A labour of love: Restoring charm to a neglected villa

This delightful Wellington villa had been through two major renovations before Russell and Anna Allen bought it. However, some years of ‘deferred maintenance’ from the previous owner meant the couple still had to put in some hard mahi post-purchase, using Resene colours to restore beauty and charm to their new home.

Though they were committed to keeping some of the home’s original timber features, most of the house needed serious love and attention, so Russell and Anna made the choice to repair it from head to toe. They also split the home into two dwellings, giving them the potential to rent out the lower level.

“When we purchased the villa, it was in a serious state of disrepair, having had no maintenance over the previous ownership as a rental property,” Russell says.

“We also had a time constraint, with our first child due six months after we started the renovation on the upper dwelling. We were camping in the bottom part of the house, which was also part construction site, and it was a race against the clock! Luckily - for the project but not the mum - our son was 10 days overdue.” 

Russell, a project manager at Parliamentary Service, and Anna, a general manager at KiwiRail, managed to split the two levels as planned. They changed four bedrooms and a staircase into three bedrooms with a living room, bathroom and kitchen on the upper main dwelling. They got the space to a liveable state in the nick of time, with plumbing finished in the bathroom and kitchen the day before their child arrived.

Built in 1902, a lot of the home’s original materials remained, despite previous attempts to renovate. Heart native timbers throughout were sanded and brought back to life, giving the villa some character and visual appeal.

The upper dwelling respects the traditional villa aesthetic in its detailing, which is reflected in the chosen colour scheme. The tall 3.3m ceiling height allowed the timber ceilings to be stained in bold Resene Dark Rimu, making them a gorgeous feature without any feeling of compression.

Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen was used on the walls, tinted to the gorgeous, soft, Resene Milk White from the Karen Walker Paints range. This shade, almost chalky, changes across the day in different light conditions, subtly picking up tones of adjacent colours, from the dark wood ceilings, and the native matai flooring which was finished in three layers of Resene Aquaclear ensuring a good level of light reflectance is maintained.

“The depth and warmth of Resene Milk White is exceptional and truly complements the natural timbers of other surfaces. It also has a great ability to hide everyday marks and scrapes, which has been a huge benefit with young children,” Russell says. “Since using it I have subsequently recommended this colour to many others.”

The kitchen is the couple’s favourite room in the home. With the full-height cabinetry and tiles pushing up against the dark ceiling, a nice tension and contrast is created for a grand and modern touch. The exposed shelf with pots and pans, and hanging lights, add an industrial feel while remaining cosy and homely in keeping with the classic villa style. 

Blue was the go-to shade for the bathroom, and after some deliberation, Resene Solitude, a cool and dreamy blue, was chosen for its gentle qualities, that don’t stray too far from the calm neutrals of the rest of the house. The timber bathroom ceiling is painted in Resene Lustacryl Kitchen & Bathroom tinted to Resene White, a shade that ensured the smaller space remained bright and airy.

Russell has always specified Resene products to his clients, because of their reliability and the excellent technical support, so he was only ever going to do the same for his own house. 

The couple describe their interior style as ‘honest’; using a constrained colour palette that highlights selected elements of the home, without focusing on all the latest trends to ensure a finish that endures. 

“Architecturally, the original villa aesthetic to the street facing façade is retained and the upper dwelling references this internally, but with a more modern take,” Russell says. “However, the lower dwelling clearly states its position as a new addition and has a modern aesthetic both internally and externally.” 

“Each dwelling has been treated differently both in design and colour scheme, though a neutral palette is used in both to provide a calm, inviting environment, contrasting with the more vibrant exterior and the buzz of the city.”

The plan for the lower dwelling was all about light and bright, with the timber floor to ground it. This was completed mostly by a contractor while the couple lived upstairs enjoying their new family time. 

Taking on a more modern and simple approach in its design, Resene Black White was used for the walls and ceiling throughout this dwelling. The crisp, clean finish of this colour ensured a light, modern feel, allowing for the potential tenants’ décor to stand tall in the space for a sense of ownership. The use of a single colour also makes for simpler repair and refurbishment during and between rental tenancies. 

Architraves and skirting were painted in Resene Double Black White to provide subtle contrast to frame surfaces, as do the doors painted in Resene Concrete, a shade that complements the brass hardware.

Black feature tiles at the rear of the kitchen provide contrast and really bring out the crispness of Resene Black White on surrounding walls. This open plan room has a modern Scandi vibe with clean modern finishes and décor.

The exterior colour scheme was all about referencing the villa aesthetic while blending with the bush and landscape. It shows respect to traditional villa colours through limiting the colour palette and highlighting the original detailing. 

The main level is painted in Resene Flax, which draws inspiration from the flora on neighbouring Mt Victoria and helps the house to blend into the green belt when viewed from long vantage points. Resene Flax has a depth of tone that reads well from the street and complements the decking and grass areas in the front yard.

The north-facing extension leading to the lower dwelling is clad in textured plywood with vertical battens, purposely contrasting the horizontality of the villa form. To subtly emphasise this contrast while remaining aligned with the overall intent, this is painted in complementary Resene Green Mist.

Decking timber is stained with Resene Woodsman Heartwood to visually appear as an extension of the internal matai flooring, creating a perfect indoor-outdoor flow.

The whole exterior refresh has lifted the house from an old villa to one with real presence and a practical usable space. Along with a bright, happy front door, painted in Resene Bright Spark, this home is now welcoming with a friendly presence from the street. 

“We bought the home knowing it needed a full renovation,” Russell says. “We set out to better the quality of the Wellington housing stock that we had experienced as students and flatties - cold, damp and draughty.

“The house now provides modern levels of comfort, is warm, quiet, light, and draught free, within its traditionally proportioned and detailed envelope.”

As a registered architect, Russell admits that he understands how buildings go together, but throughout his own renovation project, found that there’s a real appreciation that you get from doing it all yourself.

The couple’s efforts to restore this villa won them the Resene Total Colour Residential Exterior Colour Maestro Award in 2022, a well-deserved prize for the hard working team and stunning home.

Although the couple have since sold the villa, they have many fond memories of the five years spent renovating it while raising their young family.

“Henry Street Villa is a personal renovation project, progressively completed over the past six years on a constrained budget,” Russell says. “This project was my first full painting experience, after having been a specifier for many years. I now have a much better understanding of the extent of work and complexities behind what looks like a simple paint job. 

“My key is ‘do it once, do it properly and do it all’. Shortcuts are the quickest way to failure and are not worth it in the long run, so do it properly the first time and you won’t need to revisit it again later. 

“As many people will know there’s a lot of respect that needs to be given to a 100+-year-old villa, knowing that it’s proven itself in the elements and environment for that long, and hopefully this renovation offers that respect and brings it forward to see out the next 100 years.”

architect Russell Allen ara.projects.nz@gmail.com 

Top tip:

Resene SpaceCote Kitchen & Bathroom is a waterborne enamel style paint with added anti-bacterial silver protection and MoulDefender. It’s ideal for walls in wet or steamy areas such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundries.  Team it with Resene Lustacryl Kitchen & Bathroom on trim and joinery and Resene SpaceCote Flat Kitchen & Bathroom on ceilings.

This living, dining and kitchen has modern touches with added old-world charm from original timber flooring coated in Resene Aquaclear. The dark timber ceiling is stained in Resene Colorwood Dark Rimu with walls and trims painted in Resene Milk White.

This dining and kitchen have a slight industrial feel while also oozing family comfort. The original timber flooring coated in Resene Aquaclear and dark timber ceiling stained in Resene Colorwood Dark Rimu create a unique look with the upstretched tiles on the kitchen wall. The walls and trims are painted in Resene Milk White.

This cosy living room is made welcoming by the Resene Milk White walls and warm terracotta fabrics. Trims are also Resene Milk White with timber flooring coated in Resene Aquaclear for added shine and durability.

The high ceiling allows the Resene Colorwood Dark Rimu stain to add cosiness without becoming claustrophobic. The neutral walls and trims are painted in Resene Milk White, the perfect contrast between the darker flooring and ceiling.

This dreamy hint-of-blue bathroom is painted in Resene Solitude. Not too far from a neutral, it pairs well with the Resene White ceiling and white tiles surrounding the lower walls. The added touches of timber on bathroom furnishings create cohesion through the house.

The cooler tones of Resene Milk White, on walls and trims, are warmed with the soft hallway lighting and bold yellow of the Resene Bright Spark front door. The wooden hall floor is coated in Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K, a strong and durable product for high foot traffic areas, with the perfect amount of sheen. The timber ceiling is stained in Resene Colorwood Dark Rimu and doors are coated in Resene Aquaclear.

The lower dwelling has been kept simple and bright, with faint Scandi vibes, ready for tenants to make their own. The walls and ceiling in this living area, kitchen and bedroom are painted in Resene Black White, creating a perfect contrast against the black tiles. Resene Double Black White was used on trims to frame the wall surfaces, and Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K was used on timber flooring throughout.

 

The bright neutral shade of Resene Black White carries through to the bathroom, making this space feel larger and stretch further. The gorgeous timber cabinet pairs well with the neutral shade and again creates a subtle unity to the rest of the timber features in the home. Trims are painted in Resene Double Black White.

Resene Flax was used on the exterior weatherboards, chosen for its connection to the flora on neighbouring Mt Victoria. The joinery and trims are painted in contrasting Resene Villa White, with some original detailing and the front door in eye-catching Resene Bright Spark. Decking is stained in Resene Woodsman Heartwood.

Two similar green shades have been used on the exterior: Resene Flax for the horizontal weatherboards and Resene Green Mist for the vertical cladding and battens. Trims are painted in Resene Villa White and timber decking is stained in Resene Woodsman Heartwood to create a connection between inside and out.

A great way to ensure original detailing stands out is by painting it in a bold contrasting colour like these details in Resene Bright Spark. Surrounding trims are painted in Resene Villa White.

Published: 15 Mar 2023

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