HOME SWEET HOME

There’s no doubt that moving into your first home is an enormously exciting prospect, but it can be a little daunting as well. We rounded up 15 excellent pieces of advice from those in the know

“Be practical and build up your furniture collection room by room — starting with the living room. Begin by finding the right sofas and coffee table — you don’t have to break the bank! It’s advisable to purchase from a retailer that enables you to select from a range of fabric styles and textures so you can choose something that best suits the living space you’re creating.”

— Megan Steel, executive buyer, Sutherlands Home Furnishing

“Before you go shopping for your new home, make sure that you understand all the costs of home ownership. It’s much more than just a home-loan instalment. Other costs (like insurance, rates, levies and house maintenance) can all mount up and if you are not prepared for these it can place considerable strain on the family expenses. Affordability of all aspects of home ownership is paramount.”

— Kevin Penwarden, CEO of SA Home Loans

“When buying furniture, never scrimp on comfort — a good bed and a great sofa are essentials for every home. At Con Amore we sell Belgian linen sofas that are stuffed with feathers rather than ‘foam and fluff’. They are a little more expensive than the run-of-the-mill, but the luxurious lounging and the luscious loft of the cushions when they plump back into shape makes a mockery of rivals that look like a limp biscuit after six months of use.”

— Charles Kerr, owner of Con Amore

“Take the time to start out from the beginning of the property purchase with no preconceived ideas of what it could be or isn’t, but rather simply see it for what it is, then start conceptualising. For me it was the enclosure of a balcony to incorporate extra space and add value to the premises.”

— Lucas Adams, Kraftisan

“Use pattern sparingly and cleverly. Without doubt, the best way to do this is to introduce wallpaper as a feature wall. There are so many options these days: they can be fun, serious, quirky, dramatic or subtle. Another way to introduce pattern is with scatter cushions. The great thing here is that you can choose from both local and imported fabrics because scatters don’t use reams of fabric.”

— Stephen Black, Black Fabrics

“If you don’t know what to look for when buying a painting or piece of art, a good starting point can be to say something about yourself or your interests, to use the blank wall — as an artist would a canvas — to express yourself. For example, if the environment is a concern, then choose a work made from recycled materials or one that has a ‘green’ theme. Look through art magazines, cruise the galleries (including those online) and see what catches your eye. End-of-year graduate exhibitions also offer a fantastic opportunity to purchase affordable contemporary art.”

— Jennifer Reynolds, State of the Art online gallery

“When redoing a bathroom, first look at the quick wins because a lot can be done that doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Take time to look around and investigate all your purchase decisions. Changing the basin and its mixers, changing the shower head and possibly taking out the bath and only adding a shower to improve space are great options to consider. Try making the bathroom a complete wet area by installing a drain in the centre of the bathroom. And remove the toilet from the floor and opt for a wall-hung option.”

— Anthony Mederer, MD of Hansgrohe Africa

“When you are first buying accessories for your home, go for less expensive items from less expensive stores so that your investment is safer should your tastes change sooner than you think. Choose items that don’t date easily. Decide on one theme and colour palette and stick to it, and remember that your TV wall is the area that you will be looking most of the time — so be sure to make it a visual experience that you will not tire of.”

— Andy Cartwright, designer, Andy Cartwright Homeware

“When choosing a decor style, don’t be too limited by the aesthetic of your current space — buy things you love, not just ‘stuff’ to fill a gap.”

— Andrea Kleinloog, Anatomy Design Studio

“Bits and pieces that have been collected over time are what make a house a home: objets d’art, small things, big things, all with a personal meaning and a story to tell make a house a home, give it a personality and make it an interesting, warm space.”

— Victoria Verbaan, artist

“Ensure that you don’t overcrowd your space with furniture that is oversized and bulky. Too many people go shopping for their furniture before taking the time to plot the space and assessing exactly what size sofas or chairs will be the right fit in that area. As an example, buying a three-seater sofa with big round arms consumes space and costs more, when in fact what the space allowed for was a twoor two-and-a-half-seater with narrower arms. It is all about taking a little extra care to plan ahead of time.”

— Rose McClement, interior designer, Design Monarchy

“When decorating on a budget, do three key things. First, paint everything white. Second, don’t buy the new dining table or whatever until you can buy the one that will endure. Rather slipcover an ugly sofa or paint a dodgy table a quirky colour to distract from its shape or style than compromise on investing in quality. And finally, use fun cushions, framed posters, mirrors, colourful objects and cheap kilim rugs (Mr Price are doing them now too) to create a warm space.”

— Ruth Duke, interior designer

“Get hold of some old furniture (ask your parents for some of the stuff clogging up their storeroom), sand it down and give it two coats of highgloss enamel in a fun colour. Just make sure you use the right paint brushes and leave enough drying time between coats of paint. Changing the colour of items is definitely one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to update any room.”

— Sarah Buitendach, editor of Home Weekly

“Our decorating advice for first-time homeowners? Be patient. Buy only what you love. Reinvent hand-medowns and inherited pieces with paint or contemporary fabrics. Decide on a tight colour palette and stick to it; you'll be amazed at the cohesion it brings. Treasure antiques from mom or gran: they are irreplaceable and essential roots of self. Invest in statement pieces of art — it defines rooms. Let your lifestyle define the way you live and utilise your spaces. Don’t be a slave to fashion trends or try to keep up with the Joneses. And, most of all, trust your instincts and allow years of collecting special pieces and personal items with history and memory to create a layered, unique look that is truly only you.”

— Yanni and Sonia Vosloo, retail creative and owner of Shoppe in Durban

“Young couples who are starting out definitely need a very good oven and hob, and a good convection microwave. The difference between a convection and a normal microwave is minimal, but you basically get another oven that you can also use as a warming drawer. If you live near the coast, a Ceran (glass) hob will last longer. People are worried that the glass will break, but the only time it will is if you stand on it. Apart from that, the chance of it breaking is minimal.”

— Allan and Margaret Hirsch, founders of Hirsch’s