<![CDATA[ELANI COETZEE DESIGN

<![CDATA[ELANI COETZEE DESIGN - Blog]]>Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:43:25 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[How To Select & Look After Your House Plants]]>Fri, 18 Feb 2022 04:35:56 GMThttp://elanicoetzee.com/blog/how-to-select-look-after-your-house-plants

There is something so relaxing about houseplants!

The only thing that makes a room feel more alive and lived in is a happy, healthy plant on the window sill. You gain a real sense of accomplishment as you watch your plants grow and thrive. While, On the other hand, watching your plants slowly wither away and die is disappointing and heartbreaking.

Here are 4 tips I have found during my personal experience of keeping plants alive in my home.

1. The first step is to select the right plan

There are many beautiful plants you will want to take home with you when you visit the nursery. Unfortunately, the more exotic plants are not as easy to care for. The best advice I can give is to ask any of the nursery assistants whether the plant you wish to take home will survive in the area you plan to place it. They should be able to direct you to the more robust plants you can choose from. I’ve found that any type of succulent is usually a winner.

2. The plants need to be replanted.

The plants should be replanted in a larger pot with more potting soil. Make sure you purchase a larger pot and potting soil while you are at the nursery. The small pots the plants come in will not provide enough room for your plant to grow. That's why I always replant them once I get home. In addition to their small size, the original containers aren't very appealing to the eye.

3. Find the right spot to place them.

All plants have different needs when it comes to sunlight and heat. Most plants prefer a sunny area away from direct sunlight. Too much sun will cause their leaves to curl up and show burnt marks. I had to move my plants several times before settling on the right spot.

4. Don’t overwater your plants

I have made the mistake of giving plants too much water. This only leads to their roots slowly rotting and getting root diseases. Now I only give them a bit of water once a week. I've found plants recover easier from under-watering than overwatering. But when it's as hot as it's been as of late, I do water them twice a week. Also, giving your plants water on the same day every week makes it much easier to remember when to water them.

Don’t delay and go find the right houseplant for yourself today!!

PS. If all else fail, artificial plants will last forever (wink, wink)

]]><![CDATA[Why Interior Design Matters]]>Tue, 15 Feb 2022 12:07:49 GMThttp://elanicoetzee.com/blog/why-interior-design-matters

In order for us to understand Why Interior Design Matters, we should first understand that Interior design is the fine art of creating beautiful and functional spaces. It is a language that allows us to create environments that reflect our lives and lifestyles, and reminds us that beauty is a constant.

It is essential to consider that good design makes a space more useful in a multitude of ways, makes wants and needs predictable and easy to meet, and allows the space to flow harmoniously. Ergonomics plays a fundamental role in how a space is designed, you never want to be stuck with something that is too rigid.

The power of space is fascinating. It can influence your mood and evoke your emotions. A well-designed space can make you feel happy, relaxed, calm, and contemplative.

An Interior design can be original, emotional, and exciting. It can follow fashion trends or create them. An Interior design can be created to last for centuries or to be temporary. A space that echoes your personality helps you to feel better both mentally and physically, and gives you a sense of belonging.

It's not just about a stunning space. It's about who you are and how you live. Each room in your home should reflect your personality and enhance your quality of life. The space around us shapes us just as we shape it, and that's why Interior Design Matters.

]]><![CDATA[Let’s Talk Colour]]>Fri, 28 Jan 2022 12:29:28 GMThttp://elanicoetzee.com/blog/lets-talk-colour

When looking at colours and using colours, you should forget to think about what should be right. How a space feels goes beyond how it looks. If the result is beautiful then nothing else matters.

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”
Wassily Kandinsky

Colour can be used to change the whole mood of a space. It is not a trivial element when it comes to design. It can be utilized boldly or subtly and even portray a sense of elegance. Everything you see, you see it in colour.

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”
Georgia O’Keeffe

Colour is an inescapable fact, bold, neutral or even working in only white, as white has tints of other colours and reflects the other colours.

Just think about nature, there we see balance and harmony occurring naturally. Like the dark dark forest floor, medium brown tree trunks, the green hues of tree leaves and the light blue colour of the skies above us.

“In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light.”
Hans Hofmann

Colour can be used to open up spaces or create more intimate spaces. You can break up spaces with colours that have different properties.

This wonderful thing called colour can highlight or obscure structures, create and emphasise spaces. Can be used in an almost magical way to make structures vanish (think of those ugly visible pipes and ducts you need to disappear). It can have the opposite effect and highlight the feature you wish to accentuate.

“To me, beauty and makeup and color is like the finishing touch on everything.”
Marc Jacobs

When using colour it is also important to take lighting into account as, without light, colour does not exist. The orientation of the space and the extent of natural light it receives will affect the way a colour is perceived.

Just remember, walls do not always need to be white and your furnishing does not always need to be brown/ neutral. You can have bright colourful walls and stark white furniture with neon accents.

The right use of colour can improve or create a sense of balance considering the objects and structure in space. Small objects can be made to appear larger, whilst large objects can be made to fade into the background.

“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”
John Ruskin

]]><![CDATA[Welcome to the tropics.]]>Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:51:32 GMThttp://elanicoetzee.com/blog/welcome-to-the-tropics

I have always wanted of a little bungalow on the coast (Maybe even on an island). I yearn to be able to step out of my backdoor directly onto the beach. So while I dream we can pretend by decorating our house in a Tropical / Costal style.

When I think about my dream house, I think of the laid back, stress free and calming effect the ocean has; of laying in a hammock with the palm trees, light breeze and the rhythmic sound of the ocean waves surrounding me.

To achieve that in our home I incorporated ocean greens, Naturals materials and tropical plants (be it fake) and patterns. (We have multiple fish tanks around the house too – My husband has magical fish keeping abilities along and green fingers)

I also added some texture with different types of fabric on our scatter cushions and using pallet wood for our one patio seating area and our distressed wooden wall focus point.

We added to the feel with ruthann lamps, a corral ornament and beach styled wall prints. We painted our bed side tables and headboard a distressed white and carried the theme into my office area with cork pin boards, the oceanic colours and a flowing environment.

We took our indoors out by making our patios snuggly corners of comfort, quite and relaxation.

If you are looking into creating your very own coastal feel in your City home here are a few ways you can achieve it without breaking the bank. (I am all for DIY)

Add some netting – Netting over a bed for example, creates a romantic feel and takes you to the feeling of billowing winds coming off the ocean.– Netting over a bed for example, creates a romantic feel and takes you to the feeling of billowing winds coming off the ocean.

Colour! – Paint a wall or piece/s of furniture. Use scatter cushions and Art pieces.

Prints – If I say prints I need you to think of bold leaf, large graphic pasterns. Be careful to not go too crazy with patterns: a few solid coloured items will help lift out the patterns you chose will give your patterns a bigger impact.

Natural Textures – Jute, bamboo, banana leaf baskets, coarsely woven materials, woven grass are just a few types of textures that you can consider. Wood is also a good way to add natural texture and warmth.

Tropical plants – Can you imagine the Island beach life without palm trees, Strelitzias and hibiscus. Neither can I, So add one or two of them into your scheme. Just don’t over plant we are thinking tropics not Amazon! (You can opt for the fake type if you are a plant killer like I am – Remember I told you my husband is the one with the green thumb definitely not me. I plant them he saves them and keeps them alive.)

Outdoor living – Look for ways to merge your Outdoor and indoor spaces, add cozy garden furniture, add a canvas canopy for shade (add a hammock – just saying) or partially enclose your area with bamboo or reeds (or canvas)

All that being said I can just add that to me tropical décor makes your environment fresh, sunny, warmer and colourful. It mixes effortlessly and adds a bit of whimsy and provides to the breakaway you need after a tiresome day at work. Stepping straight into a mini vacation.

So if your idea of tropical is a plant in the corner or a full-blown jumping right into the deep end explosion of colour pattern and palm trees, I hope this blog and tips will help guide you on your escape.

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