Innehållsförteckning för May- June 2021 från Home

I had a good chuckle the other day when someone on a Facebook group quite innocently asked what she could use to turn a black leather sofa into a light brown leather sofa. No, she wasn’t looking for a slipcover, she likes the leather. Just not the colour. My fingers naturally itched to type: you need a light brown cow (with a heart condition). But, of course, I restrained myself because, you know, not everyone’s sense of humour is well developed. Be that as it may, before long there were some ingenious responses, and this one had me laughing out loud: “Magic! You need magic!”. Sometimes magic is indeed the only solution, even if you have to create your own. That’s what Home readers are known for and as I’ve…

Home is where the hearth is The Salt River, Cape Town home of contemporary visual artist Liza Grobler and her husband, painter and sculptor Norman O’Flynn, is filled with art and colour. When they had to work from home during the winter of 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, they immediately had a fireplace installed. The Kratki fireplace is finished off with cheerful blue tiles, with one cheeky red tile as a playful accent that also picks up on other red elements in the space. Liza was thrilled when she found the free-form granite offcut on which the fireplace rests. “There are a lot of organic elements in the house and I knew it would look great here,” she says. Liza’s artistic home is featured in Home Paint It 2021, on…

WHO LIVES HERE? Paul and Mona Haumann with their kids, Paul (9) and Kate (8) WHERE Mostertsdrift, Stellenbosch SIZE 325m² In 1965, Rousselot and Antoinette Pienaar planted the first of 52 indigenous trees in the garden of their brand-new home in Stellenbosch. One of Rousselot’s favourites was a black ironwood, which the South African National Biodiversity Institute celebrates on its website (pza.sanbi.org): “Happy the grandchild who inherits a garden shaded by a black ironwood tree, for they have grandparents of great foresight and intelligence”. It was these trees that led a young couple to buy the house in 2015 – and today their children and their friends play under their shade. “It was definitely the garden that sealed the deal when we bought the house,” confirms Mona Haumann. “I started…

You will need SHOPPING LIST • 19mm laminated pine, cut to: two 1 300 x 300mm (front and back) two 350 x 300mm (sides) one 1 262 x 350mm (base) one 1 350 x 430mm (lid) one 1 262 x 100mm (support for hinges) four 100 x 100mm (blocks for legs)• four legs with T-nuts• two hinges• one packet 6mm x 40mm chipboard screws• one packet 8mm x 30mm chipboard screws• Alcolin Fast Set Glue• 150-grit sandpaper• wood filler TOOLS • cordless drill and 3mm and 9mm drill bit• pencil• tape measure• hammer QUICK PROJECT GUIDE Hard labour 4/10 Skill level 4/10 Time needed 1 to 2 hours Do it yourself for ± R1 520: wood R1 300, legs R80, hinges R40, screws R40, glue R40, sandpaper R20 PROJECT NOTES…

STOCKISTS @home 0860 576 576, home.co.za Annie Sloan anniesloan.com Superbalist 087 362 7300, superbalist.com Mr Price Home 0800 212 535, mrphome.com Paint & Decor 021 976 0114, paintdecordiy.com SophiaHelen sophiahelen.com…

Colour is almost like Tabasco sauce. In small quantities it adds pizzazz, but too much of it is overwhelming. – JD WHO LIVES HERE? JD and François van Zyl-Lebrun with their daughter Isabella (2) WHERE Woodstock, Cape Town SIZE 101m² When a South African and a Frenchman renovate a 100-year-old house in a bohemian neighbourhood, taking inspiration from England, you can be sure it will be an out-of-the-box project. JD bought the house in 2005 and lived there before renting it out when he moved to England in early 2008. “At the time, I already had all sorts of ideas about how to renovate the place, but I promised myself that I would rather wait and do it properly than turn it into a patchwork project,” he explains. Little did…

Elizabeth Pretorius of Johannesburg writes I’ve discovered that lilies (various species) can be deadly when it comes to cats. My cat Max drinks water from vases and he got some of the pollen on his fur. A friend advised me to take him to the vet; as a precautionary measure, a kidney function test was done on him and he was put on a drip. What symptoms should cat owners look out for and which type of lilies are toxic? Dr Analize Theron, a veterinarian at Fourways Vet Hospital, replies Lilies are a symbol of purity and innocence but these beautiful flowers are dangerous when it comes to our feline friends. In the Lilium (true lilies) and Hemerocallis (day lilies) genera there are several species that cause renal failure in…

Help for my hedge Elna Keeve of Malelane writes Please help! What can I use to deal with the infestation on my hedge plants? I have sprayed with Aphicide Plus but the plants have very bad white pieces. What can you recommend? JJ replies Your plants are infested with mealy bug. Unlike regular Aphicide, Aphicide Plus may not be sprayed and must be watered in – it has no effect if sprayed. Ideally, you should use Malasol to treat the mealy bugs. It is not systemic, so you need to make sure you spray directly onto the insects, as well as into the folds of the leaves. Repeat the treatment after a week or so. Listen to JJ’s gardening tips and tricks on Derrich Gardner’s show Brekfis met Derrich at…

Curried sweet potato and lentil soup Under R80 • Serves 4 •Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes • 30ml olive oil • 1 medium onion, finelw chopped • 1 garlic clove, finelw chopped • 2cm fresh ginger, grated • 5ml mild currw powder • 600ml vegetable stock • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes • 1 tin (400g) lentils, drained • 2 sprigs parslew, chopped • 1 tin (400ml) coconut milk 1 Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger slowly until glossy and fragrant. Stir in the curry powder and fry for another minute. Add the stock and sweet potato and simmer with the lid on until the vegetables are tender – about 10 minutes. 2 Stir in the…

GD Chocolate’s Loaded Logs are full of healthy, flavourful goodness and nothing else. The Collagen, Vitamin C, Maca Moringa and Turmeric Loaded Logs are all made with raw honey-sweetened chocolate, each with its own unique nutritional properties. Find out more at gdchocolate.com. BOTTOMS UP! Fitch & Leedes Moments cheeky vintage mocktails include Blushing Mimosa, Pink G&T, Shirley Temple and Island Fish Bowl – just the ticket when you’re feeling festive. They’re available at leading stores from R9.99 per 300ml can; go to fitchleedes.co.za. GLORY, GLORY HALLELUJAH Stormers and Blitzbokke winger Seabelo Senatla has collaborated with Idiom to create Glory 2013 (R3 000 for a case of 7, glorywine.africa), a luscious, seven-cultivar red blend to commemorate his rugby sevens career. Each varietal adds to a unique combination of notes, from dark…

WINNING LETTER Paint therapy Rosey Hudson of Leicestershire in the UK writes I studied Fine Art at university but all I really wanted to do was paint pretty pictures! My passion for art started as soon as I could pick up a pencil – even from an early age, I would pick out the most bold and vivid colours. I was stuck in an abusive relationship for seven years and lost my self-esteem; I also forgot all about my love for painting. Mini makeover Tanya Killerby-Korf of Nelspruit writes I love changing things up in our humble abode. We live in a small wooden house that we built ourselves 15 years ago – it was a true labour of love and took a year to complete with us building only…

• Find a good architect whose ideas you like – the money spent on a professional is saved during the building process. Architects’ fees are usually divided into four stages of 25% each. The first stage is drawing up the plans and the final stage is managing the building project. “Many people decide to manage the project themselves in order to save money,” says Paul. “But in my opinion that’s the biggest mistake you can make!” • Plan for comfort during all the seasons. “I’ll never build a house without double-glazed windows again,” says Paul. He also believes that a good closed combustion fireplace is worth its weight in gold in winter and that heated towel rails are a must for the wet Boland winters. • Install a quality solar-powered…

Bricks are best! Matty Strydom of Vanwyksdorp writes We’re building a farm-style house in the Little Karoo and we’d like to install low-maintenance brick or klompie floors. What would you recommend, and how must we seal them? Are the bricks laid on a screed or on sand as you do with pavers? Lastly, is this a cheaper alternative to tiles, for example? Melanie van Staden, a sales consultant at Revelstone, replies Since you’re building a new home, you will need to cast a concrete floor – much like if you were tiling. It’s not necessary to install a screed layer. You can use klompie bricks in any room but keep their depth in mind – they’re about 30–35mm thick, while ordinary tiles are much thinner. Klompie ‘tiles’ are applied indoors…

Q: What’s the name of the lovely neutral paint that Albert van Niekerk used in his home’s interior as featured on page 75 of your February/March 2021 edition? – Janine Lloyd, Graaff-Reinet A: The interior was painted with Plascon Mandarin Tusk (plascon.com). Q: Which paint colour was used in the bedroom on page 53 of your February/March 2021 issue? – Anne Bennett, Johannesburg A: All the colours in this home were custom mixed by House2Home (house2homesa.co.za). For a similar powder-blue, try Dulux Blueberry Bud or Periwinkle Blue (dulux.co.za). Q: I love the dining chairs on page 50 of your September 2020 edition. Where can I find something similar? – Sharon Jansen, Johannesburg A: These Lara chairs were bought from Weylandts (weylandts.co.za) years ago but we’ve seen similar designs at Chair…

[PROS AND CONS OF A GLASS ROOF] The biggest advantage of a glass roof like this one is the abundance of light it brings into your home. “It’s like a giant skylight,” says Nadine Clarke of Meik Architects. “There are several factors that homeowners should consider before having a glass roof installed. It is expensive and can be difficult to keep clean if access isn’t considered during the design phase. Condensation can also be problematic if there is a major difference in temperature between the interior and exterior of the house.” Nadine recommends double or triple glazing for such a structure. “Ordinary single glass is a poor insulator, which leads to major heat loss in winter and can make the space very hot in summer. It also does not block…

Have fun with ferns Winter may be knocking at the door but, luckily, beautifying your indoor spaces doesn’t rely on the seasons. These fab ferns will brighten up the dullest of corners: 1 Blue star fern (Phlebodium aureum) This fern has a fresh forest feel with unusual wavy blue-green fronds. They enjoy moist soil and tolerate low-light well. 2 Kangaroo fern (Microsorum diversifolium) is perfect for hanging baskets and side tables with spilling space. When left to explore and grow, lush deep-green leaf shafts will form a texture-rich variety of shapes, resulting in an interesting trailing habit and a super unique pot plant. This fern is easy to please and suited to just about all light conditions. 3 Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus) A cheerful, tropical-like evergreen with light green…

Blossom tree (Virgilia divaricata) With an abundance of fragrant pink pea-like flowers, the blossom tree takes your breath away in spring. It’s arapid grower and should, with good care, reach its mature size within a few years. Although the tree has a fairly short lifespan (about 20 years), its beautiful pink blooms make it a worthwhile choice for a new garden. This fast grower will soon provide shade, structure and colour. Blossom trees do well in compost-rich sandy and loamy soil and need sufficient water until established. Protect young trees from frost; mature blossom trees can handle some frost. Virgilia oroboides is very similar, bearing lighter pink blooms in summer. Tip Plant a slow-growing tree such as a yellowwood under the fast-growing blossom tree. It will provide the…

Makes 1 loaf Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus about 14 hours resting time – it’s worth the wait, believe me!) Baking time: about 4w minutes Oven temperature: 23w°C • 75wml stone-ground white bread flour • 1wml salt • 5ml instant yeast • 375ml water 1 In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until they just come together. 2 Cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap and let the dough rise for 12–14 hours at a moderate room temperature. The warmer it is, the faster the dough will rise, but rather aim for long and slow. The dough will double in volume and form bubbles on the surface. 3 Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface – it will be runny and sticky,…

There was a time in my life that the very idea of kissing gave me the jitters, filled me with dread, fear and loathing. I’m referring, of course, to those long-gone days of old when kissing was considered the proper, civilised norm among the farming folk on the platteland. You may call it the universal gold standard of boere greeting etiquette. And no, skat, none of that cheek-pecking nonsense, it was full-throttle mouth-to-mouth. No debate. I remember the family visits of my early childhood mainly by the dread of greeting the ooms and tantes. It was long before hugging was a thing. We weren’t huggers. No siree. This outlandish spectacle, as my ouma from the Boesmanland Karoo called it, was from the devil himself – a contagion from Hollywood films…

CREATE, INNOVATE! WHO Adelai Alberts WHERE Mossel Bay BUSINESS Ad & Co HER WORK Keen to explore a creative outlet, professional architect Adelai Alberts started revamping furniture about two years ago. She wanted each piece to be unique and often struggled to find just the right fabric. Then in 2020, she collaborated with her mother, artist Mari Vermeulen-Breedt, and together they converted some of her oil paintings onto fabric. The Ad & Co fabric range was born! “I love my mother’s classic approach and her style works beautifully with older furniture. Each artwork tells a story,” says Adelai. Today, the range includes tablecloths, napkins and scatter cushions. See more at adandco.online. Make a splash! Create the kitchen splashback of your dreams with customised Plexiglass from Photo Blox (from R1 950/m2…

THE CHALLENGE Coba Kellerman of Durbanville writes The main bedroom in our rental home needs a lot of attention in order to make it feel cosy. My husband and I would like to update the look with chalk paint (we hawe the owner’s permission); we both like grey and oliwe shades, but nothing too dark as the room doesn’t get much natural light. We would also like to awoid pastels. Please help! THE SOLUTION Jani Augustyn-Goussard of Paint & Decor replies Firstly, it’s astroke of luck that both you and your husband like the same colour scheme! There are many ways to bring your love of olive shades into your bedroom without making the space feel dark; here are a few ideas: WALLS & ACCESSORIES Start by painting your walls…

For the love of tapestry Ansie Furter of Krugersdorp writes I bought this tapestry from an antique shop in Modimolle and would love to know more about its history and possible value. Can you help? Ainsley Taylor of Stephan Welz & Co. replies This tapestry is a modern replica taken from a set of six tapestries dating from about 1500AD. The original set was discovered rotting away in a chateau in central France in the middle of the 19th century; once restored it became renowned for the sumptuous quality of materials used, as well as the extraordinary depiction of the subject matter. General consensus is that each of the tapestries presents a meditation on earthly pleasures and courtly culture, offered through an allegory of the five senses. This particular tapestry,…

Happy at home! On a break Katy Cat takes a well-deserved rest after some home renovations. – Alwyn Neethling, Johannesburg Prime position Zoë perches on her preferred spot. – Janine Louw, Somerset West Don’t be shy! French Poodle Coco loves it when her neighbour Doppie pops in for a visit. – Engela Barkhuizen, Pretoria Comic relief Reading Asterix is Tom Snooze’s favourite pastime. – Zoë Cunningham, Durban Now you see me… Shaggy is well camouflaged on an Nguni hide. – Fran McCole, East London Moving day Twinkle Toes doesn’t want to give up his box! – Rebecca Dawson, Gqeberha Hot product The Bark Nest Bed (R1 500, barkbygrethe.com) has been designed with both your pets and your home in mind. Handwoven from ilala palm leaves by a team of weavers…

Transplant tips Anne Smith of Sedgefield writes My large ‘Fairest Cape’ Panarosa rose is not doing well where it is planted, with grass growing into the bed and taking all the water. Can I move it? Ludwig replies Yes, May and June are good months to move such a large rose because it has entered its dormant period, and there will be less stress on the roots. Prepare the new position first, preferably the day before, and water well so that the soil is moist. Trim the rose back by at least one third. It still needs a fair number of leaves to process food and water from the roots. Bear in mind that such a large shrub-rose has an extensive root system. Dig a large circle around the rose,…

Tomato soup with pesto bread cigars These lip-smacking cigars with their stringy melted cheese centres are best served straight from the pan with a bowl of hot soup – the perfect comfort food for a chilly evening. Serves 6 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes • 30ml olive oil • 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped • 2 carrots, grated • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 2 tins (400g each) tomato purée • 500ml vegetable stock • 15ml sugar • 10ml dried Italian herbs • 1 tin (400g) white beans • 1 tin (400g) speckled beans • fresh basil, to serve BREAD CIGARS • 12 slices store-bought white bread • basil pesto • 4 slices smoked ham, diced • 12 sticks cheddar…