Wallpaper is what makes the largest design impact in this Durban North home. Interior designer Jocelyn Jones used vibrant coloured and printed wallpaper throughout; to inject personality without compromising on the free-flowing design of the home.
A glass-encased double volume entrance hall has a feature wall covered in wallpaper that sets the tone and colour palette for the rest of the downstairs living space.
Wooden floors lead to a living room, dining room – and although open plan – tucked-away kitchen. Behind a sliding door is a TV room.
The most interesting spaces are the functional ones. The TV, for instance, is wall mounted with all the cords for gadgets cleverly hidden behind a dry wall. The TV cabinet has a built-in gas fireplace.
There is a second streamlined fireplace in the living room which has been custom built into what is essentially wall space. The principle of clean lines applies throughout this home.
There are few items of furnishing, but those selected are all aesthetically pleasing while practical. The rippled metal coffee table in this room mimics the water in the pool outside, a view framed by large glass windows.
White wallpaper, with one distinct image, is used on a white wall to transition from one space to the next, as the image introduces a new accent colour.
The dining room suite is upholstered and the dark colour adds a touch of formality to the space, despite it being in a casual open-plan set-up.
Upstairs are the family bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom.
Doors, which tend to create narrow pathways, have been avoided as far as possible. In the master bedroom, for instance, is an open plan his-and-her bathroom, transitioned only by change in flooring.
Cupboards are masked by large, wallpaper-covered sliding doors framed in glass. These are behind a freestanding wall that the bed is up against. A custom-made shoe cabinet at the foot of the bed also houses a TV set, which may be summoned at the touch of a button.
One floor up is an entertainment area with a glass sliding roof – clearly the “in thing” among Durban home owners at the moment.
There is plenty to take away from this home, but above all it is the potential decorating offers to create tidy but functional spaces. - The Mercury