Having a job is a vital thing and very often people will resort to doing what they must to make ends meet.
There are a few fortunate individuals who find themselves in a position in which they can make money doing something they have a passion for.
This was the case for Lungelo Xaba, an interior decorator from Durban who is celebrating the milestone of achieving 11 years of his business being in existence.
“I started when I was young. Back home if the iron board broke, all I saw was an opportunity to create something else by using the frame and the board. I would take the cloth and use that to drape over the table structure I had made with the steel frame as the legs,” he recollects.
His business was born in part due to his passions and intrepid sense of creativity but also because of the connections he had and the influential people he was in proximity with.
“It started with my friend L’vovo Derrango. He had just bought his home and coincidently Drum Magazine was heading over to do a profile on him. So, he asked me to do the interior and I did.”
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Lungelo recalls that L’vovo and the team from Drum were so taken by his efforts that he began considering doing this more often.
“Everyone was asking who did the interior and they were genuinely shocked. After that he referred me to Mampintsha and then I did the other guys houses from Big Nuz and then DJ Tira also wanted in and so that start really got my business going.”
His Desired Trenz firm has been around for 11 years which has been no easy task especially for a black man in an industry where there aren’t too many others.
“Yes, I can’t lie it’s difficult, but the passion outweighs the hardships this can come with. There aren’t a lot of black people in this industry and so making your way can be hard.”
He says a personal touch is what sets his company apart from other ones and his keen attention to detail.
“I always go out to a site to consult with clients, I don’t send anyone to do that. I then leave the instructions with my team and I’m constantly in touch with both my team and the client to ensure everything is on track.”
Quick fire tips to make a space look amazing
Lungelo speaks passionately about interior design and could clearly go on for hours talking shop. We did have to pick his brain as to what he thinks the newer trends in the world of décor are at present and apparently darker colours are in for the latter end of this year.
“Touches of black here and there are a big thing right now. Even in the bathroom, a black bathtub or basin set. Really gives of a classy feel.”
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In his eleven years he has found one room in particular to be rather difficult to design.
“The kitchen, easily. That room is tough because there are so many products that can go into that room, so much to add to just the space. It’s also a lot more challenging than say doing a bedroom, which is usually for one or two people. That’s simple but now the kitchen is the heart of the home and so everyone in a household engages with the space and so it needs to be appealing and please everyone’s taste.”
If you are looking to overhaul a room or perhaps start some renovations, then you may want to consider Lungelo's three step guide to maximizing the aesthetics of a space.
“Be sure to consider the ceiling, the walls and the floor. If you have those three things done well and look chic, it almost doesn’t matter what you do, what the space or how place any furnishings. If one of those three things is off, then the chance of everything being off are high.”
