One thing came through clearly in the Here Awards: colour and texture are back and architects are shedding their tendency to neutral palettes and elegant restraint.

Expressiveness and layers are the key here – but so is timber, which so often ties it all together. As we surveyed the finalists and winners, we noticed the amount of timber in the projects – as a backdrop or foil against colours and other materials, but sometimes as the main event. As a result, we collected a palette inspired by our finalists and winners using Resene’s range of wood stains.

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Firstly, we were inspired by Resene Woodsman Natural, drawn from the work of Patchwork Architecture in the Wairarapa, and by RTA Studio on Aotea. Next, we could see Resene Woodsman Warm Kwila and Resene Woodsman Bark in the otherwise monochromatiic scheme of the Grey Lynn renovation by José Gutiérrez.  We saw Resene Woodsman Oiled Cedar in the beautiful cabinetry in our winning house, an exquisite renovation of a Freeman’s Bay villa by Jack McKinney. Resene Woodsman Riverstone, by contrast, reminded us of the driftwood-like exterior of our Small Project winner on Waiheke Island by Mark Frazerhurst.

But how could we go past the vivid blue interior and stained Strandboard of a bach at Tairua by Natalie Parke and Dom Glamuzina? For that, there’s Resene Apollo Blue – bright, cheerful and brave.