From scrap to guest sofa

This issue’s winner – Henriette van Zyl

“DIY is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. Even as a child I used to upcycle and change clothes and enjoy making any art project out of old things.”



Henriette van Zyl, Danish-born, is now an Outjo farmer’s wife, and has 3 children. She works in marketing and as a graphic designer.

As a child, Henriette van Zyl and her mother often went to second-hand shops and bought old cupboards and furniture that were given a new look. She comes from a very handy family where everyone can sew, crochet, knit and cook/bake. Her grandfather was a carpenter and the other a sign painter, so perhaps that is why she was born handy.


Before


After

THE STORY UNFOLDS

Now this sofa is something completely original – where did you get the idea to do this?
We have a scrap heap of old iron and gates here on the farm. It’s a place I often dig around in when I have an idea, but one day I was standing there waiting for my husband to load feed at the store and I happened to see the old bakkie roof rack and thought it would work perfectly for a sofa. So I looked around for something to use as legs. That’s when I saw the axle which seemed a good idea, so I balanced the pieces on top of each other to see if they would fit. Fortunately, my husband is used to my many ideas and just goes with the flow.

Have you taken any classes in DIY or just learnt by experience?
Most of it I learnt through experience. I play around and there are things that work and others that don’t. Sometimes I will also look on Pinterest or YouTube if I need to find out how to do a certain project. I attended a chalk paint class many years ago and also did an upholstery class last year, where we built wingback chairs from scratch.

Who helped you with the project and what was each one’s task?
My husband helped me to weld these items together and to add a pedestal so that the axle does not roll.

Is it an item you use as a family or is it more ornamental?
The sofa is in our lodge area, so it is mostly for guests sitting in the lounge.

How can readers tackle such a project cost-effectively?
We were fortunate to already have the parts here on the farm, so I only needed to buy fabric for the mattress and pillows. If you have to go and buy everything, I suggest looking at auctions, where there is a good chance of finding things at an affordable price.

A final word for readers who would like to try their hand at DIY?
Text BoxJust tackle it, don’t doubt that you will succeed – everyone can DIY! It’s a lot of playing around and testing and trying. Your projects become like your children, they are personal and the time and love that go into them makes them special in their own right. The advantage of DIY is that if it doesn’t look right to you, you can change it or redo it – repaint it, take something off, add something, until it suits your taste.