Home Improver - March / April 2022

Improver MARCH | APRIL 2022

2022

MAXIMALISM VS AUSTERITY

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S M A L L - TO W N L I V I N G

+ A KITCHEN GARDEN

[ PICTURE VIRENDER SINGH / UNSPLASH

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Inspirational trends for autumn

PICTURE COURTESY DECOREX AFRICA

C O N TA C T U S

PUBLISHER: Vasantha Angamuthu Vasantha.angamuthu@inl.co.za

EDITOR HOME IMPROVER: Vivian Warby vivian.warby@inl.co.za

DESIGN: Kim Stone kim.stone@inl.co.za

PRODUCTION: Renata Ford Renata.ford@inl.co.za

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Keshni Odayan Keshni.odayan@inl.co.za

No pattern should be without some sort of meaning.

SALES: Charl Reineke charl.reineke@inl.co.za

WILLIAM MORRIS

DO JOIN US ON: @homeimproverZA

L E T T E R

WHAT I LOVE most about this season’s decor trends is that it’s all about taking what you love to the max.

If you love pink then make sure you’re thoroughly in the pink. It’s also all about a mix of old and new and of refurbishing the old to bring it back to life.

It’s about family heirlooms getting centre stage, about surrounding yourself with more of what makes you happy.

It’s also about taking an old love letter and framing it, instead of

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hiding it away, so you have a spark of joy when you walk past it.

I love the idea of a Victorian bath with modern mixers, or an old teapot with modern cutlery.

It’s mix and match and being true to your essence.

It’s looking around at what you have and seeing the beauty in what’s already there, selling what no longer makes you happy – and ensuring whatever you’re left with is a comfort to you.

With rising costs and problems in supply chains, homes will

continue to be our nests and we will learn to turn the old into the new.

In this edition of Home Improver we highlight some of the latest trends – yet the biggest trend is in the uniqueness of a home filled with what YOU love and what makes you happy.

Here’s to more of that...

Enjoy!

a Vivian W

rby

PICTURE MAX VAKHTBOVYCH / PEXELS

C O N T E N T S MARCH | APRIL 2022

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Letter Tr e n d s 2 0 2 2 Pairing down

Maximalism vs austerity Marvellous marble A green kitchen Bathrooms old and new M ixin g vintage an d re c la im e d Reclaim, repurpose Indoor botanical Statement lighting Gone soft Flee the city Don’t abuse – reuse A kitchen garden

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PICTURE SAMSON KATT / PEXELS

2022

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Future outlook for texture, hue and sustainability A P R I L

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S I M P LY A S I G N O F O U R T I M E S

This year was off to a bang with the hope anti-Covid strategies would be reduced and that would mean the return to some normality in our homes.

However, the world’s eyes have turned to the possibility of a war spreading throughout Europe, with an impact on other countries.

According to South African futurist Belinda Silbert, if the war spreads, “the paring down of luxury will become a more widespread practice”.

“Austerity will not be a decor choice, it will be an unwelcome reality, since we will be spending most of our money on food and fuel,” she says.

Silbert predicts the growth of the upcycling movement will be

WORDS VIVIAN WARBY

“astronomical as increasing numbers of the population repurpose furniture and decor rather than buying new items”.

“Repairing and refurbishing will become invaluable skills in this economy,” Silbert says.

And the ultra wealthy?

“They will have the opposite reaction to those who make up 99% of the nation. The ultra-rich will feel the pinch but will backlash by making their environments ultra-luxurious so they feel that they have a haven.

“What will change is that the ultra-rich will close their doors so their luxurious lifestyles are not seen by the rest of the populace.

“They will no longer entertain and thus the kitchen and dining room areas will become more utilitarian; no longer to be displayed as showpieces.”

Silbert adds there will be an emphasis on form following function – the necessity of being able to lock up and go will influence furnishings “so they become simpler”.

Organised storage will be of prime importance. People will want to know where their documents are so they can leave rapidly if necessary, she says.

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PICTURE PEXELS / PIXABAY

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What’s new in 2022 We guide you through the hottest trends emerging in home decor B Y V I V I A N W A R B Y

MAXIMALISM GET THE LOOK To keep your decor from looking too random, find common colours or patterns to repeat throughout a room.

Think: Surround yourself with more of what makes you happy. Maximalism means more of everything – more of your favourite colours, fabrics and home accessories.

While austerity normally follows global economic dives, over the past year, TikTok has seen interior design and decor videos on its platform veer away from sleek minimalism towards maximalist styles. Creators on TikTok have defined their homes by collecting unique artefacts and vintage items from thrift shops which reflect their personalities. On Airbnb, over 35 000 listings include maximalism keywords such as “velvet”, “mixed patterns” and “animal prints” in their descriptions.

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M A R B L E I S Marble counter tops are a big comeback, and marble in subtle patterns will be

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trending, but we’ll also continue to see subtle veining and delicate patterns

MARVELOUS

GET THE LOOK For less money you can achieve a similar look to marble with man-made quartz.

Or visit the marble places and ask to see any offcuts, which might be smaller, but also cheaper, and could fit an island, perhaps.

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PICTURE MICHEILE VISUAL STORIES / UNSPLASH

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PICTURE MAX VAKHTBOVYCH / PEXELS

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GO GREEN GET THE LOOK Paint all your kitchen cabinets green (or just the top or bottom ones) or settle for a pop of green on your kitchen island.

We’ll continue to see painted cabinetry as a top trend in kitchen design, whether this involves white-painted cabinets, black-painted cabinets or using them to incorporate more colour into your design.

Design experts predict that we’ll see plenty of greens and blues in kitchen cabinetry this year. This includes all shades of green and blue from subtle and neutral to deep, rich hues.

Green will probably overtake navy as the most popular colour for kitchen cabinets.

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the Waste issue

Also inside: African good news • The waste pickers of SA

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THE Futuristic solutions ENERGY to avert a global crisis ISSUE

ILLUSTRATION KIM STONE

ILLUSTRATION CHAIYAPRUEK2520

Tip of the iceberg uncovered

Also inside: Renewable energy • A new generation of power

T O

A D V E R T I S E

H E R E

C O N TA C T

Charl Reineke | charl@africannewsagency.com | Vivian Warby | vivian.warby@inl.co.za

PICTURE KIM STONE

See the world through our eyes

&BOLD

GET THE LOOK Opposites attract. Try a vintage bath with sleek modern mixers or period taps with a modern free-standing bath.

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Walls are alive. Murals in water-resistant paint, alongside sleek tiles, bring bathrooms to life. Or you could use a slab of marble to create a funky top on an old wooden vanity. Use materials that contrast with each other to build visual and tactile texture in your room. Search for an old-fashioned vanity stool in plush velvet and pair it with modern, glitzy tiles. Accessories should be fun and thrifted.

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PICTURE CHARLOTTE MAY / PEXELS

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MIX

&M AT C H

With shipping delays and increasing raw material prices, vintage pieces will become more attractive and people will take the time to restore, reupholster and refinish them.

As with bathrooms, consider mixing and matching modern pieces of furniture with family heirlooms or antiques.

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RECLAIMED GET THE LOOK Genevieve Mayne-Carney kept it in the family when she gave this sentimental, heavy wooden piece, which she got from her mom, a makeover with the help of her mother-in-law Their amazing restoration of this piece got so much love on the Facebook group Renovating Moms Cape Town – and it stole our hearts as well.

Genevieve Mayne-Carney tells us how she transformed this piece: The sideboard has been in my family for as long as I can remember.

When my mom moved to Cape Town she needed to downsize, so she gifted it to us. It didn’t really fit our style or our lounge but I liked the sentimentality it held. Fast-forward five years and we finally decided to just make the change.

All credit must go to my mom-in-law, who sanded it down for many hours, wood primered it and then painted it. I helped with the last coat, so I did have some part in it.

We did three coats in total, two with rollers and then the last with brushes. We didn’t take the handles off but, in hindsight, it would have been easier than trying to paint in between all those tiny spaces.

We absolutely love how it turned out and it has transformed our lounge. I think my favourite part is how the brass handles pop in comparison to the green.

Colour used: Dulux Energising Emerald

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GO POTTY

B Y K AY M E RY S W A R T S

The craze for potted plants shows no sign of slowing down. 0n Airbnb, almost 45 000 listings make use of botanical buzzwords, such as “monstera”, “potted plants” and “lush”.

“Pets are the new kids and house plants are the new pets,” is a popular saying about humans and their growing relationship with indoor plants.

There are variations on this but the core idea

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There is also something grounding and wonderful about watching something grow, die and grow again. It adds in a layer of hope at a time when people need it.

Jacobs believes Generation Z’s increasing interest in plants might stem from the smaller commitment that comes with caring for plants in

for and love their house plants as they would a

comparison to caring for pets or children.

According to Mossel Bay psychologist

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effect and “are good energy clearers”.

remains – humans, particularly youngsters, care pet… or even a child.

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Jacobs says plants generally have a calming

“The vibe that Gen Z gives off is that they are less willing to commit to intense things,

Philencia Jacobs, “Plants give us the sense that

compared to the previous generations who,” she

we have a piece of the outside world with us;

laughingly adds, “were prepared to have kids as

they give us a connection to the outside world.”

soon as they could!”

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PICTURE SPACEJOY / UNSPLASH

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PICTURE HOUZLOOK / PEXELS

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LIGHT IT UP

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Lights will be more sculptural, made of mixed materials, and have more abstract shapes. There will also be a move towards unique pieces, such as standing lamps with an art deco feel.

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GOING SOFT The home space is getting ready for a migration towards soft textures. Think 3D, voluminous pieces bringing into your home a newfound sense of it being haven and an enhanced feel-good factor, says Bielle Bellingham, newly appointed Decorex Africa curator.

The CASEY Occasional Chair in white by @ curacion_collection.

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PICTURE CHASTITY CORTIJO / UNSPLASH

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PICTURE JONATHAN BORBAU / PEXELS

S M A L L - T O W N

L I V I N G

Flee the City A couple who left the bright lights for the small town of Riebeek Wes tell us about creating their dream home WORDS VIVIAN WARBY

I GOT UP one morning and decided I wanted to move to Riebeek Kasteel, so I resigned and rented a house there,” says Elmarie van Tonder, former MD of an international events company operating out of Cape Town.

The Riebeek Valley is close to Cape Town and very central, she says. “It may sound like it was an overnight decision but I had always dreamed of living in a small town and the time just felt right.

“My partner Johan Kotze and I both went to school in Paarl, and Johan is from Ceres, so it made sense to live here, close to our friends and family.”

Surprisingly, neither has missed the hustle and bustle of the city where they lived on the Atlantic

The church is visible from Elmarie van Tonder and Johan Kotze’s renovated home in Riebeek Kasteel.

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seaboard for many years.

“The valley offers so much,” says Van Tonder.

For instance, she says, “It is home to amazing restaurants and we are also blessed with the best fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, not to mention the wines and olive products. There are great little delis here as well, such as Deli-Co on Main and The Country Chic.”

Van Tonder says after two years of looking at properties while they rented in Riebeek Kasteel, “we found what we were looking for”.

“I always wanted to live in a small town in an old house and we fell in love with the property the first time we saw it.”

The home is made up of two charming historical cottages close to the church. The cottages offered a place to rest when farmers came to church in their wagons for Nagmaal – which is

KITCHEN MOOD BOARD

AFTER why one of the cottages Van Tonder and Kotze rent out is called De Nagmaal.

Van Tonder says the original thick walls and reed ceilings mean temperature in the dwelling is pleasant year-round and they didn’t touch them when they were restoring the building.

The two cottages have a substantial pool with two separate entertainment areas. However, the property and the pool needed a makeover to bring them in line with the couple’s vision.

She and Kotze spent many nights planning their dream home.

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TOP: Johan Kotze and Elmarie van Tonder relax in their historical home in Riebeek Kasteel.

TOP RIGHT: The home is decorated with objects collected over the years.

ABOVE RIGHT: The country-living kitchen has floating shelves and concrete tops.

Van Tonder loves cooking and has created a kitchen ‘kuierplek’ for friends.

ABOVE and right: Before and after – the lounge is decorated with Van Tonder’s eclectic mix of objects.

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BEFORE

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L I V I N G

The classic ball-and-claw bath provides a relaxing view over the leafy garden.

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S M A L L - T O W N

ABOVE: Sunset in Riebeek Wes. LEFT: The couple’s dogs wait patiently to go for a walk.

BELOW LEFT: The swimming pool before, and BOTTOM, after. It provides refreshing dips in the hot summer months RIGHT: The spare bedroom in which Johan Kotze and Elmarie van Tonder retained the country feel.

BEFORE

“We tiled all the outside areas, painted the interior, exterior and roof a crisp white, added a motorised gate for secure parking and lined the pool in white fiberglass.

“We added new light fixtures, replaced the old carpeting with seagrass and sanded and sealed the wooden floors.

“The kitchen got cement countertops, floating shelves and a gas stove in the alcove where the fireplace used to be.”

Van Tonder said they did not change the look of the cottages because of their historical value.

“I also knew from the moment I saw the house that I was going to tile the verandas in black-andwhite checks.”

The couple sourced “everything ourselves and took multiple trips to the city to collect tiles, paint, lights well before we started renovations”.

Van Tonder describes her style as an “eclectic mix of objects I have collected over many years”.

On the renovation, she said they kept things “very local, employing locals for painting, tiling and building”.

Any tips for anyone undertaking a renovation?

“Be organised, be on site and also solve problems as they happen – and trust me they do,” she says with a smile.

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PICTURES COTTONBRO / PEXELS

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SUSTAINABLE If you needed any more convincing that green is the new black, look no further than this huge trend for this year – sustainability. According to TikTok, videos using the hashtag #zerowaste have clocked up 1.6 billion global views on their platform. TikTok creators share their tips on reducing household waste by recycling products unlikely to biodegrade – or replacing them altogether with reusable items. Meanwhile, on Airbnb, homes that mention sustainable features, such as energy efficiency, energy saving and biomass, are growing at a rate of over 15% more than other listings on the platform.

People want to feel they are making a positive impact on the planet and what they do in their homes and where they stay reflects this.

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Priceless advice for all your home improvements

Improver 2 0 2 1

PICTURE CHRIS SNOOK/HOUZZ—THE WASHINGTON POST

M A R C H

Improver Bathroom splash issue

Also inside: A palatial home • Gardens that will grow on you

To advertise here contact C h a r l R e i n e ke | ch a r l . re i n e ke @ i n l . c o. z a | V i v i a n Wa r by | v i v i a n . wa r by @ i n l . c o. z a

WE E LN CO OM MN Y R VEA TTOI O

KITCHEN GARDEN

Sustainability reaches further into how we are enhancing what we learnt during the Covid pandemic when many of us began kitchen gardens.

The drive to be self-sufficient is set to grow even stronger this year

Duncan Guy shows off some of the fruits of his labour.

BY DUNCAN GUY

in

THE VICTORIAN era, in order not to deplete the ornamental gardens of wealthy land owners, separate areas, usually walled, were set aside for cut floral material to decorate their stately homes.

In many of today’s properties, where garden space is limited, borders would quickly become depleted if plants were picked for floral work. The answer is to set aside part of your garden as a cutting garden where you can grow your favourite flowers for the vase.

THE RIGHT PLACE The cutting garden is a functional garden where appearances are not important; where seasonal annuals, perennials and bulbs are grown in a variety of colours, shapes and textures.

Screen the area from the rest of the garden with shrubs for picking that can also act as a windbreak. A trellis screen can be both decorative and practical as support for climbing roses,

clematis and sweet peas.

There is a wider choice of plant material if the cutting garden gets five to six hours of sunshine a day, with easy access to beds and water.

Soil should be free-draining with generous amounts of compost and a slow-release fertiliser to keep plants healthy through the season. Refresh the soil when planting new crops.

A grid of squared wire stretched across plants and

Pelargonium leaves make attractive edgings for posies and table arrangements. Pictured, Pelargonium exotica ‘Tricolor’. PICTURE: LUKAS OTTO

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g

et growing

Grow your own healthy greens.

A farm-gate sign from the Karoo.

Spinach is nutritious and easy to grow.

In the early 1990s, when South Africans were first permitted to travel freely in much of the rest of the continent on their “green mamba” passports, I went on a trip by public transport and bicycle that I have not yet come down from.

Food oozed out of every hole in the ground, roads that were used way more by people walking than by vehicles were choc-ablock with people carrying food to market.

A teacher on beautiful Lake Tanganyika’s northern shore, in Burundi, who I remember only as Freddy, explained the impact of this self-sufficiency when I shared dinner with him at his “shamba” (plot).

He told me his monthly earnings in “franga”, the colloquial word for his tiny country’s currency, the franc. It wasn’t much for the hours he put in at his packed one-roomed school, teaching a morning shift and an afternoon shift. He didn’t seem too put out as we shared another beer that would have cost “frangas” and tucked into a meal of beans and a porridgy staple made from green bananas mixed with healthy veggies.

A message from a country – a continent – where there has been much turmoil: make the most of the weather and grow your own food!

Sure, the equatorial parts have way more rain and sunshine than the southern tip of the continent but it’s still a lot more agreeable to self-sufficiency than many places in the world.

So, I have spent my life in post-democratic South Africa growing veggies, even in my present abode eight storeys up in a flat without a balcony, overlooking Durban. More for snacks and flavouring than for full meals but it’s also to remind myself that this is how Africa pulls through hard times.

I peeled ginger and threw the skins into the containers as compost, only to have a show of ginger stalks the following year.

A small tomato plant transplanted from the Drakensberg has thrived in Durban and the basil from the pot plant next to it adds good flavour.

Spinach is king, like it was when I lived in Johannesburg.

There’s no need for iron deficiencies in this country!

No Durban dish is complete without chillies and my indoor garden provides them.

Once a month, I talk about farming with a man employed by the block of flats to clean the windows. He once brought me a pumpkin from his plot out of town, at Inanda. I plant its seeds and give the seedlings to people as presents.

Sounds mad? I told you I haven’t yet come off the trip! * Duncan Guy started life as a farm child but became a journalist and is now trying to be a farm child again...

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TIPS FOR GROWING IN AN APARTMENT: 1 You need all the sun you can get, so plant at your biggest window. You’re likely to get sun only part of the day.

2 Place the containers on a table that has a hole in the middle (such as one that would accommodate an umbrella pole).

3 Have a bucket underneath that to catch overflow from watering.

4 Keep the windows open as often as you can to attract pollinators.

5 Herbs are very suitable plants to grow indoors.

6 Be careful not to let water spill. In flats, it has a habit of going into the units below!

‘‘

Spinach is king, like it was when I lived in Johannesburg.

There’s no need for iron deficiencies in this country!

BELOW: Baby tomatoes, chillies, butternut and ginger planted eight floors up.

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