b'welcome editorialThe best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray is an adage adapted from a line in a poem called To a Mouse written by Robert Burns in 1785. It Driven to create surfaces that make a livingcould easily have been called To a House. No matter how hard you plan a home design, plans change along the way. I found myself reflecting on exactly environment durable, feel and look good to live in.that recently when I realised the colour palette Id planned so carefully for our outdoor area wasnt going to work because the newly installed patio roof Enjoy the beauty and tactile nature of hand-applied,made the space darker than intended. To avoid the site becoming like the Bat bespoke plaster in your home. Cave, I changed Resene Ironsand to Resene Double Merino to bounce more light around. I thought about old Rabbie Burns again when watching builders demolish parts of the fence my partner Andrew built with my dad a few years ago. The fenceinitsheydaywasglorious(althoughadmittedlyinaslightlyover-engineered chevron design), built from pine and stained in Resene Woodsman Natural. It was intended to keep our tiny dog Frida, a griffon weighing in at 4.4 kilograms, safe and sound. Due to her size, we (naively) thought the one-metre-high fence would keep her within our gates. One week after we built it, I received a call while at work from the pound. Do you have a little dog calledAre you working on a projectFrida? Shes escaped and is running around at the dog park.with Resene paints, stains or Soon fence 1.1 was under construction, with Andrew nailing 60 centimetreswallpaper? Wed love to see it! of trellis to the top, turning the fancy chevron design into a shonky-lookingResene Please share it with us on email,Shawshank-style prison. The following week, I got another call telling me thatRulebreaker Instagram or Facebook.Frida had once again scaled the fence and walked herself to the dog park. editor@habitatbyresene.co.nzEventually, we caught our furry Andy Dufresne red-handed (or should that habitatbyresenebe red-pawed?) climbing the trellis like a ladder. Vertical slats were habitatbyreseneadded to fence 1.2 to replace the trellis, which has now been supersededReseneby professionally built fence 2.0. EpicFrida has never escaped again, although shes also an inside dog forTwo of my favourite colours from the precaution. At habitat, we hear stories like this all the time: homeownersResene The Range fashion coloursbuild homes intending them to look a certain way only to find life takes another pathbe it thanks to growing families, health changes, council plans or naughty pets. If this sounds like your family, check out our story on fluidResene Alabasterhome design on page 36. And if your dog turns out to be a pint-sized parkourResene athlete, check out our story on pet-friendly homes on page 68 (where naughtyDouble MerinoFrida makes a cameo appearance). We love to hear your renovation storiesReseneIronsandEBB Hotel, Dunedin (hopefully, more successful than my fence saga) and see photos of yourResene Woodsman projects. Send them to editor@habitatbyresene.co.nz. Emma Rawson editor NaturalWhen you work at Resene, you get used to hearing everyonesmostofuswishwedbeboldenoughtoputtogether,while paint or colour story when you meet them.While, now and again,secretly knowing well still be living with neutral walls tomorrow.the stories sound like they should be on a comedy show of how notIn amongst all those is the real unsung herothe paint itself. to DIY, most decorating stories are uplifting and remind us just howWe all like to think and talk about the paint colour, but its the paint much joy and transformation a little paint can bring to the world. itself that is doing the heavy lifting.The paint formula and quality There are those who dream of new kitchens and bathrooms,colour tinters make all the difference in making sure that your but perhaps right now they have to settle with a good enoughcolourkeepslookinglikethecolouryouchoseforaslongas update while they save up for their dream space. A fresh paintpossible and that your home is well protected.colour is a quick way to make what seems like a currently unliveableSo next time youre choosing a favourite colour, take the time to space enjoyable while the saving takes place. think about the paint youre choosing too and enjoy the best of There are those who want to remember happier days; whoboth for longer.revivetreasuredmemoriesusingfavouritecoloursonheirloomHappy decorating!furniture to enjoy a little nostalgia every day.Then there are those who ooze colour. They live in homes thatthe Resene team ReseneMorning Hazereseneconstruction.co.nz 0800 50 70 403'