Never bland or boring
For Gerhardt and Kosie, every piece of furniture is special, often with its own story. Some pieces were inherited, others came from antique stores or were picked up at demolition sites for a song.
“The tea chest in the living room cost us a mere R400. We often find furniture at a good price but it might be upholstered in some strange fabric; we simply reupholster it in something more socially acceptable,” says Gerhardt.
The inventive couple often spots potential that others might miss. In one of the guest rooms (above left), a window frame from the original Pretoria Hotel serves as a headboard. Gerhardt and Kosie snapped it up at Independent Traders Unlimited and attached it to the wall with metal reinforcements. And in the main bedroom, the headboard consists of chains in different lengths and thicknesses; Gerhardt designed and installed it while Kosie was away at a conference “so that it would be too late for him to object”.
Currently, a guest bedroom with a Mexican theme is keeping their creative juices flowing. It all began with a bright red beaded chandelier they discovered at a Weylandts sale. “We wanted to combine the Mexican influence with the tropical style that is so on trend right now,” explains Kosie.
Other collectables were added later, such as the images of the Virgin Mary in true Mexican style. “The aesthetic is loosely inspired by the artist Penny Siopis and the Durban décor store Shoppe,” says Gerhardt. “I got the Virgin Mary figurine from my mother. I was worried she would disown me because I gave it a lick of paint but when she saw it, she gave hers the same treatment!” he chuckles.
For these two, life is too short not to make a splash! >>