The Dream Catcher

Building or renovating a house is probably one of the biggest investments that most of us make. And particularly in renovations, the unwelcome surprises that you will uncover along the way, can derail the very best made plans. That is why it is so important to get the right team, and particularly the right person, to lead your team.

In my case, the whole interior of the building was re-assessed, re-imagined, re-designed, stripped back to the core, and transformed, to address all the weaknesses inherent in the original build and ultimately to transform the equivalent of a 1-star look-and-feel, into the equivalent of 5-star luxury. As if this undertaking was not nerve wrecking enough, I have had to have this work done in a tight time frame, of 6 months, with a pre-defined budget, whilst living 10 000 km away, in another country, and getting on with my day to day business, without the luxury of seeing the work first hand until it has all been completed.

Needless to say, work of this kind needs daily oversight, because there are many ways in which to interpret a plan, and every unexpected curveball threatens to undermine the intended outcome. In addition, I had 3 creative entities working on this – an interior design team, a custom furniture / kitchen design team, and a team focusing on structural / architectural / practical matters. In short- I needed someone that could not only handle the project management and handle the unexpected curve-balls of a renovation, but also to help consolidate the end result of the three creative forces to seamlessly merge into a gloriously unified whole.

In short: I had a dream, but I needed a kind of, living and breathing, Dream Catcher, that could latch on to that dream, and drive it into reality.

This is where Soekie Earle came in – and the exceptional talent that she brought to bear. Not only was she a world class project manager, but also acted as a designer in chief, who was vital to ensure that what I wanted as the client, got merged into a glorious whole by all that worked on it, from the 3 design entities to the people that executed that plan… Many of the design features, such as the glorious staircase were due to her own design touch.

I must say that she is simply one of the most talented and resourceful people that I have ever had the good fortune to work with – globally. The perfect match between a chief designer and a project manager. The images of the property speak for themselves…

If you live in the Garden Route and need someone special for your own project and expect world-class outcomes, look no further. I wholeheartedly recommend her.

Thank you Soekie, you have been absolutely outstanding.