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Last year’s Tjhoko Champs competition, presented in partnership with Tjhoko Paint, produced a bountiful crop of inspiring chalk paint projects! But the story of the wedding dress that Monica Westermeyer created for her daughter with Tjhoko Paint really tugged at my heartstrings. Not just because the dress is so beautiful but also because the story behind the dress and how it came about that this clever mom had to think ‘outside the paint tin’ to make her child’s dream wedding a reality is so touching. That’s how you make a plan and get the job done! Give me 10 stories like that any day, rather than reports on municipal decay, Eskom, blah, blah… I read the other day about “news fatigue” – that sometimes you just need to take a break from too…

Game on! The striking games cupboard in the foyer of Adél Visser’s Franschhoek home used to be a bedroom wardrobe. “I’ve had this cupboard for years and painted it myself with a dark grey over a white undercoat to highlight the grooves in the doors. I then gave it a wax finish to create a French-style patina,” explains Adél. “We just grab our golf clubs, tennis rackets or fly-fishing rods when dashing out the front door.” The front door (opposite), an old reclamation yard find, used to be a fire station door; it was remodelled into two doors by a family friend. Adél painted them with the same technique as was used on the wardrobe – and the double dose of grey as you arrive at her home is very inviting. “I can’t…

DIYers rarely let an opportunity to get creative pass them by, and chalk paint enthusiasts are no exception – especially when it comes to versatile Tjhoko Paint. In no time at all, they can transform just about anything – from wood to metal and glass! But painting a wedding dress is an entirely different story, one would think… Not, however, if your name is Monica Westermeyer. This mom-of-three from Vryheid in northern KwaZulu-Natal simply rolled up her sleeves and made a plan (see page 16) when her daughter hit a major obstacle in the search for her dream wedding dress. Kirsten (25) was over the moon when she found the perfect dress on a website last year, a month after her engagement to Anton Mock. That’s the one, she thought when she saw…

WHO LIVES HERE? KP and Petro Steenkamp with their kids KP Jnr (20) and Lente-Edeni (16) WHERE Middelburg, Mpumalanga A golden-yellow front door welcomes guests to Petro and KP’s house just outside Middelburg. There’s no sign of the previous dark grey French doors; in fact, this house looks completely different to what we featured in Home’s April 2016 issue. It speaks of Petro’s outlook on life – always changing and renewing. “I love colour,” she says. “Yellow brings a playful twist that cheers me up, but I also like black, green and blue. Black evokes a somewhat dramatic yet calm feel. For me, green means personal growth, while blue enhances peace and tranquillity.” Elements of all four colours can be seen throughout this busy house. Bold and elegant The style of the living room was once “neo-romantic”…

WHO LIVES HERE? Agne and Justin Smith with their kids Maya (10) and Matt (13) WHERE Richmond Hill, Gqeberha SIZE 144m2 Agne Smith calls the property she and her husband Justin bought in 2016 a “project house”. “The kitchen was old, the bathroom was old… There was and still is lots to do as the house had never been renovated. It’s an ongoing project.” The couple fell in love with the home’s Victorian architecture and high ceilings. “Our intention wasn’t to change the entire house but rather to enhance its Victorian beauty,” explains Agne. “We wanted to modernise it and make it liveable for our family without detracting from its character.” The Smiths lived in the house for six months without making any alterations. During that time, they moved and changed rooms around just to get…

WHO LIVES HERE? Karla and Brian Weldrick WHERE Thornhill, Eastern Cape When she joined a Tjhoko Paint group a few years ago, Eastern Cape farmer’s wife Karla Weldrick secretly dreamed of one day walking away with the title of “Tjhoko Champ”. Just the thought of the crown was enough to motivate her to enter her kitchen project in the competition, presented by Tjhoko Paint and Home, which has captured the imagination of chalk paint enthusiasts year after year. However, no one was more surprised than Karla when “Mama Tjhoko”, chalk paint guru Nadine Vosloo, called her with the exciting news that she was the 2022 winner. “I was speechless and at first thought that I was dreaming. Then I burst into tears. I had to ask Nadine again if I had heard correctly,” says an…