The clocks have sprung forward, but while we wait for the season to officially change to summer, we visited interior design guru, Lezel Havenga for some tips on the latest trends and must do’s.
But first, we dug a little deeper into Lezel’s successful business.
“You can almost say that I was born with a passion for people, beautiful interiors and designs. Whilst working full time at my day job, I obtained
a diploma in interior decorating in 2002 and after four years of after hour’s studies, I came across a revolutionary product in 2011. I could see the benefits and positive impact it could make on people’s lives, which immediately awakened my entrepreneurial senses. The product was relatively unknown to the everyday person, and I saw it as my mission to bring what was available out there, home to my clients.”
She decided to leave her comfort zone and started her own business in 2011 as a sole proprietor under the name ‘eMalahleni PVC Ceilings’.
Lezel literally started up her company from their home garage, home-based office, the boot of her car, armed with a box of PVC ceilings samples, equipped with years of marketing and sales experience and bursting with bucket loads full of enthusiasm.
In September 2014, she opened her first shop, registered her company and changed the name to E Designs and Installations, as they are known today.
Her idea grew from a PVC ceiling warehouse to having an interior design shop, where she could offer her clients a variety of new and exciting products, to add value to their everyday lives.
“Through persistence and perseverance, we have outgrown our baby shoes, to a company of five permanent staff, and two contracting teams, with my dad heading up our installation team.”
Lezel immediately tells you she is blessed with a slight case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which means daily planning and time management is key to achieving her goals.
“I face the same challenges and frustrations that every career woman faces on a daily basis. I also strive to give equal attention to my spiritual life, physical wellbeing, my family and my business. My believe is that there is no such thing as perfect balance in life, it is humanly impossible, and women should stop torturing themselves daily trying to achieve a perfect balance.
My advice to myself is to take life one hour at a time, and focus to use the time that has been given to me each day to the best of my human ability.”
This mom of two very busy and gifted according to mom, teenage daughters, Hanneke (15) and Tiana (12) always see the glass half full.
Lezel and her soulmate, Johan is celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary this year.
Lezel is not a religious follower of trends, but more a believer in creating your own trends. She believes that your home and office should reflect your personality.
Lezel gave us the heads up on some latest trends for home décor.
What are the latest trends for home décor?
Trends are very much towards the natural, earthy looks. Products that are good for our environment, user-friendly and have longevity are on the a-list.
Some of our most popular products currently trending is our PVC Ceiling range in gloss white grooved, as well as our grey wood, brown wood, and silver pinstripe designs.
For our customers who like to ‘bling’, we have a range of white and silver designs guaranteed to draw your guests’ attention!
LED light fittings are also extremely popular, as it saves you money on the electricity bill, whilst creating a warm, inviting feeling at the same time attributing to our environment.
What colour palettes are we looking at for the coming season?
Lots of life and greens in any hue, from burnt orange to bright oranges, turquoise blues and shades of brown weaved in with hints of mustard yellow. Leopard prints, bamboos and wood. Greys and naturals used together with the clean white look.
Our waterproof PVC flooring in light grey, dark grey, natural and brown colour schemes creates a warm inviting home or office space. Our zebra roller blinds available in standard or custom made sizes and colours seem to attract the most attention in the browns, zebra print, and natural colour range.
Our environmentally friendly polyurethane wall cladding panels in rock face designs takes a front seat in versatility, easy to install, time-saving and cost-effectiveness.
Blinds or curtains
Blinds are the perfect replacement for the old fashioned netted curtains. Longevity, durability and the altogether modern and clean-cut look that it creates in any home or office space makes it a great choice. Our zebra roller blinds can be adjusted to let the sun in, or block the light out, adjusted to your every desire. If you choose, with little effort, blinds can be rolled up completely so that you may admire your beautiful garden and invite your garden into your home as a backdrop to your decor, which is also an ideal option for sliding doors. Our blinds are available in an insanely wide range of colour schemes. You can have your blinds custom made, or bought to standard sizes, and hanged in three easy do-it-yourself steps not needing any additional curtain rails to do so. It is cost-effective and stylish.
Another time-saving feature is that blinds are easy to clean, it can be dusted, vacuumed or wiped with a damp cloth right where it hangs, no need for strenuous removal washing and re-hooking.
Curtains can still be hanged or tucked behind a hold-back on either side of your blinds, to add to your decor of choice, but curtains do not need to be drawn close to close your window.
PVC ceilings is a must-have
“Oh, this is such an exciting product, packed with positives, where to start?”
100% Water proof (washable), mildew resistant (for damp areas), and no painting required.
This product goes hand in hand with versatility, style and cost effectiveness, coupled with the fact that it is an environmentally friendly, SABS tested product produced here in South Africa specifically for our climate.
“Because we produce our PVC ceilings and PVC wall panels locally, we can have your PVC ceiling panels custom cut to the lengths you require (full lengths), which creates a solid ceiling look when installed, without any joints for up to 13m lengths if required.”
Where previously impossible, our PVC flooring with their matching colour PVC skirting and joints, now make it possible for you to install our revolutionary flooring in kitchens and bathrooms as well. With its waterproof feature, it will not soak up, contract and expand like regular wooden flooring, but you will still have the “wood look” you want to achieve.
If you want more information about PVC products, contact Lezel and her team on 013 692 3494 or 082 899 4672.
