A couple of Sundays ago Mum and I took a spin out to the eco-thrifty home of Nelson and Dani Lebo in Castlecliff.
Nelson and I talked about swapping columns some time ago when Mum and I attended one of his discussion workshops about their project.
I have a strong interest in my work in using product that is well designed and will last the test of time. Wherever possible I use products from sustainable resources that are past their use-by-date and reinvent them into other useable products.
I also love second-hand shops and auctions. I remember Mum taking me to an auction when I was young. I was fascinated by what was to be auctioned, the process and the different people. It was so exciting. Now we have Trade Me to add to the mix.
There was a nip in the air as we drove out to Castlecliff but once in Nelson's section it was amazingly warm. The section is nestled in a little hollow, trapping the sun, and sheltered from the wind, creating a little mico-climate overflowing with fruit trees and vegetables as well as chooks and ducks.
The house has that familiar comfortable feel about it. Baby Verti was just waking in the pram in the lounge and Dani was expecting a craft group to arrive. What a lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon.
The kitchen and dining room are north-facing and flooded with sunlight. The house has a fresh, homely old-worldly feel of a seaside cottage. Nelson has replaced the rotting floor with a solid timber floor.
The old, green Shacklock wood burner from around the 1940s, now nestled in bricks and sitting on a solid concrete foundation, is a treasured piece, having travelled around the country with them. Rather a heavy piece of kitchen furniture to transport but now it has found its home.
The kitchen is filled with pre-loved bits and pieces, from the bricks, wood burner, flooring, light fittings, overhead cupboards and a chopping block, to the sink bench and cupboards. The room is a creative mix of rustic old bricks, the clean lines of leadlight windows, gorgeous feminine shapes of the light fittings, bare timber and smooth painted finishes.
I have always loved the shapes and colours of old lampshades and these are no exception. Another passion of mine is leadlight, especially old windows and glass.
The room has a colour theme of soft aqua to brighter teal and taupe. The walls are painted soft aqua, which gives the room the beach bach feel. The light fittings and leadlight give the old world feel to the room and the fabric for the windows pulls together all the colours, creating a soft feminine swirl of stylised flowers and leaves.
I loved the leadlight windows over the stove; they reminded me of stylised fantails with their tails strong and straight, the colours working beautifully with the lamp shades and lovely watercolour of two fantails. The colours and shapes in the picture link from the light fitting to the leadlights to the blind fabric. Taking a little of something and handing it on to the next, a colourful creative link. Whether this was intentional or not it is a very strong design feature in the room.
Nelson has put his skirting board on the top of the wall instead of the bottom, creating a pelmet around the room. This helps eliminate draughts whistling through the top of the blinds.
All in all, a lovely visit to a project I have been following with interest. Thank you, Nelson and Dani and Baby Verti.
Terry Lobb changes direction and swaps topic with Nelson Lebo this week. If you have any questions about issues discussed or product supply, call Terry on 0276023298 or email terry@terrylobb.com www.terrylobb.com (website under construction).