Wider view of living room. Loosely structured fynbos wreaths on the wall are made from black wire hoops (available from florist warehouses and craft shops). Gold craft wire and hemp string have been used in their construction. A jug of flowering fynbos is displayed on an old milking stool and a string of fairy lights is left on the floor in the corner of the room.
Gifts are displayed on an African daybed used as a low-level table. The Christmas tree is an agave plant with its sculptural form given a single coating of old gold spray paint and ‘planted’ in a clear glass vase filled with beach sand. Gifts have been wrapped in brown Kraft paper and plain white newsprint that has been crinkled into tight balls to mimic the appearance of crushed linen. They have been finished with loosely wrapped twine and embellished with an assortment of fynbos and woody herb sprigs and gold spray painted seed pods. Images 14 and 15 show details of the agave plant that is used as a Christmas tree and has been sprayed a burnished old gold for a festive flourish.
* The hand-dyed throw and cushions on the sofa as well as the handmade felt pots are from LIM <Less Is More lim.co.za>
Bare walls in bone and grey hues, original wooden features that have been sanded down and left unvarnished, a limited but meaningful selection of personal effects and decorative objects displayed in thoughtful vignettes as well as low-key luxuries in the form of candles that perfume the air with notes of amber and gently worn pure linen throws culminate in a whole that is effortlessly layered and emotionally affecting. The source of Algria’s inspiration can be traced to her childhood, ‘I come from a poor background. We didn’t have material possessions,
but there was always so much love,’ she explains. ‘I work in an industry founded largely on traditional notions of beauty and consumption, but I’ve never desired “things”. My dream was only ever to live with my family in a modest house that had a feeling of tranquillity. Why would I desire a palace when what I have is perfect?’ While Algria purposely keeps the house in a state of visual consistency throughout the year, Christmas brings with it the occasion to create a seasonal atmosphere for her husband Derek, son Dax and close friends and family – a mood that is festive while staying true to her serene aesthetic. No flashy store-bought trinkets or tinsel here, no pine or fir in the corner of the living room, and no table centrepieces composed of roses, poinsettias or hydrangeas. Instead, the
customary tones and accoutrement are substituted by the muted greens and otherworldly forms of fynbos (indigenous shrub and heath) and woody herbs displayed as free-form wreaths, floating in repurposed clear glass bottles holding elegant taper candles, and as aromatic flourishes on gifts that have been wrapped simply
in white or brown Kraft paper and finished with twine. Traces of shimmer – this is Christmas, after all – serve to highlight rather than overwhelm and bring to mind the flash of a dragonfly wing: a fine dusting of edible copper glitter on a ‘naked’ cake; gold craft wire binding hand-made fynbos garlands left hanging from doorknobs;
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