Nthabi Taukobong is a force to be reckoned with. Her vivaciousness, energy and zeal burst through the screen during our Zoom interview. The Johannesburg-based interior designer has successfully navigated the industry for over two decades. Her professional life has impacted her personal life too, helping shape her into a woman with an infectiously positive and profound attitude toward life.
Design and creativity were part of Taukobong’s childhood; she credits her parents and grandparents as her inspiration due to how they designed and decorated their own homes. Coming from humble beginnings, Taukobong’s parents encouraged her to have a practical and creative approach to life.
“They built their own things. They created that with their own hands. So it was very obtainable and understandable for a kid who's growing up in this environment... it doesn't make sense that I would have ended up not being a designer because I grew up in a designer life,” she explains.
She has fond memories from her childhood of gardening with her father and valued how these experiences of being at home can benefit your wellbeing and soul.
The most profound thing that resonated with me in my conversation with Taukobong is her passion that our homes and spaces are so much more than a physical place; they are part of our mental and spiritual existence.
“I believe our homes are spaces to connect with our true selves, therefore they should be an extension of who we really are. Hence I say I design for people and their personal needs and assist them to creatively express these. I am just a creative guide who happens to have a better understanding of scale, proportion, colours and textures but what I do is a joint effort by us all. The magic is bringing in just the right amount of elements of nature such as earth, wind, fire, water and metal to help balance the senses and create soothing spaces that reconnect us with our soul,” she explains, adding “Nature is my forever North star and I draw my inspiration from there, because I am all about creating spaces that heal and restore the soul.”
Describing her interior design style as “laidback, effortless [and] elegant,” Taukobong shares that her clients are her biggest source of inspiration when it comes to her creativity, and that she always puts the needs of the client first because one is not designing for themselves, but for the client. She is very determined to have a transparent relationship with her clients when it comes to the whole interior design process including briefs, budgets and vision.
The interior designer’s first job was as a junior designer at an international company that was based in Johannesburg. They specialized in the design of high end hotels, casinos and resorts around the world. What followed is a career journey that is truly outstanding. Taukobong has gone on to launch her own company Ditau Interiors and has a roster of impressive clients including presidents, African royalty, top CEO’s, South Africa’s five-star hotel groups and the Governor of the Reserve Bank.
Discussing her remarkable career, she describes it as a “blessing” and “privilege”, sharing,“I have had a very blessed journey in this career, and at the end of the day no matter how fancy their titles, all what my clients wanted were homes that spoke to who they were at home, and wanted help creating those special spaces to connect with family, friends and loved ones. It’s a privilege for people to let you into their private spaces and no matter who I was designing for, I never took that for granted.”
But when it comes to her own career highlight, the creative humbly shares it was actually redesigning her own home in lockdown. The experience gave her perspective about her business as she put herself in “the client’s shoes”, and it gave her a different outlook on pricing and budgets, particularly what she charges her own clients for.
“You [are] so busy surviving and getting up and doing everything for everybody, except for yourself. I think they refer to it as a ‘shoe maker syndrome’ or a ‘plumber syndrome’ that the plumber has a broken toilet at home. You never have time to give back the gift of your passions that you do so well for others. And I got to a point in my career where I was like, ‘That's it, I have to take care of me, I have to live well, too’. I have to have a pleasing environment that is easy on the eye, but what that journey taught me or showed me was every time you say to the client, ‘It's not too expensive, it's only a chair’ until I had to pay for it. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this thing is expensive!’ You know, so it was good because it gave me a realistic outlook on what I'm trying to charge people for… So, I've got a rule in my office now — if we can't afford it, we're not charging anybody else for it,” she explains.
She reveals that she wants her own home to “feel like a holiday”, explaining: “I mustn't escape to a holiday; my home must be like a resort. Like I've been in Bali or Morocco.”
Taukobong was one of the first Black interior designers in the industry in Johannesburg. While it is an extraordinary feat, she says she had to overcome hurdles to get to where she is today, “I knocked that door down, I broke past that barrier, I was the change, I am the mentor and inspiration for others. I am that black girl who was bold enough to walk where few had ever walked and made a difference. That sense of achievement is truly humbling and such an honour.”
Sharing how the interior design industry is much more diverse now than when she initially began her career, Taukobong says,“There are so many interior designers of all diversity and spectrums, good representation. And I'm so proud of that because that's why part of my initiative is to give back because I couldn't leave my career still being the only recognizable black designer — that means I have no legacy. That means I didn't turn around and help somebody else up in this platform of privilege that I was able to access. And that has been my duty to say, when you get there, make sure you leave the door open for others.”
The interior designer published her first book The Real Interior in 2019 - an inspiring and heartwarming offering. What started as a letter to herself commending all achievements, turned into the book itself, documenting all of her career highlights and sharing a lot of things off her chest.
There’s a beautifully powerful quote from the title, “And as you share, so shall you heal, and as you heal, so shall you see your own glory, and achievements, strengths and perseverance.” Taukobong was at a place in her career where she wanted to shut the door on her business and work because the pressure of work and clients got too much. But the therapeutic nature of writing the book gave her so much catharsis and perspective on her career and personal life: “I realized that this was not only my journey but a journey for all. For that Black child who doesn’t think it’s possible, or thinks that all those who have achieved success haven’t gone through any struggles. My honest account of what I had been through, no matter how shameful, was a truth that not many share in this glamorous industry of ours. But I wanted to keep it REAL, hence the title The Real Interior, because behind our own self-imposed closed doors, we all go through the most. And those of us brave enough to tell our honest stories, in turn help to heal the world and give courage to those wanting to embark on their own journeys, too. I am still standing, which means we all have a lion’s heart in us somewhere to make it through life’s greatest challenges.”
If being a interior designer and author wasn’t enough, Taukobong also does public speaking, master classes, workshops, podcasts, and runs a blog.
When I ask her how she manages her time, she responds: “I'm passionate about women, I'm a single mom. So there's always like, how can we support each other? Because I understand the plight of a woman and what we go through and how you try to balance all of those things. And I just realized that the more I do what I love, the more it doesn't feel like work. It feels like I'm on holiday permanently,” adding “I always make time for the things that make me happy and where I believe I can give back and make others happy, too. That’s the secret to my life — it’s part work and part giving back.”
What’s next for the multi-talented interior designer? “I would love the opportunity to create and develop my own healing spas spread across the continent in exotic locations, connected to nature. I am a healer at heart and express that through my interiors,” she shares.
We move on to lockdown and how she’s noticed how during the global coronavirus pandemic, people have moved away from the “show house” mentality and are focusing more on spaces for real and comfortable living. Read on to learn Taukobong’s tips for styling your own home.
Buy xxxxx
Quickfire Q&A interior design:
What traditional colours from South Africa could you incorporate into your home and how?
I am drawn to earthy tones that help connect me to nature and exude a sense of comfort and wellbeing. In my colour palette that’s anything from mint green to dusty pinks, terracotta and moody ocean blues.
What traditional patterns/fabrics from South Africa could you incorporate into your home and how?
We have so many prints and patterns on the continent and in South Africa, I tend to lean towards anything black and white with a bold geometric to it. This helps make any of my design schemes pop.
What is the best way to use lights in a room in order to make your room as bright and beautiful as possible?
Natural light from windows, doors and skylights is always a winner. But that’s mostly practical during the day. At night, I love mood lighting such as table and floor lamps that create some sort of ambiance and remind me it’s time to chill and unwind.
I have a very small flat and in lockdown, it has felt at times quite confined. What’s the best way to utilize the space?
Keep your interior as minimally decorated and furnished as possible, get rid of all the clutter and pack away what you don’t use or touch at least once a week. Use light tones and colours that will help make the room feel bigger (you know what they say about white jeans – well the same applies in an interior space the lighter the colour, the bigger it makes the space feel). And where you can use strategically placed mirrors to create the illusion of larger spaces than what you are dealing with.
What are the common DIY mistakes people make?
Thinking they can do it themselves when they should in fact call in a professional.
Can you give me three key interior design tips to give my house/flat a boost on a budget?
1) Reupholster old couches and chairs – slipcovers are a great way for a quick and budget friendly makeover
2) Repaint walls (and even furniture) and keep your colours light and fresh
3) Change up cushion covers to your desired theme/colour scheme
Buy xxxxx
Nthabi Taukobong's picks
