The bright side

Paint and wallpaper transformed a boring beige former rental in Nelson into a true family home

- Monique Balvert-O’Connor

Carley Lloyd’s business ethos is alive and shining brightly in her own home. Her website claims that her business – aptly including the word “Colourbolt” – is all about “putting the brakes on beige interiors”. And colour abounds at her home in Māpua, near Nelson.

Originally decorated white and beige when Carley, her husband Bryn and their three children first moved in, these days the house is a brave celebration of colour, with only the ceilings, architraves and skirting boards painted in Resene Alabaster, with white kitchen cabinetry. One day, when a new kitchen arrives to replace what came with the house, it will be pink.

“Colour really makes me happy. It makes me stop and appreciate my surroundings everywhere I go. I appreciate its vibrancy. I dream in colour and am constantly thinking of colour combos,” Carley explains.

“We spend so much time in our homes, why wouldn’t you decorate in a way that makes you feel really good when you come home?”

The backstory 

It’s not just colour that Carley and Bryn are brave about – making major lifestyle changes are also part of their story. Up until two years ago they lived in Wellington where Bryn worked in the corporate world, and Carley was a primary school teacher.

“Then we tipped our worlds upside down. We grew up in Nelson and never thought we’d move back. But we had three kids and no family in Wellington. It’s nice our parents are part of their lives on a daily basis now,” says Carley.