Meet Resene: Sponsor of the Interior Awards 2023

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From left: Sharon Pearce (Architectural & Specifier Services Rep), Amanda Greenslade (Sales Rep), Angela Fell (Commercial Colour Consultant) and Karmen Hoare (Auckland Architectural Manager).

From left: Sharon Pearce (Architectural & Specifier Services Rep), Amanda Greenslade (Sales Rep), Angela Fell (Commercial Colour Consultant) and Karmen Hoare (Auckland Architectural Manager). Image: Toaki Okano

This year we celebrate Resene’s 12th year of partnership with the Interior Awards, having come on board at the outset as a founding sponsor. Karmen Hoare, Resene’s Auckland Architectural Manager, talks to us about their recent innovations, what trends to look out for and Resene’s proud history as a New Zealand-owned and operated company.

What new products or innovations does the design industry need to be aware of?

Karmen: Strong and bold colours are our forté, and our latest innovation Resene Blackest Black has now been introduced to the market. The shade is remarkably blacker than Resene Black and reflects less than 1% of incidental light.

What is your company doing to help specifiers and designers reach their clients’  sustainability targets or goals?

Karmen: Resene is dedicated to the sustainable route and takes satisfaction in assisting specifiers and designers in meeting their clients’ needs by taking action in a number of areas.

  • We offer an extensive range of low and no added VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), Environmental Choice-approved paint products
  • Our recyclable packaging, alongside a paint recycling programme (Resene Paintwise), reduces the amount of waste going to landfill
  • Products are formulated using sustainable raw materials such as plant-based resins.

Overall, our goal is to provide sustainable and environmentally friendly paint products that meet the needs of the market while promoting a more sustainable future.

What future trends, from your market segment, do you see on the horizon for the architecture and design industry?

Karmen: We’re seeing textures, paint effects, patterns and bold/strong colours making a surge in the market.

If there was one thing you would like the industry to know about your company, what would that be?

Karmen: Resene is a New Zealand-owned and operated company, our products are designed in New Zealand and are made in Wellington and have been since we started in 1946.

We take great pride in sharing the history of our company, which began as “Stipplecoat” in a garage in Eastbourne, Wellington before Resene constructed its first factory in an old stable and is now widely available throughout the country.


Resene has all the quality paint, colour, stain, wallpaper, curtains and helpful advice you need to get a superb finish on your decorating projects. Choose from thousands of colours in the Resene Total Colour System or let Resene create a custom colour for you.

Resene has been proudly 100 percent New Zealand-owned and operated since it started in 1946 and was named New Zealand’s Sustainable Business of the Year 2010 and the Most Trusted Paint brand every year since 2012.

To assist with your projects, Resene provides full specification and colour services or can assist your team with product and colour selection to suit. The Resene range includes innovative products ideal for interior projects, such as Resene FX Metallic, Resene ClinicalCote anti-bacterial and Resene Zylone Sheen Zero no-added-VOC paint finishes. Resene has an extensive range of Environmental Choice-approved, low-VOC paints to choose from, all tinted with durable Resene no-added-VOC tinters.

The Resene team is always inspired and delighted by the creativity of architects and designers and is proud to continue to sponsor the Interiors Awards celebrating excellence in design.


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