Hello, Hermanus Huys

It’s December time which means: spending time with family, presents, cheer, and chilling by the seaside.

My parents are in Pretoria and my husband’s parents have a house in Hermanus. So we are first visiting my parents, and then we are driving back to Hermanus to spend time with Wilhelm’s family.

Since we’ll be spending time in Hermanus I thought it fitting to show you Hello, Huys’ first project when Hello, Huys was still being built.

Like I said Wilhelm’s parents have a house in Hermanus which means we have a room there and when we got married I wanted to redo the room.

The room before was set up for Wilhelm when he was still single. We had two three-quarter beds pushed next to each other with a little gap in the middle (not ideal if you are newlyweds). On my side of the bed, there was no bedside table because technically the two beds pushed together was a king-size bed, and therefore there was no space for one.

Yes, there were practical reasons for giving this room a little refresh, but the biggest reason for it was because of me.

Que taytay — yes I am the problem indeed.

When I say my surroundings are very important to me (which I’ve repeatedly done) and wherever I get to call home (even if it is only for the holidays or long weekends) I want to make it home. I am not lying. And, so I made our vacation room, a home.

This is the Hermanus Huys story.

I tackled this room as if it was a rental. This means, there were some restrictions as to what I could and couldn’t do as well as having fixed features that couldn’t be changed.

Sometimes people think restrictions are a bad thing, but I find it very helpful in a design process.

The best way to start with a design is to first find a place to start. For example, a rug that you love or a specific couch. It can be anything from a furniture piece to a paint color.

For me, a restriction can also be a very good starting point because it’s the one thing that is going to be in your space and the one thing you can’t change so it has to be incorporated into your design.

Luckily for me, our fixed features like the paint and all other finishings like the curtains are so neutral they can work with anything.

So my starting point for this room was this bed from Coricraft.

Earlier last year me and my husband furnished our new home, and we saw this bed at Coricraft which we both loved, but it didn’t work in our home, so we couldn’t use it. But when we started planning this space, I immediately thought of this bed. This then informed the style of our room which is Modern Farmhouse. However, I very much wanted the feeling of a beach house — light, airy, and chill.

Whenever you want to achieve a certain feeling within your space: look at the color scheme! It is the biggest element that influences the feeling or the vibe. Color informs a mood and helps to achieve balance in a room.

I use the golden ratio rule: 60% dominant color; 30% secondary color and 10% accent color.

Since the bed already had a black frame I knew the dominant color in this room should be a mix of neutral colors like creams, whites, and wood tones. The feeling of this room was very important to me, so I focused my dominant color on shades that would evoke the beach chill vibe.

If I added any more items with black as their primary color this room was quickly going to lose the beach chill vibe and would soon feel too heavy. I still included black but in smaller portions like the scatter cushion on the bed or the plant basket in the corner to carry that color through the room and make it intentional.

So to give the interior math of this room: 60% neutral; 30% black and 10% red and navy.

You might think black is the primary color because the biggest item in this room is black, but it’s not about that it’s about the color used most in the room. And that is neutral.

So look at the colors you are using in your space and make sure the main color evokes the feeling you want the space to have. Look at your secondary and accent colors - they are there to add interest and support the main theme of the room which is the vibe you’ve chosen. Secondly, check that the colors in the room fall into the golden ratio — this balances a room and makes all the elements work together in harmony.

The main vibe for this room was airy, cool, light, and relaxing which the dominant color supports. The black, red and navy add interest to the very neutral dominant color.

Now that we had our starting point, style and color scheme it was time to go shopping!

Once you have established these three foundations it’s very easy to shop because you know what you want so it’s easy to spot it when you see it.

I love the way this room came out and I’m so glad that we took the time and effort to enhance this space. Whenever we visit Hermanus, our room is a break-away. I’m not on vacation until I walk into this room.

So invest in creating a space that you would love to walk into — it truly has the power to change your overall well-being.

I hope you have a blessed time with your family during the holiday season and that you rest and recharge!

Leave a comment and let me know what you think or if you have any questions — I’m here to help you write your story as best you can!

This is the start of a new story!

Hello, Huys is finally here and I’m so excited to share it with you!

After a year of dreaming, working hard, hoping, and planning - it is finally here! I’m so excited for this new chapter in my life - to build this business, to inspire you, and to help you create your space to tell the story of who you are.

If you’ve been spending some time on my website you’ve probably noticed how everything interior relates to storytelling. This is not random or to be cute. I want to live an authentic, true-to-self, life which means everything I do flows from my heart. And at my heart, I’m a storyteller.

Since we’ll be spending some time together, I think it’s good that you and I start to get to know each other.

My name is Ansu, I’m thirty-one and I moved to Paarl last year July to marry the man of my heart and the love of my whole life.

It might be interesting to know that I’m actually a South African actress, writer, and editor. For the past ten years, I have crafted a successful career in the South African entertainment industry in front and behind the camera.

After I got married last year November, I started to ask myself: What do I want my life to look like in five years? I realized to be the wife and the mom (hopefully one day) I want to be, I need to make a shift in my career. I prayed a lot about my next move and that is when the interior-lover came knocking. Not only am I starting this business for future-Ansu, but also for present-Ansu.

Present-Ansu, when dreaming about this new business, realized that she is quite a scared-little-Ansu. The fear of failure and what others might think have been holding me back and dimming my light and that is all my own doing because I allow it! I realized that a life ruled by fear is not only one that I don’t want but also one that will only lead to regrets.  I didn’t want to come to age fifty and say “Oh, I still wanted to start my own interior design business”. I wanted to be able to say “Oh I wanted to and I did”!  So I decided to say screw it - let’s do it!

I’m currently studying Interior Design whilst starting this new business. I want to expand my knowledge and skillset even more so that we can write you a best-selling story!

My love for interior started at a young age.  As a child, every other Sunday, my parents, I, and my two sisters would get ice cream (bubblegum flavor is my favorite) and go for a Sunday drive around the neighborhood. I would look at the houses and always imagine the world inside; the family that lived there and how their interior space complimented their daily life. 

When it was time to apply to varsity I actually applied to study Drama and Interior Design. When I got accepted to both I had to make a choice. At that time in my life, Drama was what my heart desired so I decided to trust my gut and follow my heart. I’ve loved creating and growing in the entertainment industry and I don’t think because Ansu at thirty-one wants to move into interiors, that Ansu at eighteen made a mistake. I’m very grateful for the opportunities that came my way and I’m not giving up on that part of who I am at all. I am just expanding on who I am. We only get one life, we have to live it!

In 2018 I moved into my first apartment in Linden, Johannesburg. Being the little interior-lover that I am, I immediately wanted to make my space home! Transforming my first flat (let me just say it was rented - so here’s your proof that you can own your space and make it yours, even if it isn’t legitly so). Anyhoo - transforming my first flat made me realize that I do not have to wait until one day when I’m old enough, rich enough, or married-enough to have a space that I love. Life’s too short for your home not to feel homey. So over the course of three years, slowly but surely, room by room, I made my flat my own little first home.  

I’m glad I did not waste four years of my life in my Jo’burg home, just accepting it as is. Your environment affects you - just like wearing a great fit can make you feel more accomplished and productive, I believe our surroundings have that same power. If we are surrounded by a space that reflects our true selves, it empowers us.

Transform your space, transform your life.

That’s why I am so passionate about creating Interior spaces for other people because I know how it can change your life for the better. This might seem like a luxury to some, but I believe it is a necessity for all.

To live a truly beautiful, authentic life you have to color in every inch of it.

I truly believe anyone can and should have the space they want and it should not break your brain or your bank. 

Don’t believe the lie that only future-you can have the house present-you deserves.

I’m looking forward to writing the story of Hello, Huys with you. This is only page one!

Welcome to Hello, Huys!