Advice Ask the experts

Ask the experts

Compiled by Shané Barnard

WAT C H T HE SH O W ! Home is the media partner of Pak weg, pak reg on Afrikaans lifestyle channel VIA (DStv channel 147). Watch season 2 of this series of inspirational declutter projects on Tuesdays at 16:30; repeats are on Sundays at 10:30. Follow us on Facebook/ Home Magazine for more decluttering advice from experts Carin Smith and Jani Augustyn-Goussard.

Looking for inspiration for your home office or considering a new fireplace? Just ask – we’ll find the answers. D écor di lemma

T H E C H A L L E N G E

Andrea Krige of Paarl writes Since the beginning of lockdown

last year, my husband and I have both been working from home full-time; we’re lucky to have a home office with a door that we can close at the end of the day. The space is functional, with a desk for each of us, but we need inspiration to make it more appealing and comfortable. We already have a cabinet in which we can store some of our office supplies, but the printer is standing on a desk and it takes up a lot of space. Extra storage space would be useful and we need a rug. Please help!

T H E S O L U T I O N

Dina Venter of my.decorlist replies

Your office is very neat but it feels cluttered because there is ‘visual noise’. The floor plan indicates that the room is spacious, so you can experiment with the layout; with a few clever changes, the space will look more professional. Also, add warmth with personal elements – this will increase productivity. Here are a few ideas: CREATE VISUAL SPACE BY DECLUTTERING Currently, the curtain takes up too much space in a corner that could be better utilised. Replace it with a roller blind installed inside the window recess. This will make the area appear more open.

The room gets lovely natural light, so ask your blind supplier to install a transparent sheer weave blind that will still let in some light but can be closed to prevent annoying reflections on computer screens. If you like colour and pattern, have a Roman blind made with multicoloured fabric.

Although it’s functional and provides a surface area, the trestle table takes up a lot of space. Consider replacing it. Tip Commercial offices always look professional because they’re uniform. Invest in a set of office furniture rather than separate pieces, especially if there’s more than one workstation in a room. FOCUS ON UNIFORMITY The steel cabinet has a timeless industrial look; let it guide your other purchases, as and when your budget allows. Get a matching low steel cabinet (media unit) for the printer to stand on and replace your tables with something in a similar design.

OPTIMISE YOUR LAYOUT

According to your floor plan, there is an unused wall as you enter the office. Move the two desks here with the media unit and printer inbetween them. This way the printer and extra storage space will be within reach of both workstations.

Once the curtain has been replaced with a sleek blind, you can create space in this corner for an armchair and side table – perfect for taking a break or doing tasks that don’t require a desk.

Leave the tall steel cabinet where it is, but make sure it doesn’t bump against the door when opened. CREATE STORAGE SPACE When the curtain rail has been removed, there will be space for wall shelves. Create an interesting focal point above and to the right of the window. Fill the shelves with files and books that you don’t use regularly (you’ll have to stand on a chair to reach them) and display personal items such as photos and plants. GIVE THE SPACE PERSONALITY Colour is important in a workspace – it can affect your mood and productivity. I suggest a blue palette to promote calmness and focus, with pops of yellow for a touch of fun and positivity. First, paint the room white and keep the window frames black to echo the industrial style. Then bring in blue and yellow with wallpaper, which will serve as a lovely backdrop for online meetings.

When it comes to selecting a rug, go for a low pile outdoor rug that will withstand office chairs on wheels. Complete the picture with furniture and accessories in the same colour scheme. Tip Paint the skirting boards a bright yellow for a subtle repetition of the colour scheme. CONTACT mydecorlist.com Steel

Roller or Roman blind an d c ha ir De sk Armchair and side table

Media unit and printer cabinet Desk and chair

A ll fired up

Anne Palmer of Blairgowrie writes We’re renovating our

home and we’d love a new fireplace in the living room. I like the look of freestanding combustion fireplaces, but I don’t like the idea of cleaning up ash every time we use it. What other options should we consider?

Malcolm Sims, managing director of Infiniti

Fires, replies Prior to installing a new fireplace, homeowners should consider the pros and cons of the various options: Open wood fires inside the home have largely declined in popularity as they are rather smoky and inefficient, capable only of warming small areas with a high wood consumption. Flued gas fire sales have also declined due to their low efficiency and extremely high running costs, thanks to the gas price being directly related to the price of oil.

These days, wood stoves or gas fires without a flue are popular options. A wood-burning stove burns wood in a sealed chamber behind a pane of glass. It’s easy to light and highly efficient at heating large areas with minimal fuel use; adjustable air vents control the heat output to meet your requirements. They generate small amounts of ash and cleaning is generally required once every five to seven days. This is the cheapest solution for heating large open-plan spaces.

Gas fires without a flue burn gas very cleanly, which means that they can be installed without a chimney. This way, all the heat generated by the fire is kept in the house. They light with the flick of a switch and require no cleaning. In general, a gas fire is cheaper to install than a wood stove but it has a higher running cost.

The flame effects in both options are mesmerising, making them a marvellous focal point in winter. Whichever fireplace you choose, make sure it’s positioned in such a way that family and friends can sit around it comfortably and enjoy the ambience. CONTACT infinitifires.co.za >>

Fix blistering paint

Antonet Jooste of Pietermaritzburg writes We bought an old

house and the interior walls in one room have been coated with enamel paint. The paint is making bubbles in some spots and the wall is plastered underneath. How do I remove the paint and should I repaint with enamel-based paint or would PVA be a better solution?

Jenny Moolman, Duram’s brand

manager, replies To restore previously painted walls where paint has started to bubble or flake off, start by sanding with an orbital sander and 80-grit sandpaper and then switch to a 100-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface. Dust or wipe down the walls before spot priming with Duram Plaster Primer where paint has come off completely. Once the primer has dried, apply a layer of Duram Universal Undercoat for optimum adhesion of the new paint and to prevent any future bubbling or flaking. Thereafter, choose any wall paint finish you desire.

Duram offers a range of decorative paints that come in matte, low sheen, medium sheen and textured finishes; make your choice based on the room you’re painting, how much light enters the space and the look you want to create.

If you’re keen to stick with an enamel, whether solvent- or water-based, choose between gloss, semi-gloss or medium sheen in the Duram range. CONTACT duram.co.za

NEW LOOK, NEW STATUS

Thanks to decorative fibreboard and Evo-Stik Sticks Like Sh*t, this old locker has been promoted to the guest room!

YOU WILL NEED

• old locker (1 800 x 300 x 450mm)* • Evo-Stik Sticks Like Sh*t • 18mm oriented strand board (OSB), cut to: two 1 185 x 435mm (bottom sides) two 435 x 330mm (top sides) one 330 x 264mm (top back) one 1 185 x 264mm (bottom back) two 410 x 264mm (shelf and base) • jigsaw • Alcolin Fast Set Wood Glue • plane • screwdriver • one 256mm-long clothing rail • 2 rail brackets

1 Mark and cut the top corners of the two 1 185 x 435mm sides so that they will fit snugly under the shelf. Squirt a few blobs of the Sticks Like Sh*t on the back of these boards, then press them against the sides of the bottom part of the locker.

2 Now do the same with the two 435 x 330mm boards, then press them against the sides of the upper part of the locker. Glue the 330 x 264mm back to the top part, and the 1 185 x 264mm back to the bottom part.

3 Glue a thin pine strip (4–5mm) to the short side of the shelf and base with Alcolin Fast Set Wood Glue; wait until the glue has dried then plane flush with the boards. Glue each panel, then paint the edging strips the same colour as the locker.

Finally...

Screw the clothing rail and brackets to the sides to accommodate hangers and clothes.

1

2

3

*Adjust the measurements and materials according to the size of your locker. Wyk Marian van Styling Ed O’Riley • Photographs Deon de Goede • Production

hen the Home team visited Vosburg in July 2020, Ricks Karoo Winkel – the only restaurant in the village – specially opened its doors a day earlier than the planned official opening.

“Prior to that, there was no restaurant in Vosburg,” says architect Marcus Smit, co-owner of the getaway cottage we had come to photograph. “Ricks was supposed to open on Wednesday but I told them we were expecting visitors, so they had to open on Tuesday night,” he says with a smile.

And that’s how it is in Vosburg. “The village is off the beaten track, so it gets very few visitors. It’s also very peaceful and neat as a pin as it isn’t subjected to the usual influx of people and development.”

Marcus, who lives in Grabouw, instantly fell in love with the village when he visited his cousin Sandra Lemmer. By the end of 2017, a dilapidated cottage opposite the Dutch Reformed Church had caught his eye and got his architect fingers itching. Marcus was drawn to its architecture, reminiscent of typical Karoo ‘brakdakhuise’ (flat mud-roofed houses).

But it would require a massive undertaking just to make it liveable, let alone restore it to the charming cottage it had once been almost a century ago.

The concrete slabs were cast in formwork on-site and the window above the stove was installed where there once was a battered back door. “The old kitchen consisted of a couple of rotten cupboards,” says Marcus. “The new kitchen is wonderfully practical with the stove in the middle between two ordinary counters on the left and right.” To the left of the window a print of a Tinus de Jongh painting adorns the wall.

Flamingo fabric from Fabric City

A stunning revival

“The house had stood empty for many years, and no maintenance had been done,” says Marcus. “It had also been looted; all the windows and doors were gone. The roof was leaking so badly that the raw mud-brick walls were on the verge of collapsing in places. Not to mention that there was no electricity, water or sewerage.”

He and two friends, brothers Len and Herman Kruger, bought the house together in early 2018, and began renovating it in May the same year (see page 87). “We wanted to revive the house as quickly as possible,” says Marcus.

Unable to find a record of the home’s age, Marcus estimates that based on its locality opposite the church, it was built in the late 1800s or early 1900s. “It’s probably one of Vosburg’s first ‘nagmaalhuise’ because the town celebrated its centenary in 1995. It’s obvious from the building method, foundation and parapet (the low wall in front of the roof on the street side) that the house was built in three stages.”

Now, three years later, Marcus, Len and Herman regularly take turns to escape to Vosburg. Marcus still marvels at the incredible play of light and shadow in the kitchen and dining room on the northfacing side of the cottage – his two favourite spaces. “The light in this house has that magical Karoo quality. It was a pleasant surprise to see how it moves through the kitchen and dining room from early morning until sunset, complemented perfectly by the blue in this space.”

There’s just one problem: “When I go home to Grabouw, I immediately want to come back here!” says Marcus, now that the house on its quiet, dusty street has been restored to its former glory. It’s a picture of serenity – just as it would have been more or less a century ago when a Karoo farmer built this nagmaalhuisie that made no attempt to draw attention to itself. >>

The large framed photo entitled “House along the N1, Leeu-Gamka” was taken by a friend, Francois Swanepoel.

Rug from Sofacompany; cushions from Skinny laMinx

The dining room’s eclectic style is mostly Len’s contribution. The modern chrome-and-leather chairs contrast beautifully with the simple farmhouse feel of the traditional wooden table and steel pendants. The cement floor was already in situ; it was painted the same colour as the walls.

Paint colour Plascon Soft Sail

Cushion from Skinny laMinx; basket from Sofacompany; Man Cloth from Mungo Design

A project g uided by histor y

All three owners felt strongly about reviving this cottage before it finally collapsed. As an architect, Marcus has designed many modernist houses and award-winning lodges, but in this instance he allowed himself to be guided by those elements that revealed the home’s history, such as the foundations.

He tackled the project with great care and respect, as befits a century-old building (see “Respect for Karoo heritage” on page 86). There was no question of swapping rooms around or breaking out too many walls – just the wall between the outside bathroom and the dining room, and a low wall between the kitchen and dining room were demolished. This change – as well as the new glass doors leading out onto the back stoep – made the biggest difference.

“The sunny north-facing side of the house is the hub of the home, private and away from the street,” says Marcus. “The new doors connect the cottage to the back garden where we braai, stargaze, watch the moon rise and appreciate the beautiful church. The large steel doors allow the winter sun to stream in. We added a pergola to provide shelter in summer and planted a deciduous wisteria that lets in the winter sun.”

The street-facing façade with its charming stoep that faces the old church with its Gothic detail was, surprisingly, relatively unscathed. “The original wood-framed windows and shutters were still intact,” says Marcus. “The rest of the house already had a combination of newer wooden and steel-framed windows, so we used steel frames where we had to replace windows. They’re cost-effective and require little maintenance; they don’t rust here in the Karoo and they complement some of the previous additions.” >>

Marcus restored the beautiful old wooden floors by installing steel plates over areas that have to withstand a lot of foot traffic. “The wood is so dry and brittle that it breaks along the tongue and groove if you try to lift it to repair the structural beams,” he says. “It was a case of ‘’n boer maak ’n plan’, but it has worked well. We wanted to maintain the whitewashed effect, so we didn’t seal the floors; we simply scrubbed them with soap and water.”

Bukhara fabric in Ochre (on bed) by Lula Fabrics; cushions from Mr Price Home

The Karoo is a simple landscape and a place of few things… You don’t need much here. – Marcus

[R E S P E C T F O R K AR O O H E R I TA G E] The architecture of the nagmaalhuisie (communion cottage) is unique to the late 19th and early 20th century – farmers from the surrounding areas would build these cottages in town as accommodation for weekends when Holy Communion was taking place at church. “The flat roof is typical of the architecture in South Africa’s arid platteland circa 1900,” explains Marcus. “Other recognisable architectural elements from this era are the simple Georgian proportions and symmetrical layout and appearance.”

Originally, the cottage would have had only two anterooms and an entrance hall. The next two rooms (lounge and sunny bedroom in our photos) were added later and following that were the back rooms (one of which was the kitchen) which now form one long open-plan space with a kitchen and dining room. The bathroom was typically situated outside the house.

“We really tried to break down as few walls as possible and kept the existing rooms more or less as they would traditionally have been used. We did, however, break through from the dining room to connect with the original outside bathroom for practical reasons; in winter, it’s just too cold to go outside to use the loo!” A second bathroom and storeroom were built outside.

“The symmetrical simplicity of these Karoo houses needs to be preserved,” says Marcus. Unfortunately, the decay of these historic homes is a common sight. “Just think what an economic injection it would be for the platteland if people bought these cottages, repaired them with sensitivity, and visited them regularly. In that way, a bit of our heritage would be preserved.”

The house now has two bathrooms: this one is still situated outside and also accommodates a simple shower.

Rug from Mr Price Home; towel from Mungo Design

Paint colour Dulux Destiny

The renovat ion

2017

[C L I MATI C FAC T O R S] Despite freezing cold days, Marcus’s favourite season is winter, when the mercury can easily hover around 1°C. “The Karoo air is so fresh and the light is so clear; this house is particularly pleasant because the living areas have windows facing north, east and west. The front stoep faces south, so it’s always cool in summer,” he says.

“The house is, therefore, perfectly orientated to suit the local climate and is equally comfortable on sweltering summer days and icy winter nights. We had Isotherm insulation installed in the new ceilings and painted the lower part of the roof with Ceratech insulating roof paint.

“A fireplace to ward off the bitter cold in the evening is an absolute must in a Karoo home. Herman insisted that we install a small closed combustion stove in the lounge. It works wonders because the rooms are compact, they can easily be closed off and the ceilings are relatively low.”

E X P ERT A DV IC E How should you go about restoring a badly run-down heritage house? Marcus’s advice is to work with what you have and to keep it simple.

These days, a century-old house rarely ticks all the boxes for cosy get-togethers that spontaneously spill over from open-plan spaces onto a stoep. Marcus is a sociable, hospitable man who also loves modernist architecture. In Vosburg, however, he let himself be guided by his love for the Karoo landscape and respect for the home’s history and what the interior’s original layout would have been circa 1900.

“It was easy to work with this heritage because the floor plan and function of each room was simple and direct. The existing floor plan guided me to approach functional areas for cooking and sleeping in the same way as they were back in the day.”

As in the past, there are still no en-suite bathrooms. “The storeroom and bathroom-cumlaundry that we built on outside flow naturally from the existing structure; here, we keep bicycles, a washing machine, garden tools and so on.”

At the top of Marcus’s list of dos and don’ts is working with the house as it is and retaining as much as possible. He offers an interesting perspective on the steel-frame windows, which definitely don’t date from 1900: “Many people would have wanted to replace them with wood. In reality, they form part of the home’s history; previous owners could, in fact, have installed them decades ago.”

All the interior walls, with the exception of those in the kitchen and dining room, were painted with what Marcus refers to as “ordinary contractor’s white”. “This simplicity is typical of the Karoo’s lime-washed buildings and neutral spaces. I think it’s important not to ‘over-restore’ things stylistically. Keep what’s there to reflect the building’s history. Get the input of an architect and do your own research on what is historically and stylistically applicable.

“Maintain the simplicity of the architecture. And it’s simple: don’t add anything unnecessary.” CONTACT 021 853 1362, marcussmit.co.za

St oep Bedroom

Lounge

Bedroom Bedroom Kitchen Dining room Bathroom Shower

Stoep Storeroom Bathroom Storeroom