Décor Tag

“Lovilee” Children’s Room Inspiration

From night-time nappy changes to starting school, children’s needs change almost as quickly as they do. Having a children’s room that meets their and your needs as they grow can seem like a never-ending project. We chatted to award-winning blogger and mom, Karen Kelly (The Lovilee Blog) to get her tips and insider info for beautifully designed, functional children’s room decor.   (more…)

Launched: 2021 Johannesburg HOMEMAKERS Fair

What was, no longer is. How we live has changed. Home is not just where we live but where we celebrate, relax, rejuvenate, learn, teach, work, workout and so much more. What we treasure are the experiences and memories we make with those in it. Home evolved and we need to do the same. After 28 years, Homemakers Expo, SA’s premier home improvement and lifestyle show, makes way for HOMAKERS Fair, which is so much more than just an expo.  (more…)

Easy Ways to Update your Home

A few minor changes here and there can make a stark difference in the overall look and feel of your home. Here’s a look at a few simple tips to update your home and give it fresh, new energy.   

Swap Light Fittings and Artworks Around  

Having a look at your light fittings and where you can change things around is a good start to a mini, no-spend makeover around the house. You may have a beautiful chandelier in your dining room which can be moved into your bedroom. Again, your lampshades are also a quick fix when changing things up. Many home decorating stores sell lampshades that can easily replace your outdated ones. Make sure you buy the correct size so that it fits your lamp perfectly.  

Artworks can also be swapped around easily. A large painting above your bed may be better suited above your fireplace now. Bathroom art is very popular too and maybe all your bathroom needs is that lithograph you stored away years ago.

 A Fresh Coat of Paint  

Be creative when it comes to painting. Painting a fresh coat over bricks is very popular at the moment. We love the look in white and other muted pastels. This is a great idea if you want to lighten up or modernise a space.   

Not up for a big paint job? Focus on one wall in a room and give it a fresh coat of paint. Accent walls are still a thing and remain popular because of their flexibility. Don’t be afraid to experiment with bold colours and textures when it comes to an accent wall. Remember, the point of an accent or focus wall is to compliment the space around it.  It should ideally pick up the colours used in the rest of a room’s furniture or accessories. 

Rearrange Shelves  

Rearranging your shelves is always a good idea. We often forget about our shelves and the great books hiding in them. Gather your pretty things and favourite books and make your shelf as interesting as you are. Get creative with the way you stack your books and objects. Create a few interesting shelves with beautiful pottery or sculptures. You can even use your shelf to display small framed artworks.

Need to update your home? Find an expert on HOMEMAKERS.

Insider Tips for a Cosy Winter Home

The South African winter may not be the coldest when compared to the rest of the world but most of us can agree that the icy winds, crisp, dry air and rain in some parts of the country are cold enough to warrant a few changes to cosy up your home.

We asked interior designer, writer and editor of SA Decor and Design, Marcia Margolius, award-winning lifestyle blogger, Karen Kelly (Lovilee Blog), Interior Designer and winner of the Johannesburg HOMEMAKERS Expo Designer Spaces Challenge 2020 winner, Lindiwe Ludonga (Blooming Oaks Inc.) and Deputy Editor of Visi magazine, Annemarie Meintjes to share how they are getting their homes ready for winter. (more…)

DIY with Elle: Mother’s Day 3-D DIY Flower Artwork

Nothing beats a homemade gift on Mother’s day! It used to be a tradition to make your gift from scratch and now that the shops may be off-limits, this great DIY flower artwork is just perfect! Elle Franco from DIY with Elle shows us how to make a fun Mother’s Day gift. (more…)

Re-Imagine Your Home

International research has shown, pre-COVID-19, that consumers are spending more money on their home than fashion.  Our prediction is that this trend will increase, in months and years to come.

Social distancing and lockdown have afforded us the time to rethink and reimagine our homes.  We have counted our blessings and noticed the shortcomings. We’ve also realised that our relationship with our homes has changed forever.

Homes are no longer a place where you go when you have nothing to do, it has now become a dynamic social space where stuff happens. While we wait for equilibrium to return, we will work, live and entertain from our homes.  And all of this will happen on a budget. 

Accept What you Can’t and Do What you Can

Not all projects are equal, some take budget and planning while others imagination and elbow grease. So draw up your to-do lists and set some long, medium and short term goals.

Tips to Get you Started:

Declutter and Clean

Use the three boxes system; box 1= keep, box 2= donate, box 3 = throw it away.

Electronically scan personal records and kids artwork.  Save it on a hard drive and in your cloud storing app and then throw it in the recycling bin.  

Be ruthless.  Here is a tip that really works; make sure you drive away the donate and throw away boxes the same day you declutter.  The longer it sits in your garage the higher the risk that you will contract de-clutter remorse and those items will slowly find their way back into your house.

Make it Smell Great

Once you’ve eliminated bad odours introduce new smells. Give your home a great scent.  There are various ways of doing this, from fragrances furniture oils to electrical or reed diffusers or scented candles.  Never underestimate the sense of smell in creating your sanctuary.

Layout

Once decluttered, relook each room’s layout. Make sure it is easy to navigate, move furniture so you don’t have to crisscross to get to the other side of the room, create pathways ensure the positive flow of energy.  

It’s well worth it to research décor design principles of the Danish ‘Hygge’ (pronounced hoo-gah), the Chinese ‘Feng Shui’, or the Swedish ‘Lagom’ (Lar-gohm). 

These principles deal with cosiness, harmony, and balance in the home and offer great guides to style your home in a way that will put you in a good mood.

Purpose

As part of the declutter process, make sure that you use rooms for its original purpose. Bedrooms for sleeping, a dining room for eating and living rooms for relaxing or watching TV.  Not only are these good habits but by setting these boundaries you immediately fool your brain into what it is supposed to do when in that room.

80/20 rule 

When redesigning your home, remember the golden 80/20 rule:  80 per cent classic and 20 per cent trend. It makes it easier to introduce seasonal changes and also more affordable, as you only have to change 20% of your décor to stay trendy.

Walls

Paint is still the most cost-effective and fastest way to transform any space.  We all know that different colours are linked to different emotions, so keep this in mind when choosing colours especially for bedrooms and living rooms.

Most importantly go with a colour that makes you happy!

Another new trend is the use of 3D wall covering. With immediate dazzling effects, you can transform a boring wall into a multi-dimensional focal point.

Wallpaper has made a huge comeback and can instantly transform a room from the mundane to exquisite.  Today it is easier to apply and remove and it is not as permanent as it used to be in the past.

With digital advances you can personalise your wallpaper, creating your own masterpieces, unique to you.

And don’t forget about the fifth wall -the ceiling.  Applying paint or wallpaper on a ceiling will turn any ordinary room into something extraordinary.

Tip:  Looking for some free images you can use in your home as either paintings or wallpaper?  Visit Unsplash for fantastic free images.

Maybe you enjoy the old masters and classics. Then join Rijksmuseum’s Rijksstudio, where they allow you to download these famous works of art in large format.  Print these on canvas or as wallpaper. 

Your Happy Place

One of the biggest elements to remember when reimagining your home is you!  Always keep in mind that you are creating a place for YOU and your family! And don’t forget to have some serious FUN while you make your home dreams come true.

Get inspired with HOMEMAKERS.

This article has been interpreted into South African Sign Language below:

Stylish Fireplaces

Nothing beats a fireplace in the winter. Its iconic look and feel will never tire any homeowner. Today fireplaces are more versatile than ever before offering people a wide variety of choices in look, form and function. In this article, we discover new trends with fireplaces as well as what needs to be taken into consideration when choosing the right one for your home and budget. 

Wall Art

We are seeing stunning fireplaces built into walls that speak to the space around it. Designs are created to fuse with the architectural aspects of the house making it blend cleverly. Linear fireplaces are edgy with clean lines. Some are opulently surrounded by solid marble walls. We love the contemporary look, as these styles bring the hearth flush with the exteriors giving it a super slick look.

Big fireplace walls are also becoming more popular in spacious homes. This style can take a floor to ceiling approach, where the fireplace takes up the entire expanse of the wall. They are built into the wall and make a pretty bold statement. 

Another stylish fireplace look is going for a corner installation. The great thing about a corner piece is that it can easily separate two rooms or be incorporated into the wall. Corner fireplaces work best with open floor plans. 

These types of fireplaces work well in large areas that need a large fireplace to get heated up. Although gas instalments work best for linear and corner pieces, fireplace walls, on the other hand, will welcome traditional wood-burning fires. 

Choose Your Fire

If a fireplace is on your revamp additions list, you will have to make decisions about the heating functionality of your fireplace. There are a few popular ways to heat your fireplace. Traditional heating is an obvious one. Using wood to burn a traditional fireplace can be hard work as you need to feed the flame continuously and you need to know what you are doing so as to not smoke up your home.

Gas fireplaces are very common and convenient. They provide radiant heat and come in many shapes and sizes giving you many options. Electric fireplaces usually come assembled. They’re typically on the smaller side, making them an excellent choice for smaller rooms. 

If you are going with a traditional wood-burning fireplace, you will also need to decide what construction to go with. Brick fireplace designs are probably the most common choice for wood-burning installations because brick does not show smoke stains. Stone fireplaces come in limestone, marble, slate or ceramic tile.

Decorate The Space

Decorating the room where your fireplace is will need to take careful consideration. Compliment the space by incorporating faux furs, chunky knits and textured materials to bring the room together. Bookshelves and bookcases always work well in a room with a fireplace. Don’t limit your bookshelf to books. Add your favourite magazine issues from the past and it will be something cool to talk about when you have guests around too. If your fireplace has a mantlepiece you will have to decide how you style that too. Try interesting vases, large mirrors, artworks and large plant foliage to decorate your mantelpiece. Photos of your favourite people to cosy up the space are always a great addition.

Ready for a fireplace? Contact a supplier on HOMEMAKERS now. 

Five Furniture Pieces to Last you a Lifetime

by Marion Nowak

If you are going to invest in furniture, it is probably a good idea to think about it carefully. There are a few items that you will purchase in your life that will last you many, many years. We look at a few signature furniture pieces that if taken care of, could last you an entire lifetime.

The great thing about these classic pieces is that they will usually fit with every revamp your home goes through. These pieces of furniture are timeless and putting some dough down for them is probably a good idea.

The Compact Leather Couch

A sturdy and comfortable leather couch is always a good investment. A couch is an important part of your home and a place where you spend a lot of time. Choose a well-crafted couch that will age well with your home. Your couch will move from place to place in your home and will be loved by many over the years. You can expect a good leather couch to last between 15 and 20 years.

Well-Built Dining Table

Your dining table will be so much more than a place to eat. It will become a place where you read your morning news and enjoy your first cuppa. Your kids will do their homework on it eventually and occasionally you will host dinner parties on it too. The great thing is that when you upgrade to a bigger table or dining room set, your old table will easily become a study or work table. Make sure the table you choose is well made and sturdy. A good table can easily last you 25 years.

A Headboard for Life

A headboard is another piece of furniture that is made to last a very long time. We love extended headboards, as they can pull any room together. You can also have it reupholstered at some stage and keep its original shape for a quick revamp. Padded headboards are the best choice, especially if you love spending time in bed reading and working. Choose a headboard that is one or two sizes bigger than your bed so that you give it space to grow with your larger beds in the future. The extended look is also stylish and gives your room a real hotel suite finish.

Twin Chairs

A great set of chairs is a quirky addition to your home that will add your special aesthetic throughout it. Go for a set of chairs that speak to who you are. They may be loud and textured or slick and contemporary – whichever you choose, make sure they are a statement piece that will go along with you for many years.

A Persian Carpet

These beauts are one-of-kind and always a good investment. What may sit under your dining room table today, may be in your bedroom in five years or in your kitchen in 15 years. They are versatile and have the ability to flow with any redecorating projects you may have over the years.

Choose your furniture wisely and they will last you a lifetime.

What Will Home Look Like Post Covid-19?

A few years ago the world-renowned trend guru Li Edelkoord identified the cocooning trend. She said that as a collective, humans are turning inwards, using our home to rejuvenate and energize, to be better people.  It was identified as a macro trend, here to stay and not likely to change any time soon.

This was pre-Covid-19. Roll on 2020 and what was a theory becomes our reality.  Even more so than how any trend guru could have imagined. We all know that things will never be the same again. This international crisis forced us to, very quickly, do things differently.  It highlighted our flaws and also showed us how wonderfully adaptive we are.

One of the big changes will definitely be how we look at physical offices and how we work.  We have now seen that so many of us can work very effectively from home. In fact, with the right discipline, we are even more productive than in a formal office setting.  

How will this affect our homes?

The temporary offices we created will become permanent.  There will be an evolution of the home, where the homes of the future will be sold on the strength of the wifi or fibre in the area and functionality of its home offices.  

We will see more functional furniture, transforming small living spaces from day time office to nighttime living room. Furniture and appliances will not only have to be beautiful and functional but of high quality. We will buy with our heads from a very tight purse.

Homeowners will become far more critical of home services and suppliers as more hours are spent at home.  Suppliers will be judged severely on the quality of their work and the level of their service.   

How will this change who we are?

We will live more holistic lives when the lines between work and home blur.  This is something that will be easier for younger people and those of us who were born pre 80’s will have to do a bit more adapting.

We are going to see a new definition of being professional. People will be more forgiving when you are on a Zoom call and your toddlers run past the camera in the background. We will have to work harder on our relationships, building bonds with colleagues, friends and family.

But if there is one thing this crisis did point out, it is the value of family and social interaction and how home will always be at the centre of our lives.

Simple DIY with Elle Upcycle: Cutlery Holder

Do you want to use the time during lockdown to add a personal touch to your home? We asked DIY queen, Elle Franco (DIY with Elle) to share one of her projects. (more…)