Watch THE THRONE

An international thinker who loves local, interior designer Donald Nxumalo’s Joburg home is the perfect showcase of his feel-good style

- PIET SMEDY

Nxumalo has energy. South Africa’s most exciting young decorator is also its most excited, so much so that it is hard not to get caught up in his magnetic field, even over a medium as lacklustre as Zoom. Sporting a classic white T-shirt and a megawatt smile, his welcome is disarmingly generous, like coming over to an old friend rather than the (sometimes stiff ) exchange that can be the interview process. ‘Design is more than just about how it looks, it is about how you experience it,’ he says, wasting no time. ‘If someone comes into your home and feels something, that is a space with soul. You want to feel good and feel recharged.’

And the interiors are nothing if not charged. Pattern and colour make the first impression, applied with controlled abandon, a brand of calculated insouciance that resonates with this designer. ‘There was no mood board, I just allowed the process to guide me and it unfolded in front of me,’ says Donald. ‘The important question for me was not “does it match?” but rather, “do I love that? Does it feel good?” It is about not being intentional but being intuitive.’