When thinking of stylish homes you might think of Top Billing, the popular South African TV show which allows viewers to peek into some of the most glamorous homes. It’s no wonder then that Top Billing’s home DIY expert and presenter, Aidan Bennetts, was the MC of Selection Warehouse’s new products launch on 6 May.

Aidan Bennetts at Selection Warehouse’s new product launch. Image credit: Selection Warehouse.

New décor and design products, including AMERICAN shutters’ Privacy Select and Privacy Premium custom-fit blinds, were showcased to over 420 guests. The event was the perfect opportunity to learn about innovative new products while enjoying a social drink, eats and live music at Selection Warehouse in Wembley Square, Cape Town.

A lucky guest won a mini home makeover to the value of R10 000. We hope Barak Mizrachi of Barak Mizrachi Architects enjoys his new Privacy blinds (to the value of R 3 000) as included in the prize.

AMERICAN shutters’ exhibition stand at Selection Warehouse.

For the best interior décor and design inspiration the web has to offer, follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook fan page. To find stylish AMERICAN shutters or blinds for your home, visit our online showroom.

Congratulations to Caroleve Seaman who won our Style Secret competition.

“This is really awesome. I have never won anything before!� exclaimed Caroleve when she received the news.

Caroleve Seaman

Caroleve has won AMERICAN shutters’ Privacy Premium wooden louvre blinds valued at R8, 200. This new innovative range offers exceptional light block-out with the first hole-free louvres and the tightest louvre closure.

The competition winner was drawn at random because with so many excellent style secrets, we couldn’t possible choose just one! We posted a few superb style secrets here. Caroleve’s style secret is a fresh French country look.

If you love style secrets, you’ll love following us on Twitter and/or our Facebook fan page where we share the best interior design and décor inspirations the web has to offer.

Thank you to everyone who shared their style secrets with us at Decorex Cape Town. We’re going through the entries for the Style Secret competition and uncovering superb décor tips. Here are a few we love…

Sarah Dienirig isn’t afraid of mixing the old with the new. Maria Visser echoes the sentiment and says that when it comes to interior decorating, “there are no rules�.

“Neutral colours are best,� according to Greg McDavid, one of our Decorex Cape Town ticket winners.

Greg McDavid at our stand, Decorex Cape Town

Decorator Beryl King’s style secret is “simplicity� and Teresa du Toit believes in purchasing the best quality possible.
“Mirrors are the best space enhancers,� says fashion stylist and Hectic 9 TV presenter Danine Naidoo.

Danine Naidoo fills in her style secret

Tanja Gerber, exhibitions co-ordinator, uses colour and texture to add stylish touches to her home.

Interior design student Toni Harris loves sleek elegant spaces that maintain a “homely� feel and model Catherine Lewis prefers to keep interiors simple and minimal in all white.
What are your style secrets?

Watch this space if you want to know who the winner of AMERICAN shutters’ Privacy Premium wooden louvre blinds will be. For the best interior décor and design tips an inspiration the web has to offer, follow Window To Design on Twitter or join our Facebook fan page. To find stylish AMERICAN shutters or blinds for your home, visit our online showroom.

If you visit Decorex Cape Town this weekend, be sure to visit AMERICAN shutters’ exhibition stand (L 21) and enter our STYLE SECRET competition to stand the chance to win Privacy Premium wooden louvre blinds.

To enter ask any AMERICAN shutters staff members for the STYLE SECRET postcard, fill in your STYLE SECRET and contact details, and post it in our competition box at our stand.

Whether you’re an architect, interior designer or homeowner with a keen eye for design, you probably have décor and design STYLE SECRETS (or tips) you use to make your space unique and we’d love to hear them.

Share your STYLE SECRET and Privacy Premium wooden louvre blinds, valued at R8, 200 (including VAT) could be yours! The new innovative range offers exceptional light block-out with the first hole-free louvres. Louvres range in width from a 50mm to 63mm and have the tightest louvre closure.

We’ll be sharing the best STYLE SECRETS from Decorex Cape Town with our Facebook fans and Twitter followers throughout the weekend and beyond. Join our Facebook fan page and/or follow us on Twitter for the best STYLE SECRETS and regular updates on the best interior design inspiration the web has to offer.

Our team at AMERICAN shutters are excited to be exhibiting at Decorex Cape Town from 23 – 27 April at the CTICC. Decorex Cape Town opens on Friday, 23 April from 13h00 – 20h00 and we have 10 tickets for the opening day to give away.

There are 3 ways to win a ticket:

1. Follow us on Twitter and post a tweet including this hash tag: #AMERICANshuttersDecorex.
2. Join our Facebook Fan page and comment on our wall.
3. Subscribe to our blog.

We look forward to meeting you at Decorex Cape Town. Come visit our stand at L21 where you can share your style secret and stand the chance of winning Privacy Select wooden louvre blinds. Watch our blog for details.

We’ll be at Decorex Cape Town at the CTICC from 23 – 27 April and would love to meet you!
We have 10 tickets to give to our special fans and followers. Follow us on Twitter, join our Facebook fan page or subscribe to our blog. That’s all you need to do to win tickets to one of Cape Town’s trendiest décor and interior design events.

How to enter:
• You could post a comment on this blog post or subscribe to this blog (see subscription links in the left hand column)
• You could join our Facebook fan page (extra points if you write on our wall).
• You could follow us on Twitter (extra points if you send us a tweet which includes the hash tag #AMERICANshuttersDecorex)

Decorex Cape Town 2010’s theme is a “Breath of fresh air� and aims to bring a breath of fresh air to the world of interiors. Watch our blog, Facebook fan page and Twitter profile for fresh décor and design tips as well as information about what we’re doing at Decorex Cape Town.

Even if you don’t enter to win tickets, come visit our stand at L 21 where our friendly and knowledgeable AMERICAN shutters’ staff would love to help you select customised shutters and blinds from our extensive range to protect your privacy and beautify your home.

Imagine opening shutters to overlook the tides lapping up on to stretches of sandy beach or a view of mountains and lush exotic forests… It’s a delicious daydream! For residents of Eden Island, a 40 hectare luxury property development in the Seychelles, it is a reality.

In Eden Island a new day is welcomed by opening shutters and blinds made by AMERICAN shutters, manufacturers of customised louvre shutters and blinds in South Africa since 1985.

“Our range of quality adjustable louvre shutters and blinds complement the elegant design and natural beauty of Eden Island. This along with our unique wider slat (63mm) blind, which gives the blinds a ‘shutter-look’ secured AMERICAN shutters the contract, � says Stephen Palmer, managing director of AMERICAN shutters.

We love pouring over the pages of gorgeous glossy interior décor and design magazines as much as the next home enthusiast but we take extra delight when our shutters and blinds are featured.

We were featured in part 2 of Condé Nast House & Garden November 2009 edition’s ‘100 most beautiful S.A rooms.’ The room featured is a classic Clifton villa was pictured 20 years ago, a true testament to the fact that our shutters are timeless classics that never go out of style!

Our shutters were featured in part 3 of the ‘100 most beautiful S.A rooms’ in the December edition.

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The open day at the Building Centre, Rondebosch, was the place to be on Saturday, 24 October. Founded 56 years ago by Laurie Wale, the Building Centre is a fantastic resource offering a permanent public exhibition of building materials for anyone planning on building or renovating.

“Saturday was a special day because people could speak to any of our 200 exhibitors,� said Cheryl Neave, public relations manager for the Building Centre.

We were there to give advice on how shutters add value to your home. One lucky couple went home thrilled to have won our pre-made shutters.

Above: Mr and Mrs Moir, winners of the pre-made shutters.

Saturday’s open day included interesting discussions with a panel of leaders in architecture, design and sustainable living. Speakers included award-winning design consultant Malcolm Worby who specialises in the design of natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly buildings. Anthea Torr, founder and previous editor of the bimonthly South African ecologically sound lifestyle magazine Biophile, spoke on how to become self-sustainable. Rob Johnson, executive director of Masters Builders Association, spoke about stress free building. Charles Homan presented alternative building systems including light frame housing and insulating systems.

Mama Rosie beamed with pride as the first four fruit trees were planted on the plot of her community project in Khayelitsha on Friday, 16 October.

“We are so excited about the trees,� said Mama Rosie who started the Mama Rosie Community Project in 2005. “We live in a squatter camp and these are the first fruit trees in our community!�

Mama Rosie started the community project four years ago when she saw a need to help unemployed people find employment or start their own business. She started by teaching them skills like sewing and painting and over the past four years has helped 26 people. Currently there are 13 people in the programme and last year they started a food garden and are learning how to farm in urban areas at low cost.

The donation of fruit trees is part of the AMERICAN shutters’ green initiative in which they have sponsored 100 trees to be planted in disadvantaged communities of the Western Cape all of which will be planted at Mama Rosie’s Community Project.

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