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Demo to Reno: Bedroom makeover

Tyge and Christina Dellar, aka Demo to Reno, are slowly making over their family’s forever family home in Stillwater, Auckland. It was love at first sight for the couple and their two sons, Valor (seven) and Zeph (four). “We want the house to feel like a large family home – still super cosy but with that touch of luxury. Our inspiration comes from famous movie houses, like the ones from Father of the Bride and Home Alone, but with our touches and style.”

The couple have partnered with MasterStroke by Resene to bring their vision to life and have already undertaken stunning transformations on their dining room and pool room. This time Valor’s bedroom was the one to be updated, but it had to be in keeping with the classic character of the home. “We wanted a room that felt warm and boyish but still had the main features that could be found in a room of an older house,” says Christina.

While they did love the light and proportions of the original room, it was very tired, with varnished timber ceilings and joinery and, as Tyge put it, “the digger wallpaper needs to go!” They also wanted to future-proof the design and ensure it was a room that Valor could grow into.

Similar to the dining room and pool room, they planned to continue the wainscoting on the lower half of the walls, and while they knew they wanted to use blue, they needed to fine-tune exactly which shade. So, Christina and Tyge headed to their local Resene ColorShop to get some help from the experts.

Resene Colour Expert Brenda was able to help Christina narrow down the perfect classic blue for Valor’s bedroom.

Valor’s favourite colour is blue, and he gave his tick of approval to Christina's choice of Resene Bunting.

Christina spent time with Resene Colour Expert Brenda Ngatai viewing a range of Resene blues. “To be honest I never knew there were so many blues out there!” says Christina. “Brenda was able to trim the options down and help me find the right one.”

Meanwhile, Tyge got Resene ColorShop Paint Expert Isaac’s advice on removing old wallpaper and prepping for painting the various surfaces within the bedroom.

Christina was confident in her colour selection, but she first had to run it past the man of the hour, as she’d promised. Valor’s favourite colour is blue and he gave his tick of approval to Resene Bunting, a deep navy hue.

Before any painting could begin, there was plenty of prep work to be done. Tyge stripped the wallpaper and sanded the varnished timber ceilings, while Christina sanded and prepped the windowsills, skirting and doors. Tyge then created the wainscoting on the lower wall, which is essentially cutting box trim to size and attaching it to the wall to create a really nice feature. Wainscoting is found in many classic American homes and adds a timeless, authentic touch.

Digger demo! Tyge removes the dated wallpaper from the lower walls before installing his bespoke wainscoting.

As the ceilings are varnished timber, Tyge needed to prep them using Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer before painting.

The couple primed all the areas using Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat on the walls and wainscoting and Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer on the ceilings and over old varnish on the sills and architraves.

Then it was time for topcoats! They used Resene SpaceCote Flat in Resene Quarter Black White for the ceiling, Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Black White for the walls, Resene Zylone Sheen in Resene Bunting for the wainscoting and Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel in Resene Black White for the windowsills, architraves and skirtings. Top tip: Using a higher sheen waterborne enamel, such as Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel, on trims and joinery makes it easier to clean off finger marks than a lower sheen finish.

Tyge and Christina couldn’t be happier with the finished result. “Pulling off that tape and seeing the stark contrast between the fresh bright white and deep blue was amazing,” says Christina. “Honestly, we couldn’t be happier, especially since our son loves it so much. He enjoys playing and relaxing in his bedroom so much more now, which is the exact reason we wanted to renovate his room.”

Before

After

The finished bedroom’s stark contrast between the fresh bright white and deep blue is classic yet comfortable and perfect for a growing boy who loves blue. Ceiling in Resene Quarter Black White, wainscoting in Resene Bunting, walls, sills, architraves and skirtings painted in Resene Black White.