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The Current Place’s creative feature wall

Photographer Damien Nikora (Ngāti Kahungunu) and model Chanelle Taylor (Tainui) – aka The Current Place – live in the country with their dog Georgie, and they’re currently renovating an enormous woolshed on the back of Chanelle’s parents’ property.

“The woolshed is a big project – around 400sqm – that we went into with very little knowledge on how to execute, but a whole heap of excitement and passion,” says Chanelle. “Our vision is to create a unique multi-use space, not only just enjoying the space, but also using it as a studio for Damien’s photography and for myself to one day do my dream cooking show in! And to do all of this using as many recycled or ethical products as we can.”

They have documented several aspects of their transformation on MasterStroke by Resene and their own social channels, and they also took part in the inaugural series of NZRenoTok (now NZRealReveals).

Arch nemesis

One project they tackled was the feature archway in the living space, which they had previously coated with concrete render. Sadly, this didn’t last the distance.

“Our original idea for this wall was inspired by European rendered tones and textures,” says Chanelle. “It has two purposes: one, to separate the lounge from the dining area with a giant arch, which makes the lounge feel like a super cosy nook; and two, as it’s the largest wall upon entry, we wanted to make it a clear feature wall.”

The couple first noticed things going wrong with the render when a quick glance at the side profile showed a bulge that shouldn’t have been there. “On investigation of the bulge, D could fit his entire hand in due to the separation of the wall and the render. One slight touch and it all crumbled down.”

Why? “Being amateurs, we didn’t follow the manufacturer’s instructions and we should have primed the walls before applying the render. A great lesson learnt!”

The original render on the arch didn’t go the distance, so the couple had to rethink their options. Lounge painted in Resene Persian Red.

The couple transformed chipboard into angled slats to create a Māori-inspired pattern for the wall.

This and slat

With the render sadly in piles on the floor, the couple decided to bin the idea and make the archway into a real feature. As well as a new colour, they also wanted to create texture on the wall, which they decided to do with the use of slats.

“Woolsheds have hardwood slats on the floors so all the sheep droppings can easily fall through. It’s a distinctive feature in every woolshed and we felt bad covering it all up,” says Chanelle. “So we came up with this idea to pay homage to the original floor slats. We used a sheet of MDF and a table saw with a blade at a 15-degree angle to create the iconic sheep slat profile.”

After some trial and error, including installing the slats on the wall in a fan shape for a sun ray moment and a random crisscross pattern they didn’t gel with, Damien and Chanelle decided to create a tukutuku-inspired design to represent their Māori culture.

Cultural cool

The couple has used touches like this in other parts of the woolshed as a nod to their heritage.

“We’re always looking for ways to incorporate our culture, like the drawers and cabinets in our bedroom, where thousands of dots create elegant koru that are finished with Resene Colorwood stain in Resene English Walnut.

“The slat design presented an opportunity to represent our culture again in the form of a tukutuku pattern called poutama.”

Chanelle explains that the tukutuku design is all about connections – it weaves together the physical, the spiritual and the communal sides of life. It’s the perfect way to bring a sense of meaning and connection to the space.

While it was a time-consuming process priming all the slats using paintbrushes, it was an essential step prior to topcoating.

Applying the topcoat of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Burnt Crimson was a much less arduous task thanks to the couple's new spray gun.

Colour question

Once the stunning slat pattern was on the wall, the next big question loomed. What colour to paint it.

“We had nine potential colour ideas that left us confused. We knew we wanted something bold, something not standard, and something that would represent the tukutuku patterns.”

To help with the final decision, the couple reached out to their online audience for opinions and they finally narrowed it down to Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Burnt Crimson.

To be certain they’d made the right choice and for advice on whether it complemented its darker cousin, Resene Persian Red, in the lounge behind the archway, the couple headed to their local Resene ColorShop to chat everything through. Once they got the green light from a Resene Color Consultant, it was time to paint.

Spray saves the day

Priming the wall with Resene Quick Dry was an arduous but necessary task, as every slat and gap needed to be primed as part of the preparation process. But once that was done, the painting was a whole lot easier as they used a spray gun.

“It was our first time ever using a spray gun and it sped up the process 10 times over. Because each slat had three sides to paint, the spray gun made this job a breeze. We wish we’d gotten one a long time ago, it’s so easy!”

Chanelle’s top tip for novice sprayers? “Make sure you dilute your chosen Resene paint with the minimum of 10% water. It’ll stop any clogs and will give a nice even spray.”

Despite the initial challenges, the couple are incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.

“After tediously cutting hundreds of slats, stapling those slats, undoing and redoing the design, then priming them with a paint brush, the gun was amazing. The gun made all that hard work worth it!” says Damien.

“Only a certain kind of person would put themselves through that much work to achieve something so rich, bold, beautiful and meaningful in their home,” adds Chanelle. “It’s either genius or stupid – both of which we love.”

The finished result is a living work of art with deep meaning. Arch painted in Burnt Crimson and lounge in Persian Red.

Through a process with many ups and downs, Damien and Chanelle found the perfect way to turn their archway into a stunning feature piece. Arch painted in Burnt Crimson and lounge wall in Persian Red.