In Resene’s 75th year, it seems fitting that the latest Resene Total Colour Awards have been a true celebration of all things colour. From neutral to bright, pastel to weathered, each winner’s palette is distinctively unique in hue – yet all share an excellence in colour selection.

It was captivating colour which beautifully complements its classical architecture that won Christchurch’s Public Trust Building the top colour award for 2021. The project was bestowed both the Resene Total Colour Master Nightingale Award, named after the Nightingale family who founded and still run Resene today, as well as the Resene Heritage Award. The project features Resene Blanc, Resene Half Beryl Green, Resene Jaguar, Resene Smoky Green, Resene Sanguine Brown and Resene Wan White – authentic selections which pay homage to the building’s rich history.

The Resene Total Colour Awards were launched to encourage and celebrate excellent and creative use of colour; to showcase striking colour palettes and combinations and provide fresh inspiration–and this year’s submissions did not disappoint. As so many projects have been delayed over the last 18 months, there was a pronounced shift to making the most of what already exists, with many older projects lovingly brought to life with painstaking attention to detail, care and fresh coats of new Resene colour. It did not go unnoticed by the judging panel, which included Sylvia Sandford (colour expert), John Walsh (previous editor of Architecture NZ, architecture writer) and Laura Lynn Johnston (editor of BlackWhite magazine, previous editor of habitat magazine).

For details on all of the Resene Total Colour Award winners, both past and present, visit resene.co.nz

Resene Total Colour Master Nightingale Award and Heritage Award

The Public Trust Building by Three Sixty Architecture

The judges said “a proud winner, this building has a captivating presence. The quality of the finishing, the colour palette and the architecture all fit perfectly and are just right. The colours bring out the calibre of the building and feel at one with the strength of the architecture. This project has been treated with years of dedicated effort and respect, holding onto and preserving history with a delightfully classical treatment.”

Resene Total Colour Education Award

Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngā Pihi o Te Purapura Pai by Bull O’Sullivan Architecture

Judges noted “a warm welcome awaits. Colour is used strategically to highlight and draw attention, carefully placed in context and in consideration of sightlines to enhance the building. It’s a purposeful palette that brings together a unique colour combination to provide a distinctive and supportive environment for young minds to explore, flourish and create.”

Resene Total Colour Education Colour Maestro Award 

Huapai District School Block 2 Refurbishment by Rachel Xu of Pacific Environments NZ Ltd

The judges said “this project reinvents space using paint, colour and creative colour blocking to stretch the imagination and support school life. Carefully pairing colour with purpose, each hue helps to reinforce the use of each space. The staff area is a sanctuary wrapped in relaxing calm hues, a far cry from the invigorating fun colour in the creative maker space.”

Resene Total Colour Rising Star Award

Colour, Hell of a Good Thing! by Belinda Burke

The judges stated “decorative, beautiful, yet practical, this colour concept has been carefully thought through. The colour palette is anchored and persuasive, purposefully celebrating colour with detailed reasoning for its use, balanced with clear finishes. Filled with light and a bright energy, the palette draws on experiences of the past, capturing travel memories in a new application.”

Resene Total Colour Rising Star Colour Maestro Award 

Healing by Qun Zhang 

Judges said “as if merged with a heady daydream, the colours are viewed in a permeable way in context with the view that lies beyond. The palette wraps in the spirit of the landscape with a lightness and ethereality that truly delights the senses and feeds the soul in a gloriously uplifting way.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Award

Galleria Sanctum by Kate St James and Catherine Whitting of St James Whitting

Judges noted “colour purposefully defines each space to imbue it with its own mood and personality. Careful consideration of sightlines from one room to the next takes you on a curated colour journey. The artwork and the colourways play off each other, providing a perfect environment in which the beauty of the artwork flourishes.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Colour Maestro Award 

College Street Apartment by Shaw & Shaw Architects 

Judges said “cosy but not closed in, this project achieves a lot in a small space, working mindfully with the age of the property to enhance each space while still being sympathetic to its era. With a focus on easy living, the colours come together into a sophisticated palette with memorable touches of colourful surprises.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Exterior Award

Pymble House by Belinda Edmunds of hungerford + edmunds

The judges noted “this home has a well-defined personality with its strong horizontal features emphasised through accent colour. The hues are chosen thoughtfully and in sympathy with the environment linking together the public and private faces of this home, culminating in a creative riot of colour on the poolside mural for added frivolity and fun.”

Resene Total Colour Residential Exterior Colour Maestro Award 

Skylark Cabin by Barry Connor of Barry Connor Design

The judges said “colours and materials are juxtaposed to accentuate their beauty. The dark wood stain cleverly plays off the rocky landscape while the burnt bold orange accents harness the smouldering heat of a volcano to frame features. It’s a colour-fuelled reminder to us all that colour brilliance is not just the colours you choose but how you choose to embrace them through the architecture.”

Resene Total Colour Community Award

Whare Koa Māngere Community House by Burgess Treep & Knight Architects 

Judges noted “ringing the voices of many together, this is truly a happy place – where all ages and all cultures can mix and mingle in a vibrant environment. The colour draws attention to the age of the house then elevates and embraces it with a welcoming hug of hues, inviting in all. It’s brimming with love, pride, community and the warmest of warm fuzzies.”

Resene Total Colour Landscape Award 

Kopupaka Reserve Playground by Nina Rattray and Claire Leisching of Auckland Council 

Judges said “colour has been used to activate and elevate this space for all to enjoy. The hues go beyond a predictable playground palette while still bringing together a colourful bouquet that is lively and inviting. With many elements touched by colour, it comes together in a subtle symphony that dances gently from one structure to the next defining each area without overwhelming it.”

Resene Total Colour Landscape Colour Maestro Award

Wairoa River Bridge by DC Structures Studio & Brian Perry Civil 

The judges noted “there’s more to this project than meets the eye. For a structure where grey would have been an easy default option, this bridge pushes the boundaries – going bold with colour where so many have gone bland before it. While navigating the requirements of multiple stakeholders, structural needs and the approval process, the palette provides a fluid connection between water and movement with a clear, distinctive personality from the roadway running alongside.”

Resene Total Colour Neutrals Award

SCION Innovation Hub: Te Whare Nui o Tuteata by RTA Studio and Irving Smith Architects 

Judges said “strength in architecture and painstaking care has ensured no detail has been overlooked. The palette preserves and showcases the structure, with whitewash, clear finishes and neutrals allowing the timber elements to take centre stage. It’s a sophisticated integration of colour and architecture, with a continuity that connects each space and plays with light and movement.”

Resene Total Colour Neutrals Colour Maestro Award

Beachlands House by Lisa Day of Donnell Day Architects 

Judges stated “a lovely backdrop to beach life, the neutral colour palette works beautifully with this light-filled home, where the hue strength and tone have been adjusted to suit each space and view. It’s lyrical and melodious, encouraging your eyes to slowly meander over the space and enjoy how the colour interacts with the lighting, texture and the cast of shadowing from the panelling. A perfectly composed palette.” 

Resene Total Colour Installation – Experiential – Product Award

Nohonga: Bioluminescence by Anna Li and Topsy Steele of Boffa Miskell

Judges said “whether viewed from inside or out, the palette of this creatively imaginative nohonga harnesses the natural phenomenon of glowing luminously and irresistibly. The colour rhythmically ascends over the classical architectural framework, drawing you deeper into the spiral and encouraging you to sit, linger and enjoy being surrounded in the beauty. The work is graceful and dynamic, but still breathes.”

Resene Total Colour Installation – Experiential – Product Maestro Award

De la Milpa a la Mesa – A Mexican Food Journey by Lee Davidson and Krissy O’Connor of Victoria University of Wellington & Dare To – Special Projects Agency 

Judges said “a fiesta of colour, this exhibition wholeheartedly embraces bold colour in a celebration of Mexican culture. Working with a wonderful base of masterful and over-scaled papier mache, the design team has taken a no holds barred approach to colour to capture the imagination of visitors, encouraging them to actively get involved with the interactive parts of the exhibition that have been wrapped into the feast of colour.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Public + Retail Award

Gin Gin – Cocktail Bar + Eatery by Brett and Hollis Giddens

The judges commented “splashed inside and out in a cocktail of intoxicating colour, the palette entices you inside you with a tantalising taster of what lies within. The quality of the fitout is unquestionably top shelf. It makes the most of the architecture with a bold palette of colours carefully intertwined with each other for a daring sense of occasion.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Public + Retail Colour Maestro Award

Waffle Haus by Steve Rosling of Element17

Judges said “yum! Tantalising and tasty, the fun placement of these colours gives a sense that this building is literally drizzled with colour, oozing chocolate from tip to toe. The colour is ever so carefully wrapped over all spaces, with pipes and rails that are reminiscent of striped paper straws. It’s a totally delicious escape from reality.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Exterior Award

Cricket Museum Stand Restrengthening by Shand Shelton

The judges noted “handsome and distinguished, this entirely appropriate colour palette showcases the architecture of the building. With so much physical ornamentation the colour has been used judiciously to subtly highlight the details, so you appreciate it in its totality. The lighter palette is entirely appropriate for a summer-focused game and a desirable calming force in the midst of busy city life.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Exterior Colour Maestro Award

As One Door Closes, Another Opens by Will Cooke

Judges said “this explosion of colour brightens up and demands attention of a once white space. The clever large-scale design is perfect to appreciate when viewed at a distance, while the ‘doors’ welcome you in and invite you to look a little closer. It’s vibrant, unexpected and just the colour needed to brighten each day.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Office Award

New Zealand Bus Head Office & Operations Centre by Clark Pritchard of StudioPritchard 

Judges said ”a home away from home, this office space brings the comfortable feel of working from home into a supportive environment for staff to enjoy their workdays. Colour supports the office design with sympathetic and mindful colours that transition with ease from one space to the next. The hand-painted mural delves into the detail, cleverly celebrating the company’s key role and pride in keeping the city moving.”

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Office Colour Maestro Award

Cosmic Corner Headquarters by Daniel Sullivan of Common Ltd with Jenna Ingram

Judges commented “joyful and creative, the colour selection and placement feel true to the brand’s energy and vibrancy. It plays on the psychology of colour, cleverly using energetic colour in the meeting room to spark ideas and encourage energy moving through to more restrained choices in chill out areas. This colour palette completely brings this office space to life.”

Resene Total Colour Heritage Colour Maestro Award

Grand Casino Dunedin by Annie Simpson King of Simpson King Design

The judges said “this project was designed to bring back the ‘wow’ and bring back the ‘wow’ it has. The sumptuous colour palette and metallic hues play to the decadence and opulence of a grand night out. Richly layered, it’s a testament to the passionate purpose to recapture and enhance this grand building’s beauty to appeal to the guests of today.”

Resene Total Colour Heritage Colour Maestro Award 

Napier Antique & Jewellery Centre by Keri Mason and Raewyn Dailey

Judges said “in true Art Deco style, this palette emphasises the beauty of the building’s design period with authentic colour choices. Details are ever so carefully highlighted with painted colour contrasts. The depth and tonality of the colours are balanced beautifully drawing admiring attention to this corner site. It’s a joy to see it detailed so well.”