Text and styling: Marian van Wyk. Photographs: Johan Wilke. Portrait photograph: Greg Cox. Article from the March 2014 issue of Garden and Home Magazine.
Interior designer Cheryl Herweg came to the rescue of an outdated teenager’s bedroom in Melkbos, Cape Town.
This bedroom was cramped with outdated turquoise walls, impractical shelving and no comfortable study area. With only two tiny windows, the room lacked natural light and good ventilation. “It looked even more cramped filled with various small pieces of furniture,” adds Cheryl Herweg of Changing Spaces, who was asked to give the space a makeover as a 16th birthday gift for her client’s daughter Cassidy.
How this space was transformed from tween cool to Parisian chic “Cassidy wanted her room to have a Parisian theme with a romantic feel. I wanted to do a bit more, including making the room feel larger and lighter,” says Cheryl. To achieve this, the two tiny windows were replaced with a large sliding door that opens up to the garden, making the room much brighter.
A new neutral, hard-wearing vinyl floor was installed as well as a new cupboard with mirrored doors (not shown) which help to create the illusion of space. The furniture was limited to a few large custom-made pieces including a dressing table that doubles as a desk.
“I painted the walls in a neutral colour and stuck to a monochromatic palette, adding just the slightest hint of pink. To create depth I introduced different textures in scatter cushions and the headboard,” explains Cheryl.
“For the focal wall I had Parisian-themed wallpaper custom designed and printed and placed the Eiffel Tower motif where the headboard wouldn’t cover it,” she says. “And for sparkle I added a crystal ceiling light fitting, a silver coat stand and finished the bedside lampshades with a fabric trim with a subtle shimmer.”
The bedroom is now uncluttered, light and airy. A timeless yet modern space where Cassidy will feel comfortable well into her twenties. Cassidy says: “I love the fact that my bedroom is orderly, feminine and feels much larger than it used to. I also adore Cheryl’s custom details, such as the headboard and Parisian wallpaper.”
Sources
A-Z Household Maintenance 082 442 8611 ArtLab 021 448 1421 or artlab.co.za Changing Spaces 021 557 2070,083 458 8877 or changingspaces.co.za Hertex Fabrics hertex.co.za The Pause Room 021 461 6488 or thepauseroom.co.za Woolworths woolworths.co.za
