All together now
An innovative couple turned a separate – and outdated – lounge and bar area into a contemporary light-filled living room for their growing family.
Reason for renovation
When Suzi and Stephan bought their home in July 2014, both the layout and finishes were reminiscent of the 1980s. Connected by an arched doorway, the house had a separate lounge and bar with dated finishes – from the knotty pine ceiling to the wall-to-wall carpet. The large sliding doors that opened up onto the back garden on the northern side were a bonus, but the unpainted knotty pine ceiling absorbed too much light and dated the interior.
Having always dreamt of buying a home to renovate, this creative couple instantly saw the potential to transform the lounge and bar into a single light and airy living area. Stephan, who recently started his own carpentry business, Interieur Fitout, had the know-how while Suzi had the ideas. “The love we share for renovations is so exciting,” says Suzi, who works in finance and describes herself as “an English Van der Merwe”.
It took them three months to complete their living room renovation. “We could only renovate in the evenings after work – provided there was no load-shedding – and on weekends, so it took longer than we’d anticipated,” she says. >>
Stephan and I are a dream team – I come up with the ideas and he implements
them! – Suzi