With limited space and a tight budget, we had to think creatively about how to put together a boho, beautiful and practical workspace with Tjhoko.

When we decided to tackle this work area, patterns, texture and colour were at the top of the wish list. We wanted an inspirational space where ideas could flow often and easily. With Tjhoko’s versatile range of products and their wonderful colour palette, it wasn’t difficult to put together exactly what we had in mind. The wall is painted in Simon Says, a stimulating mustard-yellow colour. Old drawers with a variety of doorknobs serve as shelves above the table. Various paint and stencil techniques were used on the drawers, including Stencil of Paris, Tjhoko’s stencil paste. You can leave Stencil of Paris in its original white or you can paint over it when it is dry – as we did on the teal and wine-red drawers. You can also sandpaper lightly over the stencil paste if you prefer. The possibilities are endless- this product provides textures and patterns!

We also stencilled with ordinary Tjhoko paint, and the white drawer was ‘distressed’ by painting it in Cloud White and sanding it.

The colours used on the drawers are (top, from left): Nade (teal), Karema (wine red), with just a stencil design in Stencil of Paris on the right-hand drawer. The bottom left drawer is painted in Cloud White and the last drawer is done in True Blue with Nade stencil. The lever-arch files were painted in Sherifs Stone, a charcoal colour. Because Tjhoko is also a chalkboard paint, the contents of the files were listed on the outside with chalk. An old door serves as the table top. It was first painted in Simon Says and then in True Blue. Afterwards, it was lightly sanded to allow the yellow to show through here and there, and to create a weathered effect.

The old crates that we’ve used to support the table top were whitewashed with a mixture of equal amounts of Antique Brown Glaze and Vinia Stone which was rubbed on with a damp cloth. The seat is made from an old petrol drum, cut in half and wheels added, and then painted in Karema.

The cushion was covered in a natural, woven, cream-coloured fabric that was painted with Nade, True Blue
and Karema. The stripes were created by using masking tape. We converted a few baskets into our lampshades. A selection of decor items and old books complete the space.