At Home With Nandi Dlepu
Daily: What is your favourite space in your home?
NANDI: My favourite space has got to be my lounge. I Love how contemporary yet homely it feels, and I think that has a lot to do with our couch. Our couch is massive! I love the fact that I'm able to move around it while I’m working. I love that we're able to entertain friends and family for movie nights or just to hang out and converse on that couch. I love the fact that my son can have sleepovers and we can shift the modular pieces to create beds for his friends when they come over. I love how functional it is and how it complements my desire, passion and intention of mine, which is to have a full home. I enjoy it when we have people over and being able to host them in a very comfortable way is important to me, my lounge does that in a very contemporary and cool way.
Daily: Talk about the connection between your home and your well-being.
NANDI: There's a considered relationship between my well-being and my home. I hope they don't take this the wrong way, but I grew up with hoarders. Between my mum, my aunt and my older sister, I've never seen people who love to shop and collect trinkets as much as they do. Our garage was constantly filled with stuff and I'm the kind of person who believes that a garage is intended for your vehicles and a handful of other things like garden tools perhaps. But I grew up in homes with garages that were filled with random things that were seldom used, busy homes that were just full of stuff and so I ended up wanting the exact opposite for myself.
So, I wanted a space that felt like it breathed, a space where I could breathe, and this inspired my decision to purchase my current home. I was specifically looking out for lofts or something with double or triple-volume ceilings, something without a lot of walls because I just wanted to be able to come home from the busyness of my life.
I run an experience agency so we’re constantly throwing events, I’m constantly around a lot of people so just being able to come home and be able to breathe was important for me. As we speak, I am busy considering some reservations for my home and I have asked my architects to consider creating a nook or space for me to be able to indulge in my morning practice which includes journaling, meditating and reflections. So I would say that the relationship between my well-being and home are intrinsically linked and considered.
Daily: You have a lot of art on your walls, why is that?
NANDI: I remember when I purchased my home, someone I knew commented that my home had a gallery-inspired feeling to it, and I remember pinning that thought. And then, parallel to that, one of my closest friends is an art collector whose home is full of art, all her walls, except for the bathroom and kitchen, are adorned with art. So, I was inspired by both these experiences and have similarly used my walls and home, to showcase and celebrate some young contemporary artists.
I have an amazing piece by the late Lunga Ntila, I have some work from Puleng Mogale, I have work I purchased through Latitudes and one of my first-ever pieces was something I purchased from Kalashnikov gallery and these, along with others, are on my walls. I just love being surrounded by these works, and I find myself occasionally just losing, just gazing and contemplating a piece at a time and I just love what the work gives and does for my space.
Daily: How do you go about choosing your furniture and objects for your home?
NANDI: So all the pieces in my home attest to my proudly South African sentiments. I love the fact that I'm able to point out different South African designers through the pieces. I've never wanted to have a home that was filled with generic retail pieces or only retail pieces. I love the fact that I'm able to experience a dining table and bench from Houtlander, a Weylandts couch and my nesting tables from Daily. I love that my space is a reflection of some of the best designers in the country as well, so my home has become a place that attests to and affirms my design sensibilities and good taste! But really, it attests to the fact that I'm proudly South African. All these objects, big and small, have contributed to what I consider to be a very beautiful home. I love my space and it's thanks to designers from Daily, Houtlander and more.