Each time life knocked her down, design stylist Teresa le Grange simply got back up and fought harder. From hitting rock bottom to a close brush with death, she refused to let this keep her from achieving her goals. And gosh … is she thriving!
Teresa le Grange has always had an eye for tasteful décor – frequently rearranging the furniture in her childhood home and later upcycling the hand-me-downs she and her husband received as newlyweds.
“Our family soon realised that I had a love for decor and asked me to decorate their homes. My confidence grew and I started to invest in ‘fixer upper’ properties. I soon found a great love for the restoration of older, character-filled homes.
“This eventually led to more and more decorating opportunities and before I knew it, doors opened for me to embark on even bigger projects. The result? The birth of Coast to Country Interior Design.”
By now, Teresa was consuming decor for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When she wasn’t attending an interior decorating course, she could be found engulfed in books and magazines about the craft. Little did she know that her life would take a turn for the worse a few years down the line.
Due to a series of unfortunate events, her husband lost his business … and everything it supported. They eventually found themselves in a low-cost motel room with only a bed, chair and small ensuite bathroom.
It was, obviously, a dark time in their lives, and although Teresa almost gave up on decorating, she kept on posting work she did for clients on her Coast to Country Facebook page. Then one day she received a life-changing phone call. A couple wanted her to decorate their entire home.
Needless to say, she grabbed the opportunity with both hands … this was going to be the start of a promising new chapter. However, as life was returning to normal again, Teresa experienced a horrifyingly close call with death.
“I was staying over at a friend’s house and was cooking a meal in her newly upgraded kitchen. While enjoying the lovely aromas of the food I was preparing, gas was leaking from a faulty valve and filling the house. The next thing I knew – the gas stove exploded in my face.”
Teresa not only sustained second- and third-degree burns, she also lost her sight. While doctors predicted the worst for Teresa, she proved them wrong and made a complete recovery within two weeks of the explosion.
“They took X-rays and scans and were completely stunned that no trace of soot or burn injuries could be found in my airway. Yes, my hair was singed, face burnt and my head was covered in soot, but I regained full use of my eyes within just three days! An absolute miracle.”
These life-altering events just made Teresa appreciate life, and the opportunities she receives, so much more. Since then, she’s been pouring her heart and soul into Coast to Country adding that she will ‘always love the way this beautiful career touches and changes people’s lives for the better’.
Over the years her farm and coastal style decor has become somewhat of a trademark as the name suggests and can be found in homes and guest houses across the country, as well as in Botswana.
“To upcycle and incorporate a client’s existing furniture into a decor scheme will probably always be the perfect canvas for me and what inspires me most. Every piece of furniture has its own character and older pieces all tell their own story.
“Incorporating these pieces into a more upgraded, modern setting gets my creativity going. For me it’s about using them to bring new life into a room. I work with these pieces to create good flow and to add interest in a home.”
Apart from the basic interior decorating, Coast to Country also offers its own decorative paint techniques, rugs, custom-made curtains, blinds and upholstery. For Teresa these are the key elements for a successful and sophisticated decor scheme.
It’s all about making a house a home, right? That’s why she will always strive to create flow, functionality and comfort for a peaceful home atmosphere.
“The most satisfying part of being a decorator is when a client phones after the completion of a project to tell me how they love spending all their time at home and how they don’t even want to leave their living space anymore.”
It’s no secret that this devoted designer has proven time and time again that with a little faith and determination, it is possible to bounce back from any setback life might throw at you – and still flourish.
The 2023 Pantone colour, Viva Magenta, a hot-pink hue is a bold and vibrant shade that will turn heads. Teresa suggests a few ways you can make your home pop with this vibrant colour:
• Use it on an accent wall.
• Deck you floor with a rich Viva Magenta rug.
• Decorate your couch or bed with Viva Magenta scatter cushions.
• Upholster the occasional chair with the colour.
• Go bold by using the colour as curtains to highlight windows.
• Hang kitchen and bathroom towels out in this colour.
• Incorporate more of this colour in smaller decorative items to create interest.
Limited space? Here’s how you can make any small space appear bigger:
• Use only splashes of a strong colour.
• Light and bright wall colours reflect light. Try to avoid dark shades as it tends to absorb light, making rooms feel smaller.
• Accent walls are a great way to make a room feel larger.
• Any form of light is always a good idea, so you might want to invest in good lighting.
• Remove the clutter. Less is still more.
• Don’t group a collection of small images on your walls. Rather opt for one big piece.
• Focal points in a room can also help. In the bedroom for instance, make the bed the focal point. Arrange the furniture, bed and bedroom linen in such a way that the eye will be drawn to the bed. Keep the rest of the furniture and decor in the room to a minimum.
Easy home decor hacks to save you money:
• Always work from the floor up. If your budget doesn’t allow for the floors to be changed then look at the colours of your existing floors and then pull those shades out into the room. Also paint the walls a colour that will complement the floor.
• Reuse and repurpose your furniture and goods.
• Use paint to upcycle your furniture.
• Grow your own plants from stems and incorporate easy growing greenery into your home.
• Visit shops that offer good deals on furniture and find bargains on Facebook Marketplace.
• Do proper colour planning before you start your project by using tester pots to create your perfect colour scheme and build on a budget friendly interior from there.
Details: Follow Coast to Country Interior Design on Facebook and Insta.
Text: ALANICKA LOTRIET. • Photographer: JACO BOTHMA. • Make-up & hair: ANTOINETTE DE BEER. • Venue: ANA-PAULA’S COFFEE SHOP. • Earrings: MADELAINE CLOTHING
