Home truths
STRICTLY’S MOTSI MABUSE GETS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH HER HOME
Motsi lives near Frankfurt, Germany with her husband and young daughter
WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU WALK IN YOUR FRONT DOOR? Shoes off, breathe in, breathe out. Then I drop myself on this big, big bean bag – it’s my place of relaxation.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE TIME OF THE DAY AT HOME? Between six and eight in the evening – that’s when I have some of my ‘me’ time. I get to work out, chill or meditate. I can maybe watch a movie, or just lie there and have time by myself.
WHERE’S YOUR HAPPY PLACE AT HOME? The bean bag! But, really, my whole place is my happy place. We live in Taunus, which is the forest close to Frankfurt, so I love it when I'm driving back there, feeling like I’m leaving everything, all the stress behind me and I’m focused on being home.
WHAT’S YOUR HOME ADDICTION? Candles, for sure! I really love vanilla-scented ones, which remind me a little bit of home. I also like to have candles when I’m meditating and I prefer bergamot for a more earthy kind of smell. I love the German brand Engels Kerzen, which has these big outdoor candles. It’s wonderful being able to sit on the terrace at night and light the candles.
WHAT’S YOUR PET PEEVE? I wanted a home that I would live in forever, with no stairs or anything. So that’s what annoys me about this place – the stairs! It doesn’t feel future-proofed enough.
DO YOU HAVE A BAD HOME HABIT YOU’D LIKE TO QUIT? I leave my slippers everywhere I go. When I get in the house I take off my shoes and put slippers on, but when I go into another room I take those slippers off and put another pair on – so there’s literally a pair of my slippers in every room!
WHAT CHORE DO YOU LOVE DOING? Cooking. If it even is a chore, because for me it’s meditation and I love doing it. I’ll cook everything, absolutely everything. I love exploring, cooking and feeding my family. I have the pleasure of loving food.
WHAT CHORE DO YOU HATE DOING? Cleaning up. And ironing -Ihate ironing. I just don’t do it!
DO YOU TRY YOUR HAND AT DIY OR GET SOMEONE IN?
I get people in, but there’s one room I have left to do and I have this urge to do it myself. This room has got all my working-out stuff and my meditation corner, so I want to make it comfy and nice. My husband is fighting with me because he says I’m turning the house into a fitness centre, but I want this room to have a Motsi energy.
