From drab to fab!

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Coastal destinations such as Ballito and Umhlanga on the KZN North Coast often have a number of older holiday apartments in desperate need of a revamp. This Sheffield Beach apartment went from drab and dingy to light, contemporary and super-stylish in just a few months.

‘One of the biggest misconceptions,’ says Ballito interior designer Margaret Berichon, ‘is that it’s hugely expensive to remodel an apartment. If done cleverly, it really doesn’t have to be. Hiring a professional will save you money in the end.’

Margaret, who has owned her own interior design company for more than 14 years, moved to Ballito from Durban four years ago. Her main focus is on residential properties, either new-build residences or renovations.

A NHBRC-registered builder, she is passionate about buildings and houses.

Margaret’s signature interior design style is light and simple. ‘I hate overcluttered spaces with big, heavy drapes on windows and dark colours. I love white kitchens and light, airy rooms, especially in coastal homes.’

She was very excited about tackling the revamp of this three-bedroom Sheffield Beach holiday apartment, which has been owned by two families for more than 20 years. ‘The owners wanted to update it, but weren’t really clear on their vision. Because they don’t live locally, I could be someone they trusted on site who could make decisions and act on their behalf.’

Her goal was to lighten and brighten the apartment, which meant knocking out some walls and plastering. ‘The owners pretty much gave me carte blanche on the project, which was lovely. We went for a white kitchen with white duco push-open, handleless cupboards and chamfered grooved drawers.  Most of the furniture was custom made, with a few new items from Weylandts and Sutherlands.’

When the project was complete, Margaret says the owners were so happy with the end result they decided to no longer rent the house out but instead, keep it for their personal use only!

Details: Margaret Berichon Design: bdesignstudio.co.za / [email protected] / 082-716-6914.

While some of the orginal furniture was kept, alot of newer items were bought after the revamp, including this beautiful Hertex rug.
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