Caxton magazines staffThis budget friendly renovation proves you don’t need to break the bank to give a home a stylish update
For Jo’burg-based interior decorator Jenna Penny and her fiancé Michael didn’t have the budget for a full-blown renovation so they intentionally looked for a house that they could improve with some clever, cost-effective ideas.
What appealed most about the house they bought in Jo’burg’s northern suburbs was its spacious living and dining area which features a pitched roof. The kitchen, however, posed a problem. It was separated from the open-plan living space by a bulky balustrade and an awkward low wall. Jenna decided to remove all of this and build two shallow steps to connect them.
Another issue was the tiles, specifically the way in which they had been laid. While some were placed on the diagonal, others sat side by side and the mix of patterns divided up the floor space making it feel much smaller than it really was. Jenna decided to lift them and replace them with screed.
Next all the doors and wood finishes were painted white. This completely transformed the kitchen changing it from heavy and traditional into fresh and contemporary. Striped wallpaper, which had been used to create feature walls in certain areas, was stripped and the whole house was painted pale grey which enhanced the feeling of spaciousness.
The patio was given just as much attention as the interior. To provide enough room for both sitting and dining they incorporated a dead space in front of the guest bedroom. A rough cement screed was installed directly on top of the dated patio tiles and the tiles surrounding the pool were replaced with handsome concrete slabs.
