Write in to Your Space and WIN

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Write to us at Home, Readers’ Letters, PO Box 1802, Cape Town 8000; email editor@homemag.co.za, fax 021 408 3046, and join our Facebook group (facebook.com/homemag) or follow us on Instagram @TuisHomeMag. When submitting a letter, please include your full name and the town in which you live. reserves

WINNING LETTER IN SHORT editor Renovation inspiration Lynette Whittaker of Mossel Bay writes I’ve been a subscriber to your publication In your April issue, Wicus said in his editor’s letter: “I’ll bet you my last match and candle that loadshedding will once The for as long as there’s been a Home. There’s a stack of them in every room of our house. again take the top spot (in the mostAnd they get read time and again by the whole family. We’re avid renovators/interior searched words on Google)”. I lay enthusiasts and have found so many good ideas and inspiration in your magazine. I can claim to that last match and candle! send you albums full of ‘before & after’ projects we’ve tackled. Because of you. I have Who would’ve thought when that issue found so many suppliers, entrepreneurs and shops, because of you. went to print that Covid-19 would come

Today, I was sitting in the sun on my couch (on Mother’s Day) and looking through galloping in on its white charger and back copies of Home for ideas for our bathroom. My partner has decided to use this lockdown time to renovate it. Maybe not the best time as we can’t shop for fittings and building supplies or get contractors to help, but it keeps him occupied. In the 10 years we’ve lived in this house, our leave Eskom in the dark! Luckily for me, I now have so much longer to read my mag and in fact will probably read it several times, try out the recipes, do some home decorating and who knows, when this all blows over, we might even look forward to a little loadshedding. Sending you a virtual hug and thank you for a great bathroom has undergone many facelifts but magazine! –Debbie Arnold, Bryanston this is the first major renovation. I found the inspiration I was looking for in your March On the day that Caxton announced it was 2019 issue. We’re going bling with gold no longer publishing magazines, how paint! We’re not done yet, but I will send an grateful I was to have Home in my ‘after’ pic as soon as I can. arsenal. I hope that your mag goes from strength to strength, especially during these challenging times, as it gives me a sense of normality over and above the pleasure of reading it. It’s a bit of an elixir as I was getting serious withdrawal symptoms when at first I couldn’t find Before Inspiration! the May issue on the shelves. Thanks to all for keeping the ‘home’ fires burning –your dedication and efforts are sincerely appreciated. I hope you enjoy what you do as much as your readers enjoy what you have done. Big A happy Mother’s Day virtual hugs! –Ilona Baguley, Edenvale Renate Venier of Pretoria East writes A picture that says a thousand words. No caption needed. Lockdown Mother’s Day made. And as always, the May issue WIN! The writer of the winning letter gets a Meryn Gers Ceramics voucher worth R1 500! Mervyn Gers Ceramics produces bespoke did not disappoint: it was jampacked with functional and decorative ceramics with a inspiration from cover to cover – from the range that brings a natural, textured touch colour-coded book shelf on page 19 (that to any table. Every dinnerware set and all absolutely blew my mind) to the challah their ceramics are handmade in Cape bread recipe on page 104 (a much-needed Town and treated with a unique glaze. distraction from banana bread!) and Every piece is fired at a very high everything in-between all the way through to Karin Brynard’s bittersweet narration of Mamma’s “ oopsie-broeks”. temperature to create stoneware that is as durable as it is beautiful. To view the range, go to mervyngers.com. Thank you to my daughter for her thoughtfulness and thank you to the Home team for not disappointing, despite these ‘unprecedented and unpredictable’ Covid-19 lockdown times.

Send décor and lifestyle news to news@homemag.co.za.

what’s Compiled by Shané Barnard The Napoli range of pendants and floor lamps from Lighting

new Warehouse features organic woven designs in rattan to add texture and earthy tones to any space. We love this three-light bar pendant (R1 299)! Visit lightingwarehouse.co.za.

CREATE, INNOVATE!

WHO Zelda van der Walt WHERE Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal BUSINESS Blokk HER WORK What started out as a hobby for Zelda, turned into a small business two years ago when more and more friends and family started requesting some of her handmade wooden tile blocks. “The faux tiles are decorated with a variety of raw materials, such as concrete and paint, as well as transfers. Each piece is handmade and has a matte finish, giving the tiles a ‘vintage’ feel,” Zelda explains.

The designs are constantly changing and the collections are updated frequently; you can buy a single tile (from R95) or mix and match to create a unique artwork. Blokk started trading at art festivals and trade fairs, and has now expanded by launching an online shop, making the handmade pieces available anywhere in South Africa.

Visit blokktiles.com to browse the collection.

Plascon’s new palette for winter celebrates the beauty of nature and hibernation with soothing blues, golden-yellows and earthy reds, such as the warm colour Hot Terracotta (pictured here). “Winter should be a celebration of the depth of natural colours,” says Nozipho Kunene, Plascon’s retail marketing manager. “People are yearning for community and peace, and colour has the ability to satisfy those desires.” See more at plascon.com.

Super plush Damson blanket (200 x 220cm) R299.99, MRP Home

Image courtesy of Kansai Plascon Vrou-vrou cotton throw in magenta (double) R3 315, Mungo

Local contemporary artist Lillian Gray has expanded her works of art beyond the canvas by introducing a lifestyle range with a splash of colour. Gray’s signature portraits are now available as scatter cushions, sling bags, utility bags and coin bags; the scatter cushions (R450 each) feature digital prints on linen. Go to lilliangrayart.com.

Give your home office a stylish update with this Leaning Desk from Native Décor (R999). It is made from sustainable birch plywood and painted MDF and leans comfortably against the wall to create a sturdy work station that can easily be moved around the house as required. Go to nativedecor.co.za.

Block & Chisel has opened a new store at 155 Jan Smuts Avenue in Parkwood, Johannesburg. The showroom is all about a boutique-style retail experience. “We have

r k y n e w d e si g n s designed our stores to be what we like to call ‘inspired retail’. This means bringing in natural light and creating interesting nooks and varied spaces to demonstrate the versatility of a piece,” says Block & Chisel’s director Paul McAdam.

Expect to find rich layering, a combination of modern and traditional styles, and plenty of beautiful detail. Go to

Faux sheepskin hide (50 x 90cm) R499, @home

blockandchisel.co.za for more.

Charcoal deluxe polar fleece throw (150 x 180cm) R69, Decofurn

Ruby Furry Peacock Throw (140 x 220cm) R1 750, Haus Baroness Duck Egg Quilt (180 x 240cm) R1 950, Haus