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Julia, standing next to her fiancé Ari’s piano and a vintage Beastie Boys poster artwork, holding her award-winning Peg Light. -
Julia and her sister, Angela Nemov, made the kitchen chandelier out of canning jars. -
The dining area, a collection of framed postcards and prints from Julia and Ari’s travels, vintage nesting tables, and a table lamp by Nolden Bros. -
In the middle of the Vamp bookshelf is a work by Ari called Old Man Walking, and hanging above it are two works by artist Olaf Bisschoff, a print and a landscape painting in oil. -
Behind Julia are vintage pigeonholes from Milnerton Flea Market, a few collected prints and paraphernalia, a wooden puzzle spelling “Julia” from her childhood, Suzelle stickers and knolc printed stationery. -
Two photographic artworks, the black-and-white one by Mbongeni Dlamini and the one of a fish-and-chips shop by Ashley Walters. -
Julia designed this chest of drawers, and it was made of reclaimed wood by Eco Furniture Design in Woodstock. -
On the bathroom windowsill is a vintage ornamental shelf that Julia found at a flea market. -
Julia’s mom, Christine Poulos, found and restored this antique chandelier. She sells vintage finds and artefacts through her online shop Waiting for George. The headboard fabric is from Lula Fabrics. -
A display of found antique ceramics and hand-made clay animal buttons by Button Barn in Elgin.
PHOTOS Adriaan Oosthuizen PRODUCTION Sumien Brink WORDS Ami Kapilevich
The multi-talented actress behind the SuzelleDIY character and brand allowed us to explore her home and the path to her remarkable success.
“It’s so easy to be Suzelle,” says Julia Anastasopoulos, “but it’s hard to be… like this.”
Julia is being photographed in her study, but she’s a lot more used to slipping into the Suzelle persona for her hit DIY comedy skits.
The Suzelle character was born when Julia and her fiancé Ari Kruger were developing a script about an Afrikaans girl who lives in Arniston. As the character took on a life of her own, Suzelle picked up Julia’s knack for DIY, and Ari directed (and continues to produce and direct) some clips that went viral on YouTube.
The popularity of the concept is the combination of humour and, perhaps most importantly, genuine usefulness. The SuzelleDIY ideas are as valuable as they are accessible. It’s what lifted Suzelle from a persona to a brand.
Julia’s apartment in Oranjezicht comprises two flats that were joined together when she and her sisters all lived and studied here. It doesn’t take long to spot the DIY influence – the first thing you notice when entering the apartment is a huge light fitting made of console jars that dominates the kitchen.
“It was a big job,” says Julia, “so we got some help with the bulkhead, but I designed the light myself. I’ve always been about repurposing old or unused objects. I get it from my mom, who was an art teacher. We share that design aesthetic. I love trawling flea markets and second-hand shops, and breathing new life into old objects.”
So the flair for DIY that Julia breathes into Suzelle is not at all contrived. And making the chandelier in the kitchen wasn’t the first time Julia repurposed objects to create a light fitting. In 2008 she won a prize in a competition run by Eskom for a gorgeous light fitting she created out of plastic pegs.
Julia’s living space is a trove of mid-century modern furniture: an old curved mirror, cabinets with ornate handles, side tables with tapering legs, vintage lights. The art on the walls is a combination of ’60s kitsch (a cluster of small framed prints and illustrations, an old map of Amsterdam) and modern (a painting by London-based artist Warren Lewis called Tuition & Truffles).
You can tell a lot about a person by the books they have on their shelves. Julia’s contain books about dramatic narrative (The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers), cooking (Nigella Bites) and, of course, DIY (Sew and Save by Joanna Chase and How to Do Just About Anything by Reader’s Digest) – all the ingredients that gave birth to Suzelle on one shelf.
Julia is a multitalented artist. She studied drama at the University of Cape Town and has appeared on stage and screen. She is also a qualified graphic designer with her own studio, called knolc illustration and design, through which she has produced children’s book illustrations and large murals for Cape Town’s MyCiti bus service, among other projects. But the run-away success of the SuzelleDIY brand has meant that she’s focusing her energy on that for now.
SuzelleDIY even published a book last year (in which you can learn how to remove a stripped screw and bake bread in a pot, among other skills). There’s a feature film on the cards, and as of 2 May she has made her television debut on Comedy Central.
“I’ve created a monster,” says Julia, “an alter ego. When I’m her I can do anything. And I didn’t know I could do that.”
