Fixed up with flair!
Petro and Fanie Kruger, our 2021 Fix it with Flair winners in the DIY category, tick all the boxes with their bathroom renovation. The look is trendy yet classical with elegant finishes. This is the second home these avid DIYers have tackled. With the profit made from the sale of their first house, Petro and Fanie bought this lovely 1950s home in 2019. “She was last updated in the ’70s and was in desperate need of some TLC,” says Petro. After mainly focusing on maintenance since moving in, the couple decided to do a major bathroom renovation in 2020.
“Finally, we got to the fun part! Two kids later, it’s taking us a bit longer than our first home makeover but we’re getting there, slowly but surely,” says Petro. >>
A game-changer
“Feeling confident after our DIY renovations at our previous home, we did even more ourselves this time around – from demolition, brickwork and building to tiling and all the finishes,” says Petro.
It was a game-changer when the bathroom window was opened up all the way from the floor to the ceiling and a new wooden sliding door with reeded glass was fitted.
Now the bathroom is bathed in natural light and feels much more spacious than before, while the style of the door adds additional character to this 1950s home.
“When it came to the terrazzo floor, we went backwards and forwards between having it done professionally or buying the tiles and installing them ourselves,” says Petro. “We opted for a custom floor with a seamless finish and brass inlays as it really pays homage to the style of our house.
“Because we plan on staying here for quite some time, we saved up and invested in good quality timeless sanitary ware that will hopefully last a long time. We added a personal touch with the lights, mirror and paint colour, which can easily be changed should we want to spruce things up in future.”
[ HOT TREND] Reeded glass
Popular in the Art Deco era of the 1920s and ’30s, reeded glass has a timeless and versatile appeal. It can add a sense of luxury to any space – think glass cabinets in the kitchen, a shower wall in the bathroom, a coffee table in the living room, sconces in the bedroom… The list goes on.
In the bathroom, reeded glass provides extra privacy with the added bonus that any limescale build-up isn’t so obvious.
The reeded, ribbed or fluted effect is not reserved for windows and doors; nowadays, you’ll see the look in kitchen islands (see page 26), coffee tables, wall panelling and even crockery and vases. The best thing about the design? It suits any décor style! Sources dicksongroup.com; madaboutthehouse.com
Designing and making some of the elements ourselves was really fun and adds a nice new layer to the DIY process. – Petro
[ TILE ADVICE] Slim and sleek
If you’re keen to make a statement, kitkat tiles are your trendiest option, says Nicole Russell of Italtile. They are often described as finger mosaic tiles and are popular in kitchens and bathrooms. These tiles can be installed horizontally or vertically, depending on the look you’d like, and you can choose from a wide range of colours to create a striking splashback or feature wall. Inspired by authentic Japanese architecture, finger tiles reflect passion, ingenuity, dynamism and creativity.
While subway tiles remain popular, we now see them in narrower or slimmer designs than before. Ensure that you use water-resistant mosaic adhesive in wet rooms. >>
CONTACT italtile.co.za