Retha Vorster's home is a magical place complete with sash windows, picturesque garden statues and sparkling chandeliers. Her decorating signature incorporates period styles and romantic, French country house elements. Grey is a classic neutral shade but if you equate it with your school days or hospital corridors, you wont recognise the colour in this fun and funky incarnation. When interiors architect Roger Martin renovated three cottages dating back to 1885, he knocked them together and opened up the spaces to let in the light and Table Mountain views. Here's why it works. The power of colour to make a home meld with its natural environment is harnessed at Pezula Private Estate in Knysna. A fashion designers flair ensured the best-dressed walls for this French-inspired boudoir-style home. Surprisingly, it is in Marrakech, the Red City, that you'll find a green-blue oasis that makes the perfect argument for going blue all over. Bernie Diedericks brought the soft shades of the Swartland indoors, giving his home an airy sense of limitless space. Taking on Table Mountain's earthy colours has made this Cape Town boutique hotel one with its setting. The colours that transformed a slave lodge into a plush hideaway can have a similar effect in a family home. It's all in the detail. 
Subtle colours, striking impact
