Mediterranean Lifestyle Makeover

I’ve been wanting to makeover our bedroom for the longest time, so when Mediterranean Lifestyle contacted me to ask if I was keen to collaborate, I jumped at the opportunity to take on the renovation of this space!

Shutters have been at the top of my wishlist for years – I’ve always loved the look they give a window and that you can control the amount of air and light flow with a simple flick.

Here are some of the inspiration pics which I’ve had pinned to my pinterest shutters board:

Once I’d decided to embark on the makeover with Mediterranean Lifestyle, I had my work cut out for me – the room needed a total overhaul with borer-infested built-in-cupboards to remove, manky carpets that came with the house when we bought it to be lifted, floorboards to sand and the bulky sliding shutters which were also in the room when we bought the house with borer damage, so those needed to be removed – WHEW!

Here are some pictures of the bedroom when we bought the house – these are the pics that were on the estate agent’s site:

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And here’s a pic of the room when we moved in:

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By removing the built-in cupboards we were able to increase the floor area of room and there was enough space to flip the bed to the larger wall, away from under the windows. Previously the bed had to be positioned under the windows, as you couldn’t get into the room past the built-in cupboards otherwise – so we also couldn’t have a headboard, due to the height to the bottom of the windows.

As is usual with older Durban houses, the cupboard had loads of borer damage so I was very happy to see the back of them! Next up was the removal of the carpet, which with 4 dogs was starting to look horrendous – but it was also a big wish to have wooden floors in our room. The wood underneath was in pretty good nick, but wasn’t anything special, so we painted them white with a high gloss finish, with white paint on all the walls as well.

Swinging the bed around then gave us the opportunity to add a headboard and I wanted to make a feature wall behind that, so opted to paint it in the same colour as our lounge feature wall – it’s called Kentucky Bluegrass by Duram.

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Finally it was time to choose shutters and Kenneth from Mediterranean Lifestyle popped in to show us their ranges. Shutters can be hellishly expensive and that had been the biggest barrier for me as I was on a budget for this room makeover.

But their latest Alpine Range, which is manufactured locally, has been specifically designed to be cost effective while still maintaining quality and detailed finishing. This was a total no-brainer for me as I love supporting local!

The Alpine shutter range is 100% locally manufactured, 100% customised and 100% solid timber. And whilst it’s offered in pure white as standard, it’s also available in a choice of custom painted finishes. They are only available directly from their offices in Durban and Gauteng and are not supplied through agents or on-sellers, meaning that you’re getting them directly from the source, with no middleman markups. Kenneth visited us directly and sat with us to discuss the best option for our window size, proximity to the sea and what finished look we were going for. He also measured and then had the entire shutter made off site, using only local timber, which allows his team to specify exact raw plank sizes to reduce cutting waste. By using each and every piece of timber they are able to achieve zero waste and then pass that cost saving on to you.

His team arrived at our house less than 2 weeks after measuring and installed the shutters in less than 2 hours – I was blown away! I did some investigating and found out that Mediterranean Lifestyle are responsible for all the shutters throughout The Oyster Box Hotel and with over 25 years’ in the business, their experience is in huge demand.

They don’t use composite or MDF in their shutter frames or louvres and every single shutter is manufacture from scratch – not just assembled from imported components. Their shutters are up to 30% thicker and more robust than imported alternatives and come with a 5-year warranty.

So here are some pics of the final room with our beautiful new Mediterranean Lifestyle shutters installed – I honestly beam from ear to ear every time I walk in here now.

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If you want an idea on cost, the Alpine Range is priced from R2800 per square metre, excluding VAT. They are super easy to clean and require a light dusting every week, or a wipe with a damp cloth.

So a huge big thank you to Mediterranean Lifestyle for the push to do this project, as well as for the beautiful new shutters – we absolutely love this room now!!!


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