THE PLAYFUL SIDE OF SLEEK DESIGN

Deborah Garth, South Africa’s doyenne of interior design, shares her style secrets with Serena Templeton

Interior design doesn’t just take a keen eye and a thoughtful approach to space, it takes soul. A living space needs to capture the personality of those who reside there and allow them to embrace the space and feel at home.

At the forefront of South Africa’s interior design sector is Deborah Garth, who has a string of accolades under her belt for simple yet effective design. Her 26-years of experience and flair for remodeling spacious homes and private commercial space has garnered her a stellar reputation

“I undertake each project with my vision statement in mind; simplicity, attitude, honesty and harmony,” Deborah explains. “This is the way I express my passion and purpose in life. I do it to educate and inspire.”

Functionality is paramount for Deborah, who thrives under the pressure of a challenge. In a recent project, she transformed a very small, lacklustre bathroom into a multifunctional and bold space that is perfect for kids. To give the room a playful and stylish twist, she created a bespoke mural of a beach ball held in a stretched fabric, with a freestanding bath to visually make the space appear larger and glitter grouting to add a child-like sparkle.

With the space engineered towards children, she made smart use of storage space, even incorporating this into a bright basin step. These charming additions were added to the clean and crisp décor of white and grey to make for a sleek, sophisticated and quirky space.

“The client couldn’t initially visualise the outcome – especially as he was originally strongly opposed to the use of any grey in the space - but he put his trust in me and was delighted with the outcome,” explains Deborah.

“Any colour, tint or tone, can be used with startling effect when used in a cohesive, well thought out combination.”

With her design expertise in transforming bland home spaces into luxury abodes, as seen pictured, Deborah shares her five top interior tips for spring/summer:

• Declutter and spring clean for the warmer, fresher months to come
• Control natural daylight to suit any room and temperature with plantation shutters
• Paint walls in natural colours, as white tints going into the grey tones are ideal for an all year round look
• Add colour pops with scatter cushions. Brighter prints are ideal for the summer months
• Subtle embroideries on your voiles and fabrics create a much more luxurious look and will never date

To find out more about Deborah’s work, visit deborahgarth.co.za