Recycle, Reclaim & Reinvent

When Deidre Causton converted an old cottage into a garden studio, she drew on the design skills she’s honed over the years and found a home for all her treasured pieces.

- By Mary Jane Harris. Photographs by Christoph Hoffman

WHO LIVES HERE? Deidre Causton

WHERE Greenside, Johannesburg SIZE 154m² (including a covered patio and open stoep)

“I love reinventing and repurposing tired items and spaces,” says landscape designer Deidre Causton. So, when the opportunity arose to renovate an old cottage on the property she and business partner Vanessa Causton co-own in Greenside, Johannesburg, Deidre jumped at the chance.

“Although we’re known for landscaping gardens, we also love designing interior and outdoor living spaces,” she explains, referring to Inspirations, the company she and Vanessa took over from Deidre’s mother Lily (also a renowned landscaper) 25 years ago. “With the help of our team, we’ve designed an events venue, the original Social on Main and the popular Bolton Road Collection restaurant and bar in Rosebank, plus we’ve undertaken a number of home renovations – so I couldn’t wait to design something for myself.”

Deidre saw these glass vessels being blown at Ngwenya Glass in Swaziland. “I had them for ages, then realised that they would look perfect filled with trailing string of bananas (Senecio radicans).” The thick glass provides a smooth contrast to the rough rope suspending them from the rafters.

A Japanese maple in the courtyard draws your eye through the kitchen. The oak countertops on the left were stained to match the cabinets; the ones opposite are Caesarstone. The roof had to be extended and the new trusses were left outside to weather so they blend with the old ones.