Karoo blues

Thanks to experience gained from a previous renovation, the Johnsons were able to convert their old storeroom into a gorgeous garden cottage.

THE STOEP

The stoep of the garden cottage is lovely and warm in winter, while in summer the roof provides muchneeded shade. The bench with the comfy seat cushion is made from a palette; it has legs attached and was used as a coffee table at the Johnsons’ wedding. The wooden table was part of an outdoor furniture set that the Johnsons bought on Gumtree. The sour fig (Carpobrotus edulis) in the foreground grows extremely well in the Karoo and produces the most beautiful pink blooms in spring; it grows quickly, even from cuttings, and it’s hardy and waterwise. Windows and patio doors from Swartland Bouhandel; metal chairs from Decofurn; seat cushion covered with fabric from Fabric City; stoep lights from Builders; white scatter cushions from Mr Price Home; lantern and white planter on table from Checkers

KITCHEN

Here, the Johnsons borrowed ideas from their builder Louis Botha, who had constructed similar kitchens for a self-catering lodge. “We loved the durability, as well as the clean, fresh look. We aren’t experts in cement and concrete, so we left the project to him, as well as the screeding of the cement floor,” says Jeani. The kitchen tabletop is made of planks that were salvaged from the old storeroom. Jean sanded and varnished them, while a friend helped with the welding of the hairpin legs. >>

Chairs from Decofurn; blue-and-white coffee mugs from Woolworths; fruit bowl from Wonki Ware; tea towels from Barrydale Weavers

When Jeani Johnson followed her husband to his heartland, the Karoo, at the end of 2017, it was literally with all her belongings and figuratively with her city-inspired décor ideas. “After his studies in the Boland, Jean had to return to Beaufort West to help run his family’s butchery and meat-processing plant,” says Jeani. “We always knew we were going to live there, so we bought a house in town. We refurbished it together, but my contribution was made over the phone from Green Point.”

Two years ago in 2019, the couple got stuck into another collaborative project. Their sights were set on the small run-down storeroom in their back garden. Plan A was to turn it into a home office but they soon realised it had greater potential as a guest cottage. Plan B prevailed, not only to serve as a stopover for family and friends, but also as a rental on Airbnb.

And thus the idea for Karoo Blue was born: a comfortable open-plan cottage with a kitchen, dining room, lounge and bedroom en suite.

Teamwork

“It was a small, elongated storeroom with an outside loo and a sloping roof,” says Jeani. “That’s where the bedroom and bathroom are today. We broke out a few small windows, closed up the loo door and broke through walls to create the main door and a large window. After that, we built on a rectangular area of the same size in the front to house a kitchen and lounge.”

The structure, now double its original size, then received a pitched roof.

While Jean managed the renovation and construction, Jeani was in charge of the design and interior. “I created moodboards for each space, then went on the hunt for everything from the taps to the lights, from the bedding to tea towels – anything that would make the picture in my head a reality. Jean helped with the demolishing and breaking out of walls and oversaw the construction.

“He’s always on the lookout for something we can repurpose,” says Jeani. “Neither of us is shy to pick up a paintbrush or a drill – he usually does the drilling and I do the painting.”

The renovation of the main house taught the pair plenty of useful lessons, says Jeani. “Fortunately, we work well together. Our style and tastes are also pretty similar, which helps a lot. We can trust each other’s choices.”

Jeani reckons her creative ideas come from her mother, Joy Louw. “She’s very artistic and exposed me and my sisters to different art forms from an early age. Ever since, I’ve loved decorating spaces.” >>

Jeani bought the wall tiles (right) long before this renovation project simply because she loved them. She knew she would be able to use them somewhere one day!

Wall tiles from CTM; melamine cupboard doors in the colour Storm Grey and shelf from Timbercity; basin and taps from Builders and Bathroom Bizarre; salt and pepper mills and navyblue cutlery container from Le Creuset; blue-and-white coffee mugs from Woolworths; blue pot with arum lily from Poetry; round rug from Mr Price Home; small book holder from The Crazy Store

The cool blue-grey wallpaper in the living area (above) is a nod to the name of the couple’s Airbnb accommodation, Karoo Blue. Jeani has had the cane chair since she was a teenager and the sofa was part of a set in a local dentist’s waiting room; Jean’s mom, Benita, snapped it up when the dentist moved.

The Johnsons realised that a wall between the living area and bedroom would make the latter very dark. Jean designed and had this partition made locally. Now the glass allows light to stream in and also creates a focal point. Different floor coverings help to distinguish the spaces from each other. The cement floor in the living area is earthy, durable and ideal for this part of the cottage which withstands the most foot traffic. Floor lamp, cream and grey scatter cushions from Mr Price Home; wire side table from Stilbaai Verspreiders; floral cushion from Coricraft; throw on couch from Sheet Street; blue-andwhite wall plates are heirlooms, homemade and from Checkers Blinds by Arno Lotz; wooden bench from Baie Bargains Antiques; wood-look floor tiles were left over from a previous project, purchased long ago from Malls Tiles; blanket from The Cotton Company