all had a sense of fun and a little of the unexpected. The standout request at our first meeting was to avoid brown and muddy colours at all costs - no neutrals here!


We wanted to create a series of magical spaces that quite simply take your breath away. A sense of joy is apparent from the moment you step into the home and look across the expansive lawn to the ocean.


To achieve the our goal we used Dulux colours in new and unexpected ways and definitely pushed the boundaries. From the custom painted dining chairs and mirror in the stairs, to the ceiling in the master bedroom.


Despite its size and incredible views the master bedroom initially felt lifeless and vast. We divided it into two zones and connected the two with the ceiling painted in a deep navy. The luxury of the over height ceilings while fabulous previously felt under capitalised but as as soon as we painted it a sense of calm as well as fun was achieved. My clients now comment that it feels like lying in bed with the night sky above.

We have used colour in the dining area to help define this space within the larger open plan living area and all the while ensuring each space is connected by complimentary colours and finishings.

The ever important home office has retained a cavernous feeling enabling the owner to spend countless hours writing without distraction.

In the remainder of the home we opted for a fresh white and used a master stroke of window sheers in the same colour as the walls to make the space feel larger and less enclosed while also achieving the the practical result of filtering the harsh New Zealand sun.

On the lower level the aim was to draw the eye to the view and disguise the lower ceiling height. By painting the walls and ceiling in Mt Aspiring and adding sheers on all windows we have created a crisp canvas which is the perfect backdrop for the colourful art and furnishing accents.