{"id":13380,"date":"2022-07-28T09:30:53","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T07:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=32315"},"modified":"2022-07-28T09:55:12","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T07:55:12","slug":"a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg\/","title":{"rendered":"A colourful home renovation in Johannesburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Christianne Raymer\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 28 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The garden surrounding artist Mariette Theron\u2019s house in the Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold is filled with the same vibrant colours and contrasting textures that is such a key part of the home she shares with her husband Peter.<\/p>\n

\u2018I garden like I decorate my house. I move things around all the time,\u2019 she says, explaining that she likes to plant strawberries, beans and heads of lettuce in pots that can be set within the garden\u2019s herbaceous drifts, and moved about as she wishes, just as she might switch a painting, a chair or a table from one room to another.<\/p>\n

In fact, it was the generous garden, with its mature trees, that convinced the couple to buy their house over 20 years ago, although the house itself was just as impressive. Built in the 1930s, it has a Cape Dutch gable and a shady colonnaded porch, as well as lots of wonderful period details inside, including tall arched windows, original doorways and floors.<\/p>\n

There was little work to be done, says Mariette, adding that it had \u2018a really good feeling about it\u2019: ideal for a couple with a growing family; their eldest daughter, Pascale, was a toddler at the time and Mariette was pregnant with their second daughter, Andrea. Their youngest daughter, Georgia, was born a few years later, by which time the couple had put their stamp on the house.<\/p>\n

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They furnished the rooms with an exuberant mix of antique and vintage furniture<\/a>, alongside contemporary pieces by local South African designers and, here and there, a few classics of 20th-century design. Similarly, the walls are hung with an intriguing selection of works: pieces by South Africa\u2019s most sought-after contemporary artists hang amongst pictures made by the Theron girls when they were children, and works by emerging artists. Being a painter herself, Mariette is a strong believer in the importance of supporting little-known artists.<\/p>\n

As with all the best eclectic homes, almost everything in Mariette and Peter\u2019s house has a story to tell. The kitchen island, for example, was fashioned from an old drawing office filing cabinet, which the couple bought when a large Johannesburg mining house closed their head office.<\/p>\n

\""Bureaux_House_Theron_1\"<\/picture><\/div>
Extended as part of the recent alterations, the stoep now wraps around the house like an apron, creating a smooth, unimpeded walkway.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_11\"<\/picture><\/div>
The covered patio or stoep, furnished with wicker chairs and vintage Morris-style chairs, looks out over the garden.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_10\"<\/picture><\/div>
The handmade clay tiles are from Swellendam near Cape Town, intricately laid out in a herringbone pattern.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_18\"<\/picture><\/div>
Homeowner Mariette Theron in her kitchen.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_29\"<\/picture><\/div>
A view into the sitting room from the hallway.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_22\"<\/picture><\/div>
The giant Burmese teak dining room table came from an old mining house. It is surrounded by Gregor Jenkin Quaker chairs. The Zettel\u2019z 5 pendant light by German designer Ingo Maurer is hung with a changing collection of postcards and quotations, currently from Nelson Mandela.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_25\"<\/picture><\/div>
An ornate table in the corner of the dining room hang artworks by Brett Murray, David Koloane and Faith 47.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_14\"<\/picture><\/div>
In the entrance hall, an artwork by Deborah Bell hangs above a quirky 2 Old Chairs Bench by Cape Town-based designer Lyall Sprong.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_21\"<\/picture><\/div>
The kitchen island is a drawing register and counter from an old mining company;<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u2018They said we could have it for R150, provided we collected it,\u2019 recalls Mariette. It was on the tenth floor of a downtown building, and wouldn\u2019t fit into the lift. Elsewhere there is a trunk that had to be lugged from Folkestone to Dover by bus, when the couple were living there whilst Peter was working on the Channel Tunnel. But when the bus arrived the trunk was too big!\n

But the real beauty of this home lies in Mariette\u2019s eye for colour and the way in which she combines seemingly disparate design details to create unity. This is achieved through her love of constantly shifting and adapting arrangements, casting the old in a new light and synthesizing recent additions with the couple\u2019s existing possessions.<\/p>\n

But sometimes small-scale rearranging is not enough and, a few years ago, the couple decided it was time to rethink the flow of the house, particularly the way it connected to the garden that surrounds it. They turned to their friend, Johann Slee, a well-known architect in South Africa, and commissioned him to carry out a subtle and respectful renovation.<\/p>\n

\u2018He\u2019s a good friend,\u2019 says Mariette, \u2018and he\u2019s known the house ever since we moved in.\u2019 Like them, he was determined to preserve the mood and character of the property. To this end he cleverly reconfigured the interior within its original footprint, without altering the fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n

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Rooms were opened up and the patio, known as a stoep, was extended and relaid with slim, handmade bricks, called klompies. These traditional bricks were also used in the kitchen and dining room, creating a seamless connection with the garden.<\/p>\n

The walls of the newly transformed house were painted white throughout, creating a unifying backdrop, against which the couple\u2019s eclectic mix of art and antiques continues to take centre stage. While their house is anything but minimalist, it feels fresh and uncluttered.<\/p>\n

Mariette and Peter\u2019s thoughtful approach means that everything has found its place \u2013 art and antiques have been combined with harmony and balance in mind. But that doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t all be moved again tomorrow: a creative eye will find countless new combinations.<\/p>\n

Mariette refers to both the renovation and her constant desire to rearrange her furniture and collections as \u2018moving but not moving\u2019. By which she means that she regularly enjoys the thrill of a new home without the pain of having to up sticks and move house.<\/p>\n

\""Bureaux_House_Theron_42\"<\/picture><\/div>
Mariette says that her favourite room in the house is the sun room. It\u2019s perfectly positioned so that you can lie on the daybed and feel part of the house yet peacefully alone there. The chair is a Slow Chair by the Bouroullec brothers for Vitra. <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_31\"<\/picture><\/div>
The sitting room is the hub of the home, and where Mariette\u2019s magnificent colour combinations are shown off at their best. The furniture is a mix of design across the ages, from the Victorian sofa to the Art Deco armchairs.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_37\"<\/picture><\/div>
The two green Frank Armchairs are from Tonic Design, a local South African design studio <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_39\"<\/picture><\/div>
Mariette\u2019s magnificent colour combinations are shown off throughout the house.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_48\"<\/picture><\/div>
At the bottom of the stairs a little blue table is home to an arrangement of bonsai pin-oak trees, an arborial representation of the family.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_50\"<\/picture><\/div>
The hand-knitted bedspread in the main bedroom echoes the patchwork of bright colours in Georgia\u2019s painting that hangs above the fireplace downstairs. As in the rest of the house, antique wardrobes are combined with Tizio lamps by Richard Sapper for Artemide, demonstrating Mariette\u2019s effortless way of mixing old and new.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_51\"<\/picture><\/div>
The magnificent magnolia in a vase is from the garden and the painting is by South African artist Kerri Evans.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_55\"<\/picture><\/div>
The balcony beyond the master bedroom has been converted into an open-plan bathroom, with huge windows looking out over the trees.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Bureaux_House_Theron_58\"<\/picture><\/div>
Pascale\u2019s bedroom reveals a similar eclecticism to that of her parents. Furniture includes a Victorian four-poster bed and a Garland lampshade by Dutch designer Tord Boontje.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n
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By Christianne Raymer Published: Thursday, 28 July 2022 at 12:00 am The garden surrounding artist Mariette Theron\u2019s house in the Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold is filled with the same vibrant colours and contrasting textures that is such a key part of the home she shares with her husband Peter. \u2018I garden like I decorate my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":13381,"template":"","categories":[1,41],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"7"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg.jpg",1600,1043,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg-300x196.jpg",300,196,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg-768x501.jpg",768,501,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg-1024x668.jpg",800,522,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg-1536x1001.jpg",1536,1001,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-colourful-home-renovation-in-johannesburg.jpg",1600,1043,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Christianne Raymer Published: Thursday, 28 July 2022 at 12:00 am The garden surrounding artist Mariette Theron\u2019s house in the Johannesburg suburb of Saxonwold is filled with the same vibrant colours and contrasting textures that is such a key part of the home she shares with her husband Peter. \u2018I garden like I decorate my…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/13380"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}