Turning this negative phrase on its head, quirky, fun, and with a nothing-is-impossible attitude, interior decorating and wall art specialist Marilize Jacobs proves that once you set your mind to something, nothing is impossible.
You always need a job and a hobby. That whole work-life balance is real. But what happens when your hobby takes over? Well … pigs fly!
With a career in marketing for various blue-chip companies, and her own PR Consultancy under her creative belt, Marilize Jacobs decided to wave goodbye to the corporate world and follow her hobby dreams … interior design. A big, brave, daunting step. But there’s nothing, she thinks, you can’t do, if you just take that first step. It helps, she thinks, to have supportive, positive people behind you. If it weren’t for friends nudging her on to take her interest in interior decorating further, she might have never done it.
“But the seed was planted. Then more seeds joined. And I knew I had to water my dream. I had massive fun studying interior design. Every single project and client is different. I loved how I can combine my background in PR with interior decorating through ‘story telling’. Each room has to have its own story as to why it will be decorated the way it is.”
Then, during a trip to France, Marilize discovered something that would become a huge part of her business. Wall art.
“While randomly paging through a magazine, I saw the most gorgeous wall art, created by patterned rollers. This technique was established after World War II, when people wanted to make their homes look nice, but times were dire, and many couldn’t afford traditional wallpaper. Back in SA, I did a lot of research, traced the developer and as they say, the rest is Pigs Can Fly Interiors history. I buy all my equipment from the inventor’s grandson in France, but I must admit, when I received my rollers, with no manual, a million less-than-positive thoughts went through my mind. In those days there wasn’t Skype, Zoom or Teams, so I had to figure it out myself.”
Figure it out she did, and she did all the work herself, too. But when pregnant with twins, she realised she needed help. And she turned to her gardener. “Yenzani Tshuma had been working as my gardener for 15 years. I noticed his talent and dedication to the garden and so thought I’d ask him if he’d like to be trained in the pattern painting technique. Needless to say, he aced it.
The pair now offer this cost-effective and durable option to traditional wallpaper. It’s a great way to spruce up your home without spending a fortune. “When you hear the word interior decorator, most people tend to think it is a luxury service only for those with money. Loads of it. But you really don’t need to sell a kidney! With the wall art being so affordable, you really don’t need to spend too much to make a huge difference to your home.”
About her own home, Marilize, who also offers remote consultations for those looking for interior decorating help, laughs. “You’ve ever heard, the shoemaker’s son who always goes barefoot? That’s me. Haha. I do not have any definite style in my home. I decorate with things I love and which create visual interest. My best buy ever is a vinyl record player at Musica years ago. Crosley, red, on legs. Always an immediate talking point. Your most loved décor items always need to have a story.” Passionate about her creating stories for her clients, it is evident that Marilize is doing what she loves and that, according to her means, ‘not working a day in my life.’
Details: 082-418-6767, [email protected] or follow @ pigscanflyinteriors on Facebook and Insta.
Four tips to spruce up the guest toilet:
Avoid dark cherry cabinetry:
When I talk cherry cabinets, we are referring to the faux looking stain colour that was such a hit during the late ’90s and 2000s. I like a good natural stain, but this style feels too dark and dated.
Replace your ‘boob light’
When you read ‘boob light’, you know exactly what we mean. They’re the round flush mounts that almost all builders throw into a home. They are too ubiquitous for us to ever escape! Not every space is fit for a grand light fixture like a chandelier, and flush mounts are sometimes exactly what you need. Good thing there are some beautiful options out there for updating your boob light.
Update your wall coverings
Paint, paint, paint, paint, paint! Your most cost-effective interior decorating element. Don’t be afraid to use colour / colour blocking or pattern painting to create focus areas. It gives the eye a place to rest and makes the standard narrow passage guest toilet, with the ‘throne’ at the end and the door at the other end, appear bigger and more in proportion.
The problem with ‘mini blinds’
Don’t go out and throw away all your mini blinds, but probably the most overlooked part of any budget is always window treatments. Old school mini blinds are difficult to use, the cords are dangerous for small children, and they are just so much fun to dust. No, they are not!
Five interior hacks to make a room appear bigger:
1. Paint your cornices the same colour as your wall, so no white cornices. This stretches the eye and makes the walls/ ceiling appear higher than what it actually is.
2. Hang curtains as high as possible. Instead of stopping at the top of your window frame, keep going right up to the ceiling. Your eye will be immediately drawn to the highest point on the wall, which will make your ceilings seem taller. By choosing a curtain rod in the same colour as the curtains, unity will also be created and the window appear bigger and the ceiling higher.
3. Utilise furniture with legs. One of the most important elements of a balanced design is the distribution of weight, and in smaller rooms, choosing pieces with lighter silhouettes helps open up the space. For example, even if your couch is on a solid base, adding a legged coffee table and legged accent chairs would create more balance, making the look feel light and airy. In bedrooms, I like to play with this idea between beds and nightstands. Because so many beds are on a solid base, contrasting them with a legged nightstand is pretty fool-proof.
4. Add substantial pieces. This one might sound strange, but there’s something about large, substantial pieces in a small space that bring it to life and make it feel larger. Substantial pieces give a space a focal point, giving the eye a place to rest, which is especially important if you want to make a room feel bigger.
5. Layer your lighting. Bringing dimension to a design can be done easily with layers of lighting, especially overhead statement pieces that draw the eye up and make the room look taller. Adding in lighting at different levels like table and floor lamps can illuminate dim corners and create the feeling of a larger room, too!
Text: RIALIEN FURSTENBERG. • Photographer: STEPHEN SEGAL. • Make-up & hair: ELAINE BOSHOFF.
