The school chose between a neutral palette and a bright and bold option – bright and bold won hands down.

Resene has a long history of colour in New Zealand with colours like Resene Spanish White and Resene Pearl Lusta created over three decades ago still continuing to be top choices for decorators today.

With thousands of Resene colours to choose from, there’s no point having all these colours if they aren’t being used well, which led to the creation of the Resene Total Colour Awards, to celebrate and encourage creative use of colour.

Over 100 entries were received. Awards were given in ten categories: Residential Exterior, Residential Interior, Display + Product, Education, Sustainable System, Rising Star, Commercial Exterior, Commercial Interior – Public + Retail Space, Commercial Interior – Office, Lifetime Achievement, with the Colour Master – Nightingale Award for the best overall colour use.

Resene Total Colour Master – Nightingale Award

The Resene Total Colour Master – Nightingale Award, named after the Nightingale family who founded and still run Resene today, recognises excellence in colour and paint use, and was awarded to Jasmax for Albany Senior High School. They also won the Resene Total Colour Education Award.

Colour is central to all aspects of Albany Senior High School, best summed up as a neutral tonal canvas with splashes of colour providing meaning to the vision of the school. 10 separate strong colours are introduced, one for each of the 10 learning communities and playing them off against bright carpet stripes and muted pinboard stripes.

All the school’s colours are then brought together in the heart of the school, the entry foyer, where they are all represented in a larger than life pixelated wall that encloses the library. Here the colours represent the diverse aspects of the school coming together as one, new exciting and thought provoking school.

The highway of colour draws you in; you are attracted by one and then your eye catches another. They have successfully used a huge colour palette, cohesively and in such a strong confident way.

It doesn’t necessarily look like a school, it could be any building. It’s exciting.

Other Resene Total Colour Awards winners are:

Resene Total Colour Residential Exterior Award

Winner: John Mills Architects of Wellington for 60s Residence

Colour Maestro Award: Gordon Dalkie Architects of Christchurch for Janssen House

Colour Maestro Award: Pacific Environments Architects NZ Ltd of Auckland for Bourke House.

Resene Total Colour Residential Interior Award

Winner: Daniel Marshall, Daniel Marshall Architects for the Corinth Residence in Auckland.

Resene Total Colour Display + Product Award

Winner: Waikato Museum Hatching the Past exhibition.

Resene Total Colour Commercial Exterior Award

Winner: O.C. Design of Christchurch for their office exterior

Colour Maestro Award: Archaus Architects for Tattoo in Wellington

Colour Maestro Award: Interact Architects for St Anne’s Church in Wellington.

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior – Office Award

Winner: Gascoigne Associates for their funky office fit-out.

Colour Maestro Award: Vorstermans Architects for Koru House in Wellington.

Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior – Public + Retail Award

Winner: Gascoigne Associates for the Glassons Flagship store in Newmarket. This project also won a Resene Total Colour Nightingale Maestro Award.

Colour Maestro Award: Palmer and Palmer Architects, Theatre Royal in Nelson.

Resene Total Colour Sustainable System Award

Winner: Stephenson & Turner for their Wellington Design Studio.

Resene Total Colour Education Award

Winner: Jasmax for Albany Senior High School who also took out top overall honours with the Resene Total Colour Master – Nightingale Award

Colour Maestro Award: Lab-works Architectural for the Alan MacDiarmid Building, Victoria University.

Resene Total Colour Rising Star Student Award

Winner: Kate Andrew with the Skyscraper and Connectivity project. This project also won a Resene Total Colour Nightingale Maestro Award

Colour Maestro Award: Simone Duckett

Colour Maestro Award: Sharon Dorman

Resene Total Colour Lifetime Achievement Award

The Resene Total Colour Lifetime Achievement Award recognising a person in the architecture and design industry who has shown dedication to innovative and excellent colour use in their work, was awarded to Roger Walker of Wellington.

Judging panel

The Resene Total Colour Awards judging panel brought together the design and colour knowledge of Sylvia Sandford, Nicole Stock, Paul Leuschke and the colourful personality of Jackie Clarke. With an extensive array of entries to choose from, the calibre of judging panel of the Resene Total Colour Awards meant that debate was robust and lively during the judging process.

Designer, paint finisher, writer, tutor, public speaker, visual merchandiser, decorator and cook captures the 30 year career of Sylvia Sandford. Project inspired with an eclectic career, Sylvia pursues her passion for house and home throughout New Zealand. Sylvia has a long history with Resene and was the Resene Colour Ambassador for many years encouraging decorators to embrace colour in their projects.

Paul Leuschke is an award winning registered Architect. In 1982 he graduated from Auckland University with a Bachelor of Architecture. He is Director of Leuschke Kahn Architects Ltd. Paul specialises in new houses, residential alterations and commercial interiors. In 2010 Paul won the inaugural Resene Total Colour Master – Nightingale ward for Grant Thornton Accountants Auckland Ltd.

Nicole Stock is the Editor of Urbis. She has been at the helm of this premier design title since 2008, and has recently overseen a dramatic redesign of the magazine. Nicole has a Bachelor of Architecture with first class honours from Auckland University and has previously worked on Architecture NZ and Houses magazines as Associate Editor. Nicole was also short-listed as a finalist for Editor of the Year in the competitive Home/Food category of the Magazine Publisher's Association Awards in 2010. She loves colour.

Jackie Clarke gave up house cleaning when she discovered people would pay to hear her sing. Jackie’s instantly recognisable from judging NZ Idol and has now brought her judging talents to the panel of judges who have judged the Resene Total Colour Awards. Jackie announced the winners of the Resene Total Colour Awards at the awards night.