Living with less

Lynne-Alice Crabtree of Durban North writes Your September 2021 issue is a heartfelt, beautiful creation filled with cost-effective ideas. It’s aimed at a cashstrapped nation, struggling to keep afloat, financially and emotionally, during this devastating pandemic.

We recently renovated our old and tired 1935 Durban North home on a tight budget, starting with our kitchen. We installed recycled Lagos vinyl flooring and removed plaster for a raw facebrick feature wall. We also installed a new white slatted blind, wooden counters on built-in plastered brick storage units, and a gas stove to save electricity. We built a large pantry cupboard from our old Oregon pine floors.

We also put in new vinyl wood-look flooring and painted the walls a fresh creamywhite, creating clean lines throughout the house.

And we decluttered on a large scale; it’s amazing how what we thought we needed we actually don’t – we don’t miss all the books, excessive ornaments and excessive pictures on the walls. We even emptied a 3m sideboard of china and crystal ware that we never use – our daughter was very happy to have Mom’s treasures earlier than expected!

Living life with less stuff is a most uplifting experience and I highly recommend it. Keep up the excellent work on the best décor magazine in SA!