Take Charge – Career Snippets

Zimkita Sidumo, one half of the pair that owns the interior styling company Blaque Pearl Lifestyle, shares how they pride themselves in prioritising the client’s budget!

Zimkita Sidumo’s interior styling journey started when she and her business partner, Siyabesho Thutha, would spend weekends lurking in decor stores, ogling beautiful furniture and accessories they dreamt of one day affording. What started off as advising friends and stylishly arranging their own homes slowly progressed into a hobby that everyone, themselves included, saw great potential in. “We took ourselves seriously and enrolled for a certificate in interior decorating at Inscape Design School. After a gruelling year of juggling studies, work and trying to establish ourselves, we graduated and set up Blaque Pearl Lifestyle in 2014,” she shares, adding that their business is a fully integrated interior, decor and design company focused on providing clients with a bespoke service that marries the core facets of lifestyle into innovative and beautiful designs.

BEGINNER’S LUCK

The following year Sidumo entered SABC 3’s Win A Home Design Challenge, and surprisingly made it to the top three out of 14 contestants. “That was an unexpected ‘break’ into the interior design and decor industry,” she enthuses. “I literally received the call three days before the show was due to start shooting!” The competition, she says, came with a Top Billing feature and an opportunity to work on homes that had the last sea-facing views in the Umhlanga area — that was a major boost. “Working on a major construction site was a huge plus, and the project management experience was invaluable. It helped harness my skills,” she says.

Blaque Pearl Lifestyle’s business ethos is to capitalise on dynamic styles and to make interior design and decor services accessible across a wide income spectrum. “We believe these services shouldn’t only be accessible to those who belong to high-end income brackets,” Sidumo explains.

UNIQUE IS US

What makes the pair stand out in a sea of many other interior styling businesses, is that both partners come from financial backgrounds, which makes them budget-sensitive. “We always encourage our clients to up-cycle, repurpose or reupholster existing furniture pieces into modern designs before buying anything new. We are also big on unique furniture and art pieces, as well as weaving in new trends with classics to deliver on our client’s unique vision,” she says.

Recognising the need to offer diverse services, Blaque Pearl Lifestyle isn’t only limited to styling and decorating interior spaces – the company does events as well as project manage residential and commercial interiors projects.“Design, to us, is where form and function meet art. The purpose of our design and styling is to give our clients a new and bespoke experience of any residential or commercial property space,” Sidumo concludes.

“Passion alone cannot take you to the finishing line — it’s also about perseverance, determination and commitment to the vision. Do not take shortcuts because these will only provide you with short-term, instead of long-term, gains, which are more sustainable. Finally, ensure your strategy can withstand any stormy weather.” LOUISA MOJELA, FOUNDER, GROUP CEO AND CHAIRPERSON OF WIPHOLD

Closing the gender gap in both pay and representation by just 10% could deliver an additional 3,2% in GDP growth, and a 6,5% reduction in the number of unemployed job seekers. — STATISTICS SA AND WEF’S STRATEGY & ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC DATA CARRIED OUT BY PWC