My mom always says: ‘The plaster on your walls is going to fall off with all the stuff you’ve got hanging on them.’ Then my dear friend Hanneli counters with: ‘Walls are not just for supporting the roof!’ – Cillié
Your house doesn’t need to look like your neighbour’s; it must just be beautiful and practical to suit your family’s needs. – Cillié
Cillié uses her flair for interior design to help others as well.
“Years ago, my friend Hanneli and I realised that there’s a dire need for project managers for home renovations. We launched Novel Idea Interiors and managed turnkey projects for six years. We also did interior decoration.
“Our strength lay in giving existing furniture a new purpose or look. I love recycling old furniture – like the chair my dad Flip van Rooyen made shortly after my parents got married. I painted it yellow and hung it on the wall with a flowerpot on it.”
Cillié still manages projects and also does consulting. “I work on referrals – it’s good advertising and ensures that you get paid,” she says. “Sometimes, I just offer advice and write a report; other times, customers ask me to implement my suggestions. I love making every cent count and always use the same contractors.”
Cillié says she will trawl many stores, looking for the right pieces for customers. “I always have a specific mission, otherwise you spend money you don’t have on things you don’t need. The golden rule about purchases is always: it must make you happy.” >>
Dries displays his hats and treasured items on a shelf inspired by a project in Home.
Shelf by The Picture Framer; plant pots from Lifestyle Home Garden Paint colour Universal Paints Canvas
Cillié created the artwork above her napkin cupboard (an old school cupboard given to her by Andries) with Skinny laMinx, Design Team and shweshwe fabric.
Cillié made the quilt on Dries’s bed.
Headboard covered by Paraphernalia Trading with fabric from Design Team; grey footstool from Mr Price Home; blind made by The Cover Girls with fabric from Chamdor Faktry Sales
A tin ‘trophy head’ made by a street vendor adorns the wall in Phillip’s bedroom. Yellow shelving adds a cheerful touch against the grey walls.
Cubes and short floating shelf from Leroy Merlin; combi from Mr Price Home; bedding from Sheet Street; grey box crates from West Pack Lifestyle
A pink wall in the main bedroom enhances a tranquil atmosphere. The bed was a wedding gift; Cillié and Andries have been sleeping on it for 23 years.
Chest of drawers from Milner Avenue, Albertskroon; bedding, dark blue cushion and white frames from Mr Price Home; light from The Lighting Warehouse; rug from Hertex
A lovely old cupboard, bought long ago in Albertskroon, has been given pride of place in the en-suite bathroom.
Blind made by The Cover Girls with fabric from Chamdor Faktry Sales; slipper bath from Bathroom Bizarre
The stoep is the family’s favourite spot. It’s so inviting here that the birds try to nest in a wire lampshade on a regular basis!
Mugs from Rialheim
Aloes from the garden make an earthy table centrepiece.
Seat cushion from Paraphernalia Trading
Wire pendant from Weylandts; scatter cushions made by Paraphernalia Trading and
The Cover Girls; printed cushion on the right from Design Team
Horns from Amatuli