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Eric Murray’s master bedroom makeover

Olympic gold medallist rower Eric Murray and his partner Thea Lyle are renovating a rundown 1950s house in Cambridge and transforming it into a stylish sanctuary. As well as some layout rejigging and extra additions like a pool, they have brought the interiors to life with Resene paint.

The couple met five years ago and although they lead very different lives, they make a great team. “I have a 14-year-old autistic son who is with us 50% of the time, Thea is a teacher and I do some coaching consulting,” says Eric. “We also have a two-year-old dog called Badger.

“Thea was instrumental in a lot of aesthetic work we did on our 1912 villa that we fully renovated. We’ve had a lot of fun together over the last five years.”

They were drawn to the new house by its location in a quiet neighbourhood close to town, but it did need some work.

“The house orientation needed to be changed to allow for the north-facing sun, so we re-jigged the whole interior of the property to make the most of the natural light. We’ve incorporated floor-to-ceiling windows to create an amazing outlook onto the pool and planted areas around the house. We wanted to make sure we had nice sized bedrooms, full bathrooms, an ensuite, plus ample storage space.”

Restful retreat

The master suite is located at one end of the house and the couple wanted it to feel like a private and tranquil wing.

“It has a great outlook onto the south side, where we planted pūriri trees, grass and flaxes. It also opens onto the pool.”

They elevated the space with details like a built-in headboard, reading lights, a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, and sought advice from the team at their local Resene ColorShop to select a colour palette that would create a tranquil feel.

Resene Colour Consultant Christine Hodges advised the couple to seal the GIB board walls with Resene Broadwall Waterborne Wallboard Sealer. As they really wanted to bring the colour of the pool into their colour scheme, she recommended Resene Seachange as a feature wall, with Resene Half Rice Cake on the other walls and Resene Alabaster on the ceiling, trims and doors.

“Our master bedroom is our sanctuary. Resene Seachange is a beautiful colour that reflects the blue of our pool through the sliding doors and creates a great visual relationship with the colours,” says Eric. “The layout that we created for the house means that it’s private and almost hidden away. It’s been our private space to relax and really enjoy together.”

Thea Lyle and Eric Murray are renovating their Cambridge home and wanted to create a tranquil and private haven for their master bedroom. Wall painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Seachange and bookshelf in Resene Alabaster.

The choice of Resene Seachange creates a visual connection to the pool outside and helps add to the peaceful vibe. Walls painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Seachange and door and bookshelf in Resene Alabaster.

Resene to the rescue

Eric and Thea are long-time fans of Resene and love the high performance and efficacy of the range. “We’ve worked with Resene products in the past with other renovations and have found they do exactly the job they are designed for, and we not only achieve a premium, professional looking finish, we do it with ease. The paint is really straightforward to apply,” Eric enthuses.

“There is something for every surface, from the huge range of specialist sealers and primers to the finished products, like the enamel coatings for hard-wearing areas, to the low sheen, easy-clean products we have on wall areas,” he continues. “The variety means the wet areas like the bathrooms have specific coatings to resist steam and as well as mould and bacteria growth, while we used Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen, a hard-wearing product, for our hallway and bedroom walls.”

They put a lot of this down to the amazing Resene ColorShop team, who are always willing to help. “They find solutions and provide their expertise with the types of paint needed for the specific areas in the house. They’re always there to collaborate and offer different opinions and are always engaging to ask questions to help make decisions.”

The right advice and using the correct Resene products also ensured they didn’t run into any challenges along the way – quite the achievement for a major renovation.

“This was due to the fact that we had the right expertise helping us along. We have all the right products, which meant we never had any issues when applying Resene products and we got the finish we wanted. I’m really proud of the finished results,” says Eric. “And we love the colours!”

Helpful advice

With a few renovations now under their belt, Eric and Thea have a few tips for fellow and budding DIYers. “Do things properly and don’t cut corners!” says Eric. “If you get the right products for the preparation of your areas, you won’t have any problems. Then not only will you get a premium finish, you will also get a finish that will last the life of the Resene products themselves. Do it once, do it right!”

Veering away from white and using bold colour can evoke a unique look and feel to a space, which Eric and Thea have done with the deep blue of Resene Seachange. Ceiling painted in Resene Zylone Sheen in Resene Alabaster.

Eric constructed this custom built-in shelving unit and painted it in Resene Alabaster, which offers a crisp contrast to the Resene Seachange of the walls.