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Nicole Capper was crowned at a glittering ceremony at Emperors Palace in February, and will represent South Africa at the Mrs World competition hosted in December at the same venue.
Nicole is married to Brian Capper and is mum to Joshua, 7, and Tatum, 3. She is also a pharmacist, public speaker, guest house owner and a lover of the great outdoors. Her family home in Broadacres, near Fourways, north of Joburg, reflects her vision.
“Priorities when seeking our home were that it had to be close to good schools, in a place with a good sense of community, be safe, and feel more rural than urban.”
Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency(ANA)
She found all that at Oudebosch Estate, a modern lifestyle estate.
“I’m a Joburg girl. I grew up in Northcliff and lived in Northriding and Chartwell so I like to have the feel of the outdoors.
“I decided on this house four years ago, after spending a show-day afternoon in the park nearby and meeting neighbours from this complex.”
Nicole’s open-plan, double-storey home reflects a strong taste for contemporary style.
One of the first things you see is a painting of a white lion, titled Boldness, which she bought from artist friend Tim Naude. It is waiting to be hung, but in the meantime it is propped on top of a light wooden sideboard made by long time friend Tarryn Neustadt, owner of Bleached Decor.
“I love supporting my friends and I gather art and music which express something I identify with.”
Her couches are brown leather - child-resistant and forgiving to a basset hound named Basil. The dining table is made from solid, light wood, lined with white bucket seats from Contemporary Living. It is adorned with a single black protea ornament in a vase, and is lit by a copper pendant light.
The kitchen tops are granite, but the piece de la resistance in this space is an in-built bar, once a narrow storage cupboard. It consists of nine pairs of steel rings for wine bottles which flank two illuminated shelves for glasses.
Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency(ANA)
“It was my idea. I think it works well,” she says.
Through glass sliding doors on to the patio is another striking piece in a corner, a hanging wicker chair Nicole bought at Weylandts: “I love it. It’s functional and beautiful.”
On the patio table is a centrepiece delightful in its simplicity - an arrangement of succulents in an old-fashioned enamel bowl.
Upstairs, one of the three bedrooms is used as a playroom, while a second bedroom is the domain of the children, who share a bunk bed.
“I grew up sharing a bedroom with my brother; I have fond memories of the camaraderie. I don’t buy into gender roles so the dinosaurs mix with the dolls in here.”
The main bedroom features another Neustadt masterpiece, a bleached and paint-distressed wooden slatted headboard which needed winching into the bedroom through a window.
Tarryn Neustadt made the headboard in the main bedroom. Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency(ANA)
“I found what I wanted on Pinterest and Tarryn made it,” says Nicole.
On either side of the bed are steampunk hanging lamps, a look she loves. “It’s contemporary and interesting”.
Nicole has created her own bedroom artwork, a collage of exclusive Polaroid photos of Taylor Swift that came with the singer’s 1989 album. The photos are of Swift, with handwritten lyrics beneath each picture.
“She’s my idol. When pregnant with Tatum in 2015, my mom and I went to see her live in concert in Philadelphia.”
Coming downstairs one faces a long landing window seemingly sandblasted in the shape of a sparse, wintry tree. Orange blooms on the outside foliage appear to adorn its branches.
When the family moved in, it was a clear window, but Nicole came up with clever solution to create some privacy, but retain the light.
“It’s not really sandblasted. It’s actually vinyl frosting for windows. It’s easy to apply and inexpensive.”
Talking of vinyl, Nicole is a big fan, collecting vinyls of all her favourite artists.
Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency(ANA)
She plays them on her Crosley turntable, her ultimate trendy item, bought on Superblast.com. She confesses she’s keen on shopping online.
The turntable is duck-egg blue, a colour repeated throughout her home.
Nicole must rate as the most design-conscious, bang-on-trend Mrs South Africa ever.