A Blank Canvas

Two sisters have converted a ‘boxy’ 1950s home into a gorgeous contemporary abode that lets their beloved artworks shine.

- Beatrice Moore-Nöthnagel

Paula de Oliveira always wanted to live in the bustling Johannesburg suburb of Parkhurst with its various cafés, art and décor stores, and village vibe. She was keen to buy a “fixer-upper” in this old neighbourhood – one that she could put her personal stamp on and truly make her own. When she and her sister Sandra found a 1950s home with three bedrooms in 2007, it had both their names written all over it as “literally everything was wrong with it”, Paula recalls with a laugh.

“We knew from the start that structural changes were inevitable in order to open up the space, but all the plumbing and electrical wiring was also in need of replacement and the garden had to be reworked from scratch,” says Sandra, with whom Paula now shares this living space.

But this did not deter the sisters – they were excited at the prospect of creating flow between the indoors and outside and they planned to add French doors to every single room in the house to achieve exactly that.

In the kitchen