Ballito Umhl - NOV 2020

After
Margaret Berichon
ceilings to our advantage and put in
beautiful floating shelves and high
cupboards.”
Working in an apartment of just
110m², the team had to find creative
and clever ways to use the space
they had. “It is not a big space, so we
had to find ways around different
things. One of the things we did was
to include a cupboard in the kitchen
for Iain’s inverter. We also added
sliding cupboard doors to hide the
appliances,” says Margaret.
The striking black Franke Kubus
range of sanware in the kitchen is
both contemporary and masculine
and gives a dramatic effect when
coupled with the unique solid wood
oak worktops. LED lights were added
underneath the floating shelves for
extra lighting, as they couldn’t put in
downlights with the high beams.
The once-stuffy bedroom and ensuite
bathroom was completely
redone and is now a contemporary
masterpiece, which would sit
comfortably in any brand new home
or estate.
After knocking out a small wall and
adding a steel eye beam, the team
managed to retain some of the
original brick wall. Margaret decided
to keep and paint it, bringing in
texture and keeping some of the
original feel.
The shower, bath, basin and toilet
were all gutted and replaced with
a stunning double-volume toilet
(complete with funky, striped
Before
wallpaper) and a fantastic, oversized shower with black sanware and towel rails.
The simple herringbone tile pattern in the shower finishes off this beautiful
bathroom feature.
The solid oak bathroom cabinets were custom-made and the old tiles
throughout the apartment chipped off and replaced with oak veneered flooring.
Shutters were used to block off the bedroom from the living area and the sliding
doors were replaced and new security shutters and a wooden deck put in to
finish off the patio, which has the most exquisite sea view overlooking Sheffield
Beach.
One of the best things about the revamp, Margaret says, is that they were able to
retain and use most of Iain’s old furniture. He brought a beautiful antique writing
table with him, which has pride of place underneath the flat screen television in
the lounge.
Margaret’s company doesn’t only do renovations. They also specialise in new
builds and their services include project management, full interior specifications,
kitchens, built-in-cupboards, cabinetry and bespoke furniture design.
“There are so many old apartments in the Salt Rock, Sheffield Beach and Ballito
areas and it really doesn’t take a massive amount of money or big changes to
update and modernize them,” says Margaret. “It’s amazing how far a new coat of
paint and maybe taking out one or two walls can go to change the whole look
and layout of an apartment!”
Details: www.bdesignstudio.co.za, margaret@bdesigndstudio.co.za, 082 716 6914
November 2020 Get It • Ballito Umhlanga 53