ZANELE KUMALO

From the four-roomed house in Kimberley that belonged to her grandparents to intimate concert spaces, ZANELE KUMALO sets out a case for small spaces with ‘‘big space energy’’.

The four-roomed house is ubiquitous in townships everywhere in South Africa. It is the home that my father’s father built in Galeshewe, Kimberley, which got added to from time to time during my childhood as the bathroom finally moved inside.When my age was still a single digit, holidays and visits there saw an overflowing house (our nuclear family would bring six extra bodies), which meant sleeping head to toe with umakhulu to economise on space. Compact living brought us closer together in more ways than one.

It also presented the sort of great storage solutions and practices that the Japanese have perfected. It used to amaze me how my aunt could quickly produce, say, a set of crockery I’d never seen before, or a ballroom-sized blanket, from unexpected corners, kists and those heavy freestanding wardrobes in the bedroom. I would have awarded her the perfect score for packing and arranging if it were a game of Tetris. Though space is one of the luxuries fewer and fewer of us are able to afford, even when it isn’t a choice, the small-space lifestyle has great advantages.

It is the discipline of owning only what you need, the intimacy of arms and hips brushing against your loved ones and favourite guests, and a sensitivity to the environment. It flirts with sustainability. In fact, it’s similar to what a musician does with the audience in a pocketsized bar. In general, I’d rather watch my favourite performer in a Tiny Desk concert setting than catch glimpses on screens at The Dome. (Tiny Desk features short music sets that literally take place behind someone’s workspace at the National Public Radio offices in Washington D.C.). That said, there is a time and a place for everything – and someone like a Beyoncé needs a stage and stadium of epic proportions so we can enjoy maximum Beyoncéness.

I won’t lie, my attention still gets arrested by the monumental scale of double-volume spaces, forest-like gardens and larger-than-life artworks. Some of the grand houses in Netflix’s World’s Most Extraordinary Homes make my heart race a little too. But clever design can give a small home Big Space Energy (my take on the notso-suitable-for-work BDE – please look it up for yourself if you don’t know). A ceiling-tofloor window that lets in lots of light is BSE. A well-placed mirror is BSE. Spring cleaning is BSE. A stoep or balcony is BSE. Ditching curtains is BSE.

Many black South Africans come from humble beginnings, which means sustainability and small-space living were a lived reality long before they became buzzwords – umleqwa were the organic chickens raised in the backyard; supporting local was a trip on foot to the more green-fingered neighbour who supplied imfino ‘‘spinach’’; costs were lower to heat and light a home. I love continuing the tradition in my own way.

It is the discipline of owning ONLY WHAT YOU NEED, the intimacy of ARMS AND HIPS brushing against your loved ones...

ZANELE started out as a newspaper sub-editor and reporter, and has worked as beauty editor, bureau chief, features editor and editor at top glossy magazines. She recently founded a content studio and digital platform, where she works as a writer, content creator, editor and project manager. In her spare time you’ll find her spinning tunes at private parties with her sister or planning their next travel escape. whatzandidnext.com