The already-award-winning Chen Anselmi Units have been awarded the Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Award at this year’s Resene Total Colour Awards for its “delightful use of bold colour” which “lifts the spirits”, judges said. 

“The timber is a foil to the hues and brings a taste of the trees outside indoors connecting this home back to the landscape. Exciting, optimistic and inspirational, with a clearly defined colour palette you simply can’t wait to come home to. Colour makes this home.”

The 2020 Resene Total Colour Award winners were announced by the company on 9 November. They said, “In a challenging year, the entrants for the Resene Total Colour Award winners have shown the power of colour and creativity to change space, mood and emotions.”

The top award for the year, the Colour Master Nightingale Award, went to the Nancy Martin House, by Frederick Ost by Ann Shelton and Duncan Munro, along with the Resene Total Colour Heritage Residential Award. The judges said “colour selections have been ever so faithfully chosen to honour and respect the original. It reminds us all to make the most of what is already there – sometimes all that is needed are fresh coats of paint colour to make old new again. So much passion and painstaking research and attention to detail has been poured into choosing just the right colours and placing them ever so carefully in the right places. This home is loved by colour.”

See all the winning projects with jury commentary below.

Resene Total Colour – Colour Master Nightingale Award and Resene Total Colour Heritage Residential Award

Nancy Martin House, by Frederick Ost by Ann Shelton and Duncan Munro

The judges said “a labour of absolute love, this project is lavished with era appropriate hues, selected with incredible care and attention to detail and placement. The palette honours the value of design, wrapping it with a charming sense of mellowness and restfulness. The rimu doors cleverly read as a neutral thread. This project reminds us all that history has so much to offer as inspiration for colour selections of today if we make the time to look back and learn.”

Resene Total Colour – Colour Master Nightingale Colour Maestro Award and Resene Total Colour Heritage Commercial Award

Hawkes Bay Opera House Upgrade by Dave Pearson of DPA Architects Ltd

Judges noted, “Opening back up in grand style, this project is steeped in colour, so richly and dramatically dressed. Features are carefully picked out in appropriate hues encouraging the eyes on a colour journey. A definite crowd pleaser, the hues warm up the audience and create a sense of anticipation for the performance that lies ahead. Well deserving of a standing ovation.”

Resene Total Colour Landscape Award

Hayman Park by Wraights Athfield Landscape Architecture (WALA)

The judges said “colour is thoroughly integrated into the bigger picture, with colour used as a device for wayfinding and to signify areas of the park that fulfil different functions. Structures are defined by their chosen colours and together glow in welcome to park visitors, working equally well during the day and as the sun sets. The bold colour palette opens up the park extending the boundaries and ties all the elements together with a sense of excitement and anticipation.”

Resene Total Colour Landscape Colour Maestro Award

Breezebrick Courtyard House by Jason Haigh of Cloud Dwellers

The judges said “this project is the perfect example of how with a little creativity and paint colour you can easily create something out of nothing. What could have been a nondescript concrete pad has become a clever colourful feature deftly encouraging outdoor play while adding aesthetic appeal. The scale and rhythm of the circles is ever so carefully planned to elevate the space without overwhelming, perfectly complementing the distinct zones. An innovative and inspiring play on colour.”

Resene Total Colour Installation – Experiential – Product Award

Turuturu: Fingers, Feathers & Fibre by MTG Hawke’s Bay

The judges said “the colours are so carefully woven into this project it is almost difficult to see where one colour ends and the next one begins. This careful related selection means not only are the hues sympathetic to the curated collection, but they relate equally well to each other. Inspired by nature’s unerring mastery of colour, this palette layers the best of nature’s inspiration with a flaxen twist. A natural winner.”

Resene Total Colour Installation – Experiential – Product Colour Maestro Award

Harbour Eats, Commercial Bay by Love bErto Street Artist

The judges said “meticulously detailed the colours ripple out across the wall. With an underlying vibe of a radio frequency, the colour subtly plays on the senses. Each colour is cleverly and painstakingly separated from one another so that each colour and the space that lies between set the rhythm in harmony. A unique application of colour that wraps and elevates this space.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Exterior Award

Cornwall Park Public Toilets by Brent Scott of Citrus Studio Architecture

The judges said “this project raises the bar for public space amenities with its combination of colour and design. The hero hue and leaf motif are a careful balance of being bold enough to be a wayfinding device at distance while still being at one with the wider park surrounds. So well designed, well coloured and simply gorgeous.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Exterior Colour Maestro Award

He Puna Taimoana, the Hot Pools at New Brighton by AW Architects

The judges said “judicious splashes of colour set the scene. Easy on the eye, hues of teal and yellow roll over from surf and sun to bring energy into this social space. Slatted materials add an extra textural dimension and create an illusion in the colour layers to read as a multi-toned woven vista. A masterful pairing of colour tone and treatment.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior + Public Space Award

Bacchanalia Bar by Justine McAllister

The judges said “blank walling is totally transformed with an impressive sense of movement, playfulness and colour. The careful combination of lighting with colour, brings the work to life, enhancing it and using it as a beacon to draw in the fun loving crowds. An energetic celebration dancing of colour for all to enjoy.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior + Public Space Colour Maestro Award

Saigon Kingdom by Element17

The judges said “historical and antiqued notes thread through this thematic space. Colours are at one with the surface giving the appearance they have been there forever as if engrained with a painterly look. The colour use and theming cleverly define the space and bring a distinctive taste of international inspiration home to enjoy kiwi style. It is a feast for the eyes.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior + Public Space Colour Maestro Award

Waitohi Johnsonville Library and Community Hub by John Hardwick-Smith, Chris Winwood, Nick Strachan, Jaime Lawrence, Robin Aitken, Ari Stephens, Katherine Dean, Karly Houston, Stephen Brennan, Oliver Wright of Athfield Architects Limited

The judges said “as the backdrop to a busy space, the palette is sensitively chosen and placed. Appropriate, welcoming and calm it is serene with just the right amount of colour to liven the senses while focusing attention on the collection within. A fitting backdrop to a public space where young and old can sit and enjoy the space at their own pace.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Office Award

Spaces Karangahape Rd by Chris Wheeler of Hierarchy Group

The judges said “colour defines this workspace with a thoughtful and restrained use of colour. With a myriad of people to appeal to, the palette is universally appealing and instantly welcoming to all. The softened hues are light on the senses for easy concentration to support those busy at work with just the right amount of energy and liveliness to encourage convivial collaboration.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Exterior Award

Beau Rivage, Bondi by Kat Everett

The judges said “this beachside location celebrates a local love of colour. With a neighbour dressed in colour, this project needed to have a colourful wardrobe of its own befitting its part in the colourful vintage duo. The colours carefully accentuate the architecture without overwhelming it. Happy, beachy and so full of sunshine.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Exterior Colour Maestro Award

Lean on Me – Exterior by Pat de Pont of Strachan Group Architects

The judges said “snuggling into its site from the streetscape into the landscape, the clever pairing of hues seamlessly handle the transition from street to private space and from traditional to modern. The light filled private space is an unexpected delight which blends beautifully with the garden for a quick escape from city to social.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Award

Chen Anselmi Units by Paul Anselmi and Maria Chen of Bull O’Sullivan Architecture Ltd

The judges said “the delightful use of bold colour lifts the spirits. The timber is a foil to the hues and brings a taste of the trees outside indoors connecting this home back to the landscape. Exciting, optimistic and inspirational, with a clearly defined colour palette you simply can’t wait to come home to. Colour makes this home.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Colour Maestro Award

Twin Peaks by Natasha Markham of MAUD Ltd

The judges said “a breath of tranquility washes over this home, with a restrained yet undeniably beautiful colour palette. Darker colours are cocooning in more intimate areas leading to lighter hues in shared social spaces. An elegant palette interpreted with modern living in mind. A masterful lesson in how to weave tranquil colour into a home.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Colour Maestro Award

Glamorous Heritage Villa by Amber Hamilton of Amber Hamilton Interior Design

The judges said “flamboyantly dressed, eyes are immediately drawn to the magnificent ceilings of colour, which reach down from the ceiling into the room. Warm, deep and glamorous, using the ceiling for the main colour features allows the colour to make a grand entrance in each room with an uncluttered space to really let the colour sing. Beautiful.”

Resene Total Colour Bright Spot Award

Point Wells Cricket Club by Pac Studio

The judges said “a whimsical folly, this project just makes you smile. Drawing from the heritage of the sport reinvented in a quintessential kiwi vernacular, every element is touched with a sheer love of the game with local flourishes for good measure. Camaraderie, cricket and colour come together for a perfect match.”

Resene Total Colour Rising Star Award

‘Fuel’ Restaurant Concept by Anna McMillan

The judges said “the concept of fuel is cleverly wrapped into this memorable design at all stages embracing a deep colour palette with a sense of fluidity that is entirely appropriate. With a nod to the history of the building, the welcoming décor is carefully designed to suit a night-time focused space. Dark and cocooning, guests are encouraging to relax and linger longer.”

Resene Total Colour Neutrals Award

Roseberry Villa by Abbey Lang of Abbey Lang Home

The judges said “quiet and unassuming this home is a haven on the senses harnessing the power of an achromatic palette. Dark neutrals are used carefully, with lighter hues for added loveliness. This colour palette combination will undoubtedly inspire other homeowners to eschew the all-white look and uplift their own home with stronger hues.”

Resene Total Colour Education Award

Te Hohepa Kohanga Reo by Paul Anselmi and Maria Chen of Bull O’Sullivan Architecture Ltd

The judges said “a little colour goes a long way with this project, bringing excitement and a warm welcome to young and old alike. Paint colours have been used as a versatile medium to co-ordinate with other materials. With the Kohanga Reo star leading the way, the hues have dual use as wayfinding devices, much as one might navigate by the stars at night. A considered use of the whole material palette with paint colours as the connection. An exciting new look for Kohanga Reo.”

Resene Total Colour Education Colour Maestro Award

Shirley Boys’ and Avonside Girls’ High Schools by ASC Architects

The judges said “cultural narratives are carefully woven into a new interpretation of colour. With two school cultures to honour, the sophisticated colour palette brings together the needs of both, while personalising each and providing identity and wayfinding elements. Like fraternal twins, each school maintains its own sense of self but equally reads well as a duo. An astute use of colour that nurtures identity both individually and in combination with each other.”

Resene Total Colour Visual Art Award

George Rose for a range of projects – The Berra, No Bed of Roses, Melbourne Kicks, Year of the Rat, Gotta hold on you, California Dreaming, Healing Vision, Croydon – Past, Present & Future and Bright Depths

The judges said “an incredible body of work, bold interpretations and colour palettes bring streetscapes and public spaces to life in a true celebration of colour and artistry. The works are so over scaled to suit each environment. With an underlying style, the art is reinvented with each brief so that each work truly shines on its own. Harnessing an enviable eye for colour, the colour palettes and proportions are beautifully and brilliantly intertwined.”

Learn more about the 2020 Resene Total Colour Awards at resene.co.nz.