Lois Kuhle visited the fun and eclectic house of artist Rene Rutgers and his wife Storm
Rene says, with no apology intended, “We have tried to live an uncluttered life, but it just doesn’t suit us.”
At the moment the house is jumbled with numerous canvasses that Rene is working on for an exhibition in Pietermaritzburg. “I leave them slightly unfinished otherwise Storm pinches them for her shop, Culture Shock in Gateway,” he grins.
Rene has a perfectly good studio at the bottom of the garden but has taken over the dining room in the house in which to paint. “I felt lonely down there,” he says.
Storm rolls her eyes and points out the paint marks all over the beautiful wooden floors. “I’ve had to cover my 1950s style lounge suite with throws because he put clay all over it when he was sculpting. We really need a house we can hose down.”
The couple has the same taste in décor and claim they seldom disagree over anything they choose for their home. There is also a magnificent 1930s art deco suite that fills the living room. “We thought it was so stunning when we bought it, but I have to confess it’s very uncomfortable,” admits Rene. Never mind – it looks great!
“Our 17-year-old daughter Blaze feels she has a mistaken identity as her taste is in total contrast to ours,” divulges Rene. Blaze’s bedroom reveals her preference for a clean, modern, minimalist environment which also clearly shows her taste for expensive things.
Their 13-year-old son has a typical boy’s room. “He is an aspiring rock star,” sighs Storm while we glance over his photos of David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. An intriguing choice for a lad so young.
The kitchen is probably the only room that achieves their secret desire for an uncluttered home. “It wasn’t really done by design,” explains Rene. “It was more of a financial decision!” There are no fitted cupboards, only cement slabs that serve as work spaces. But it’s very practical and effective with the black and white tiled floors and silver appliances.
The main bathroom has a similar design, with black and white tiles and a collection of extraordinary mirrors Rene and Storm have gathered at various fleamarkets. “I found these beautifully etched glass inlays we’ve put into the shower wall at an antique shop in Jo’burg,” Rene tells us with some pride, saying he’d seen a picture of similar ones at the Ritz in Paris.
Rene and Storm recently renovated their house, an undertaking not without its problems. I assumed that the “wall units” in the dining-room, now serving as the studio, were from the original kitchen as they reminded me of old fashioned fittings from South African farm houses. But no. Rene found them in Jo’burg and just loved them, so here they are with pride of place in the dining room.
This wonderful home is filled with a mix of old and new, the eclectic and bizarre all blending together to make an interesting place the Rutgers call home.