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Eric and Thea go wild in the powder room

Utilising the power of Resene paint as well as some design know-how and experience, Olympic gold medallist rower Eric Murray and his partner Thea Lyle are renovating a rundown 1950s house in Cambridge.

So far they have transformed their master bedroom into a stylish poolside sanctuary, and now they’re moving onto one of the smallest but most utilised spaces in their home – the powder room.

Living through a major renovation is always challenging but the couple are particularly keen to get the bathroom sorted as they’ve been using a Portaloo for the past four months!

Small but perfectly formed

If you’re looking to experiment with some colour, depth and texture in your home, Resene experts often suggest starting with your powder room as a low commitment, low risk, relatively simple way to do so. As the space is small and the door is generally closed, you’re able to be as creative as you like and inject some uplifting personality into the room without it disrupting the rest of your interior design scheme.

Eric and Thea have also followed this philosophy when planning the design for theirs. “A lot of this house is very neutral toned so we want our powder room to be a little bit wild,” explains Thea.

As powder rooms are so small, they can be updated relatively affordably and simply – which also works if you don’t like the new design!

Thea and Eric got some expert advice from Resene Colour Consultant Christine Hodges to choose a paint colour that complemented their wallpaper design.

For the back wall and ceiling of the power room, the couple opted for Resene Hemlock.

With the right prepn, hanging paste-the-wall wallpaper is a simple task. Wall papered in Resene Change is Good Wallpaper Collection 37990-01, back wall and ceiling painted in Resene Hemlock.

Style by design

Eric and Thea’s powder room had been GIB-stopped so was a shell ready and waiting to be brought to life. They headed down to their local Resene ColorShop to talk through their options with Resene Colour Consultant Christine Hodges, who not only offered helpful advice on choosing a wallpaper but also the right paint to complement and enhance it.

When you’re painting and papering it’s important to always do the painting before any papering, to avoid splatters and marks on the paper. Christine from Resene also advised the couple to not only paint their back wall, but to take it up and over the ceiling as well. Using a deeper colour on the ceiling helps create a moody, dramatic atmosphere in a space – plus, it also makes a welcome change from the bright white that many DIYers opt for.

Thea’s love of animals and animal print lead them to select jungle themed Resene Change is Good Wallpaper Collection 37990-01 and they opted to paint the back wall and ceiling in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Hemlock. They also went with Resene Lustacryl in Alabaster for the window trim, which framed it and made it pop.

Paper power

Wallpaper has made a major comeback over the past few years, with thousands of colours, designs and patterns available to elevate a space. Resene has thousands of wallpaper options to look through, and new paste-the-wall papers make hanging it yourself easier than ever.

Thea and Eric first applied Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer to their walls before papering, which creates a really good base. Then it was on with the wallpaper size (this adds a barrier between the paper and the wall and helps the wallpaper stick better) and then the glue. Eric was very pleased at how straightforward the process was.

As powder rooms are so small and generally have the door closed, you can afford to be as bold and colourful as you like in terms of colour and pattern. Wall papered in Resene Change is Good Wallpaper Collection 37990-01, back wall and ceiling painted in Hemlock and trims in Alabaster.

Thea’s love of animals and animal prints led her to choose the jungle themed Resene Change is Good Wallpaper Collection 37990-01.

Flushed with success

The finished result is a triumph: a fun and stylish space that’s injected some great personality into Eric and Thea’s home.

“It’s a tiny, tiny space so we wanted to go a bit mad in there,” says Thea. “When we’re entertaining, people can use the beautiful powder room and enjoy the crazy artwork on the walls.”

Another tip for powder rooms

Don’t forget the floor. Tiled floors can often emphasise the narrowness of a powder room, but painting over them can make the space feel less enclosed. Timber floors also can be stained in Resene Colorwood or coated in Resene Colorwood Whitewash to make yellowed timber appear less yellow, before protecting with Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K.