This Illovo home is an exuberant expression of the fun, free-spirited and unique style of its creative owners "I couldn't live in a generic, cookie-cutter house," says blogger, restaurateur and entrepreneur Angie Batis Durrant. And why should she? After all, it's Angie's well-documented - and enviable - affinity for the eccentric, the unique and the distinctive that has made her a social media darling. With her husband, Shane (who is her business partner as well as the lead vocalist for rock band Desmond & The Tutus), and their daughter, Nina James, Angie lives in a brimful yet spacious Illovo flat that exudes a warm, lived-in vibe."I like collecting, but I'm actually a neat freak," says Angie, who gets a kick out of regularly changing things around. "I've always liked to try seeing from different angles. It's refreshing." Her taste also varies. One collecting phase saw Angie accumulate vintage animal ceramics (including more than 200 deer!). Some of these strange-looking "unfortunate creatures", as Angie refers to them, have found refuge on Nina's bedroom shelves, while a motley collection of dog figurines survey the guest bathroom.mini_story_image_vleft1A custom-made bookshelf in the open-plan living area displays large ceramic horse-head bookends and more deer (brass this time, and inherited from her grandmother), plus quirky family photos, her mom's old teacups, snowglobes from travels, a headless kewpie doll made by the couple, and astoundingly intricate illustrations by Jean de Wet. "Curating became an obsession of mine," says Angie, who acquired many treasured art pieces from exhibitions at Wolves, the coffee shop formerly owned by the couple. She's drawn not just to the pretty but to the darker, the somewhat macabre. There's a black poster from Paris in the kitchen that simply features the word "Dead", an unnerving Lady Diana print in the dining room and a small, absurdly funny, headless sculpture called Bad Dad by Frank van Reenen in the dining room.Other powerful works include an unsettling painting by Mariette Bergh and the lovely Starman by illustrator Amber Smith in Nina's room. The Forever, Then, Now & Always wood laser cut by Dani Loureiro was an anniversary gift to Shane, and Angie tracked down Cape Town artist Ali Aschman and commissioned her to create the massive artwork on the living-room wall.Work by illustrator and painter Nina Torr, a favourite of Angie's, also features prodigiously. And the Desmond-&-The-Tutus-dressed-up-as-Kiss poster is from one of Shane's first gigs. "Most of my stuff has stories attached to it," says Angie. A life-sized springbok (called Simon) occupies a corner of the dining room, for example. "Years ago, some friends freed him from an office park for me," she laughs.mini_story_image_vright2Armed with ideas from Pinterest, Angie imprinted her signature fun and gender-neutral (her nickname is "Pants" as she never wears dresses) aesthetic on Nina's bedroom. "Pink was banned at the baby shower," says Angie. Shane built the charming wooden bed and compactum, and Angie's childhood stickers have been arranged and framed for the wall, reinvented from the past just like the old framed family passports in the dining room or original '50s floral wallpaper bought on eBay and now decorating its ceiling. "It's sad when things are boxed and we never see them again."The cabin-like bed and forestry theme in the main bedroom are complemented by mountain-themed wallpaper by Pretoria designers Driehoek - also commissioned by Angie. An oddly captivating Richard Hart sketch on the wall here was the first artwork she ever bought. The vintage wooden dressing table was handed down from Shane's granny and the clothing shelves are by Dokter and Misses.A recurring design motif throughout the flat are portraits of Angie and Shane - as illustrated skulls near the front door, a commissioned piece by Johnny Kotze, an embroidered likeness by Shane's sister, a kitschy-cool rendition by a street painter and even one quirky illustration of the pair received anonymously in the post. "That was one of the best things I've ever been given," Angie says.This creative couple take true delight in all things bespoke and original, and their home feels like the perfect representation of their unique approach to the world...