Renovation The clever use of colour brings a gloomy ’70s home to life

The clever use of colour, and a touch of romance, brings a gloomy ’70s home to life!

IIt may have been dark and pokey but for Tammy and Alistair Holmes, the ’70s-style house they purchased in Parkmore at a bargain price was a lucky charm. The couple, who met on Tinder in 2015, received the keys to their new home in April 2016 and that same night, Alistair proposed. He told Tammy they were going to a nearby restaurant but brought her to their new property, which she hadn’t yet seen, instead.

Blindfolded, she was led inside where Alistair had spray-painted “Will you marry me?” on the biggest wall space he could find. “He took off the blindfold and I was so confused because we were in an empty room,” Tammy says.

“Then I looked down and Al was on one knee and we were surrounded by hundreds of red roses. He made an amazing speech, I said yes and we cracked open the bubbly. Only then did I realise that we were in our new home and his proposal was written on the wall!”

“I knew we’d be painting the walls anyway!” Alistair says with a laugh. “And I like knowing that my proposal is still there, under a few layers of paint.”

To top it all off, on the day they moved in after five months of renovations, the couple found out they were pregnant with their baby girl, Ivy. >>

By Kim Arendse Photographs Elza Cooper Styling Amanda van Wyngaardt Who lives here? Alistair and Tammy Holmes, their six-month-old daughter Ivy, their dogs Summer and Lucky, and 16 goldfish! WHERE Parkmore, Johannesburg SIZE 330m²

The once neutral bathroom felt too big and impersonal for the couple. To create a cosier space, they painted a dark blue focal wall in the same Dulux Shutter Blue as in the kitchen and hung different-shaped mirrors to add interest. “We were about to...

We love the white lion hooks found at the Dassiesfontein Farm Store near Botrivier.