Homes are quiet storytellers. They hold our histories, moods, collections, instincts and contradictions. Tussen Mure, the kykNET lifestyle series based on the 13 chapters of a seven-kilogram South African coffee-table publication, travels into the private worlds of men across the country, exploring how identity is expressed through space.

Rather than framing interiors as perfectly curated sets, the series reveals them as lived-in environments shaped by memory, ritual, humour and the passage of time. Each home reflects a distinct relationship between person and place, honouring the diversity of South Africa’s design language.

A concept built on depth, not décor trends

The original book, conceptualised and authored by Leoni Smit, was created over a meticulous three-year period. She spent a full year travelling across South Africa to find the 23 men and homes with the visual weight and authenticity to carry the project, followed by two additional years of photography, editing and refinement. The result was a body of work that treated interiors as emotional landscapes rather than styled rooms.

From page to screen

With the support of iFX Brokers, the book’s structure – 13 chapters exploring different expressions of masculine interiority – transitioned into a televised format. Elmi de Pauw, from Walla Films, shaped the production’s quiet, observational tone, ensuring the contemplative world of the book remained intact on screen.

As co-presenter, Eugene Coetzee guides viewers through atmosphere and emotional nuance, offering interpretation rather than intervention. His presence completes the trio of creative voices translating the book’s world into moving images.

On television, no home is redesigned or altered. Each space is observed exactly as it exists, allowing viewers to appreciate its integrity.

Homes that hold worlds

Across the country, the series visits spaces that range from whimsical to restrained, monumental to modest, layered to minimal. Some homes celebrate collecting; others honour architectural simplicity. Yet each reveals something true: interiors are not backdrops – they are mirrors.

The featured properties represent a selection from the full 23 documented in the original publication, including heritage farmhouses, contemporary studios, artist residences, restored manors, rural hideaways and boutique-style guesthouses.

A Collective lens on how we live

Tussen Mure succeeds because it does not present a single narrative. Instead, it offers a constellation of South African experiences – a visual anthropology of how men create meaning behind closed doors.

Its translation from page to screen is held by a collective:

  • Leoni Smit, whose book established the conceptual world
  • Elmi from Walla Films, who shaped the series’ quiet, observational tone
  • Eugene Coetzee, co-presenter, whose role is interpretive rather than decorative 

Together, they provide a lens that honours each home exactly as it is.

A celebration of South African interior identity

As Tussen Mure airs on kykNET from October 2025 to January 2026, it invites viewers – and Garden & Home readers – to look at interiors with greater curiosity.

Not as aspirational scenes.
Not as trends to imitate.
But as expressions of life.

Ultimately, Tussen Mure is a tribute to the honesty found in the rooms we build, the objects we keep, and the stories that continue to unfold within our walls.