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Demo to Reno: Perfecting the pool room

The home renovation continues for Tyge and Christina Dellar of Demo to Reno, who are transforming their home in Stillwater, with sons Valor (seven) and Zeph (four) in tow. After revamping their dining room with Resene paint and wallpaper, the couple’s next challenge is making over the pool room.

“It’s the place where we hang out with our friends, play pool, darts and occasionally have a light refreshment or two,” says Tyge. “This room was incredibly boring, with beige walls and lots of varnished wood. We wanted to create that gentleman’s whiskey pub feel – elevate the space and make it luxurious but still with a strong masculine feel.”

So, the couple headed into their local Resene ColorShop, where Christina picked the brains of Resene Colour Expert Brenda Ngatai to zero in on the perfect colour for the pool room. “Finding the right shade for a whole room can feel totally intimidating, but chatting it through with an expert makes it easy,” says Christina.

They decided on Resene Fuscous Grey, a burnt charcoal grey, and Brenda recommended using Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel. This durable paint is ideal for the pool room where rogue cues may hit the wall!

With its plain white walls and timber joinery, the original space was dated, dull and lacking in character.

While Christina was slightly worried that her colour choice of Resene Fuscous Grey might be too dark, Resene Colour Expert Brenda Ngatai put her mind at ease..

Prep, prime, paint and play

Because of all the timber joinery in the room, the prep work was going to be a big task. So, the couple got to work sanding back all the architraves, sills and skirtings, then used Resene EzyFill Quick to fill in any holes.

And speaking of big tasks, it was then time for the wainscoting. “I love seeing the wainscoting going on,” says Christina. “I know it’s a lot of extra work for Tyge, but it’s giving the vibe that I’m going for in this room.”

To prime the wainscoting, the couple used Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat. For the sills, architraves and skirtings that were already varnished, they used Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer. While the original idea was to paint the entire pool room dark, seeing the contrast of the light primer against the deep charcoal of Resene Fuscous Grey, they decided to use Resene Lustacryl in Resene Black White on the windowsills, architraves and skirtings.

As always, the couple found the direction from the Resene ColorShop team invaluable. “For this room the best advice was about the right process for painting on varnished wood. We weren’t sure how or what to use, or even if it would work, but they gave us the best plan and step-by-step instructions and it worked great.”

For the previously varnished windowsills, architraves and skirtings, Christina prepped them with Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer.

While creating and installing the wainscoting was an arduous task for Tyge, the couple knew it would take the room to the next level.

Christina used Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen as it’s a durable paint and ideal for high-use rooms. She chose the colour Resene Fuscous Grey.

On what they like most about the finished product, Tyge says, “it’s how dark the room turned out. The walls and ceiling are dark but somehow the room feels much bigger!”

Christina is a fan of the contrasting colours. “I love how the white trim around the doors and windows makes the deep colour absolutely pop! It’s so classic and timeless.”

Top tip:

The lower the paint sheen you select, the deeper and moodier your colour will look. To bring out the depth in dark colours, choose a low sheen or flat Resene SpaceCote finish. If you are choosing a bright accent colour and want it to really stand out, choose a gloss or semi-gloss finish like Resene Enamacryl or Resene Lustacryl. The higher gloss will make the colour seem cleaner and brighter.

Before

After

The couple love that using Resene Fuscous Grey on the walls and ceiling made the room feel bigger, as well as the way the contrasting Resene Black White on the trims makes both colours pop.