REWIND

REDO
RENEW
38 REASONS
WHY DESIGN
IS FOR
EVERYONE

MAKING 30 sqm WORK

5
MEGA
MAKEOVERS

15
HIP
UPSTARTS

COUNT
THE
HORSES
INSIDE
AND
WIN!

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The universal bulthaup b3 design system offers everything you could wish for from
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bulthaup b1 means room-height architecture, proportional coherence, seamless
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It is clear from each plan that this is a bulthaup product. And true to the motto
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bulthaup b2
Based on the philosophical origins of every living space the re and water point
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CON ENTS

COVER PHOTO MICKY HOYLE

E S S AY S
M

EDITORS LETTER
CONTRIBUTORS
VISI.CO.ZA
VOICES: Dominique Botha
VOICES: Timothy Noakes
VOICES: Angela Makholwa
VOICES: Mary Watson
VOICES: Nathan Trantraal
VOICES: Sipho Hlongwane

STELLENBOSCH RANCH
WINELANDS VILLA
PARKVIEW RENOVATION
CAPE TOWN HOTEL
GREEN POINT APARTMENT
MELROSE LOFT
PRINGLE BAY COTTAGE
JOBURG STUDIO
ATLANTIC SEABOARD CELLAR

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38 REASONS TO LOVE THE YEAR OF THE HORSE

1. Babies get us all broody

2. Good furniture can be forever
3. Little feet have big shoes to ll
4. Mermaids are mystical
5. Old hats are taught new tricks
6. Ambiente went big on Japan
7. Its coming to a store near you
8. Ponies are pretty
9. Well always have Paris
10. Weve got a copper crush
11. A little bling goes a long way
12. Its actually a design oasis
13. Zen is served on a plate
14. Hes showing in Milan with the big boys
15. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor
16. The spotlight is on showbiz glam
17. The world is watching
18. Brandy is trailblazing
19. We can be left to our own devices
20. Green solutions rise from the ruins
21. Weve got our beady eye on that weave
22. This table is shaped by body language
23. You can wear art around your neck
24. In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king
25. Its showing inside the artists own home
26. The puppet procession comes to town
27. The designer will buy his furniture back from you
28. The map is not the territory
29. Theyre scatter pals
30. Rules can be broken
31. It just takes a new frame of mind
32. First came Shack Chic, now theres Real Meal Revolution
33. These books are for keeps
34. It gets under our skin
35. Childhood friends can be business besties
36. The owers of tomorrow are in the seeds of yesterday
37. Hes crafting love not war, all the way to Hollywood
38. Seven Framed pendant lights are up for grabs
SMART IDEA

132

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PAGE 14
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PAGE 32-41
PAGE 42-51
PAGE 52-61
PAGE 62-71
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PAGE 98-105
PAGE 106-111

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PAGE 119
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PAGE 186
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124

126

128

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WELCOME
TO OUR
AUTUMN ISSUE.
This is the rst magazine we have produced in the Chinese
year of the horse, which started on 31 January. The year of the
horse is said to be inspirational, logical, intelligent and
friendly, and promises a time of unexpected adventure, quick
victories and surprising romance.
I dont normally take too much notice of the Chinese zodiac
but as soon as we started working on this issue, horses started
popping up on wine estates, wallpaper, ne bone china and
artworks. So much so that we have prizes for counting the
correct number of horses in the magazine (page 14).
Perhaps signicantly, it is also the year of the rst World
Congress on Architecture in Sub-Saharan Africa, in Durban
from 3 to 7 August (uia2014durban.org). The focus will be on
local issues but the solutions will be globally relevant and its
not too late to book.

Living with books has always been important to me and

Im still determined to install a ceiling made of wellthumbed tomes, similar to the one by British artist Richard
Wentworth, which I saw at the Istanbul Modern Art Museum
(below) last year. Imagine my delight when I found a whole
bookcase colour-coded by the owners of Johannesdal
outside Stellenbosch and books throughout MannaBay in
Cape Town. Check out our website for more clever book
decor ideas.
Speaking of decor ideas, in this issue we are also
highlighting some fun and ingenious renovation tricks that
wont cost the earth and will make you see the ordinary in a
dierent way. Look for the throughout the magazine.
Remember though, you have to move fast in the year of the
horse otherwise it might gallop o in the wrong direction!

PHOTO MURAT-GERMEN

Sumien

CANE TIME
Loop Street Maitland Cape Town Tel: +27 21 5101072
12 Kramer Road Kramerville Johannesburg Tel: +27 11 2622752
cane@canetime.com www.canetime.com

www.dedon.de

CONTRIBUTORS
ELNA VAN DER MERWE
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12

EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Sumien Brink
Deputy Editor Annemarie Meintjes
Art Director Anton Pietersen
Managing Editor Lise Avis
Features & Online Editor Nadine Botha
Features Writer Debbie Loots
Editorial & Online Assistant Chantel Hans
Editor-at-Large Malibongwe Tyilo
Copy Editor Vicky Hunter
Administrative Manager Samantha Charles
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Business Manager Diane Lubbe 083 391 1651
Brand Manager Cecilia Boughen 021 417 1200
Senior Sales Executives
Eva Cookson (Cape Town) 021 417 1274
Nicolette Davids (Johannesburg) 084 585 6034
Advertising Coordinator Lesley Green
DISTRIBUTION & SUBSCRIPTIONS
Distribution RNA Distribution
Product Manager Erica Erasmus:
ericae@RNAD.co.za, 011 248 3533
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS: RNA
visisubs@RNAD.co.za, 011 473 8700
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: MYSUBS
mysubs.co.za/contact, 0861 697 827
PUBLISHING TEAM
General Manager: Consumer Division
Aileen Lamb
Account Director Cat Anderson
Junior Account Executive Thanaa Moosa
Production Manager Shirley Quinlan
Circulation Manager Neilton Adams 021 417 1217
Reproduction New Media Publishing
Printed by Paarl Media Paarl
Published by New Media Publishing (Pty) Ltd,
New Media House, 19 Bree Street, Cape Town
PO Box 440, Green Point, Cape Town 8051
Telephone: 021 417 1111
E-mail: visi@visi.co.za

www.newmediapub.co.za
New Business Enquiries
Andrew Nunneley 021 417 1143
General Manager Production Lucrezia Wolfaard
Chief Financial Ocer Mark Oaten
Head of Strategy & Marketing Helne Lindsay
Executive Directors Irna van Zyl, John Psillos
Managing Director Bridget McCarney

All rights reserved. While precautions

have been taken to ensure the accuracy of
information, neither the editor, publisher nor
New Media Publishing can be held liable for any
inaccuracies, injury or damages that may arise.
The opinions expressed in the articles may not
reect those of the publisher.

URPDDQGWR\DSHQGDQWE\VSD]LROLJKWLQJZZZVSD]LRFR]D

Cant wait for the next VISI? Get your daily dose at

VISI.CO.ZA
HOME

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CONTAINER CRAY CRAY

BLOG

Shipping containers have taken eco-friendly, time-ecient architecture by storm and were
seeing fabulous examples pop up all over South Africa in the form of apartments, classrooms,
libraries, orphanages and more. Follow the craze online at VISI.co.za/tag/containers.

COUNT THE
HORSES AND WIN
Weve let all the ponies out to play in this issue
and invite you to count them all for the chance
to win. Theres a dinner for two at the Equus
Dine restaurant at the Cavalli Estate (page 32)
and two horse candles from Sobeit (page 119) up
for grabs. Enter at VISI.co.za/competitions

SEARCH

ITS MILAN TIME

As usual in April, millions of people will
descend on Italy for the design worlds biggest
and grandest aair, the Milan Furniture Fair.
We will also be there and you can follow our
coverage of the hottest new products and
trends at VISI.co.za/tag/milan.

WHATS ON

Autumn is here and, although theres a

chill in the air, the days are still beautiful
and the longer nights only mean more time
to socialise. Make the most of the sublime
season with our monthly diary of
exhibitions, sales, pop-ups, parties and
launches at VISI.co.za/tag/diary.

SS 2014 Col l ec ti on

Available soon at entrepo

www.entrepo.co.za
Phone: 021-4487192
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VOICES

TAKING A
WORD FOR A WALK
WORDS DOMINIQUE BOTHA

The magic of autumn has seized the countryside; now

that the sun isnt ripening anything it shines for the sake
of the golden age; for the sake of Eden; to please the
moon for all I know. ELIZABETH COATSWORTH

PHOTO RETHA FERGUSON. LMAD SCARF DESIGN LYCHEES BY NICO KRIJNO

AUTUMN

arrives on the Highveld by way of a

dirt road overgrown with cosmos.
Doves pu up. Tree sap falls. Foliage takes leave in superlatives
of fading subtlety. A time to take stock and withdraw into the
pages of an etymological dictionary, like caterpillars spinning
silk caskets to shelter wandering monarchs.
Old French gave us the word autumn. In 16th-century
England it was simply known as harvest, still heard like a
fading bell on Germanic tongues to this day: herfs in Afrikaans,
haust in Icelandic and hairst in Scottish. The Americans held
onto fall, thought to be a contraction of the fall of the year,
a keepsake from Middle English.
As a child, autumn meant a family holiday next to the sea.
My father was a mielie farmer and the interval between late
summer and early autumn was the quietest time of the year.
We would pack up and head for the coast where mongooses
ate our Easter eggs. Its only later in life that one reads the
shorter days and thicker mists with an undertone of sweet
sorrow. Especially in a crestfallen seaside town pulling down
the hatches on summers promise and possibilities.
Driving back through the Karoo Id watch reeling swallows
limbering up for their long migration through the rear window
of my fathers Volkswagen. On the saltbush ats rolling past,
sheep huddled in thickening coats. The northern Free State
concludes summer in blond grass, blue sky and lowveld
oranges freshly arrived at the grocer in town.
Seasons are one of many celestial rhythms in the
counterpoint that conducts our moods and movements. The
heart dispenses an allotment of life in beats. The earth dances
around herself and gives us night and day. The moon is a
bewitching sundial and the month her cadence. And the sun
determines the quartering of the year. Cued by the growing
darkness that follows the summer solstice, many animals
withdraw into hibernation and one in 10 Finns overeat and
feel gloomy. We also tend to die in autumn.
When architect Le Corbusier passed away in the early
autumn of 1965, his wicked friend Salvador Dali said:
Corbusiers death lls me with an immense joy. Dali thought
his buildings to be the ugliest and most unacceptable in the
world, and referred to him as a pitiable creature working
in reinforced concrete. He nevertheless placed a wreath at
his friends grave confessing that on the one hand I detested
him but on the other hand I am an absolute coward. Dalis
famous painting Autumnal Cannibalism, of two gures
daintily eating each other with unnerving civility is thought

to be oblique commentary on the Spanish Civil War.

Autumn has been a muse to many.
Keats famously praised her mists and mellow fruitfulness.
The wild swans at Coole in the October twilight drove Yeats to
rhyme. Henry David Thoreau, on looking out at an autumnal
Walden pond said: I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have
it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
The great NP van Wyk Louw made the turning of the year
in the Boland his own in the sonnet Vroegherfs:
Die jaar word ryp in goue akkerblare,
in wingerd wat verbruin, en witter lug
wat daglank van die nuwe wind en klare
son deurspoel word.
The vineyards in these lines have been stripped bare of
grapes. Like sweetened vestiges of captured sunlight, they are
eventually decanted as solace for those not lucky enough to
follow the sun. Those who can, do. Such as the northerners
with homes in Clifton.
Or sardines, like a silver current of coins for shermen,
that shoal up along the Agulhas bank and head north in May.
Or the monarch butteries of the US who have a biological
reminder hidden in their antennae to start heading south when
the rst frost falls. Generations of monarchs obey an ancient
bidding to overwinter in the oyamel trees of Mexico. No single
buttery makes the entire round trip. Emerging from the split
chrysalis in early spring, the renewed buttery uncrinkles her
wings and ies north along a corridor of milkweed thistle. Like
a uttering metaphor of sun lust.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Dominique was almost born in a car between
Viljoenskroon and Klerksdorp in 1971.
2. She remembers as a child, lying in the dark passage
to hear classical music drifting from the radio next
to her mothers bed.
3. Now she lives in Jozi and loves the summertime lightning
and thunder, and that an owl is living in their garden.
4. The Owl Box Project aims to provide articial breeding
places in urban gardens for the many spotted eagles and
barn owls seen in Gauteng and surrounding areas.
5. Dominique completed her MA in Creative Writing at
Wits and penned her poignant debut novel, Valsrivier,
during this time.
6. Her husband, Adi Enthoven, is her Twitter handle.

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

19

VOICES

THE
REAL REVOLUTION
WORDS TIMOTHY NOAKES

In the second half of my life I discovered that the

healthy dietary advice I had followed religiously
for 33 years was the most likely cause of my
growing ill health, writes Tim.
raised by parents from
the North of England who
believed in the value of eggs, bacon and oal
for breakfast, and meat or sh for lunch and
dinner. Then I went o to medical school and
became clever and educated. I learned that a
famous American, Dr Ancel Keys had, through
a series of brilliant experiments, conclusively
proved that animal fats clog human arteries
causing us to drop dead from heart attacks.
When this new wisdom was consecrated
by the United States Department of
Agriculture in their 1977 Dietary Goals for
Americans, I was the rst in line advocating
that dietary fat was the main enemy of
human health. And from that moment, until
12 December 2010, I religiously restricted
the fat in my diet, focusing instead on six to
11 servings a day of wholesome cereals and
not worrying about all the sugar, geneticallymodied grains and vegetable oils I was
now eating in the low-fat health options
that I had been assured would ensure my
long-term vitality.
My epiphany occurred more than 18 years
after my remarkable father had died from the
complications of Type 2 diabetes mellitus
(T2DM). At the time of his death I had
assumed, as I had been taught, that T2DM
is a progressive disease beyond the cure
of modern medicines pharmacopeia. And
because I ate so little fat and exercised so
much, completing more than 70 marathons or
longer running races, I was naturally immune
to my fathers fate. Alas not so at the age
of 63 I was nally forced to accept that I too
have T2DM.
And so began a search to understand how
this could possibly have happened. Having
now read more than 100 books and thousands
of scientic articles I believe I understand the
simple answers.
First, my experience is far from unique.
Since widespread adoption of the 1977 US

20

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

Dietary Goals, obesity and diabetes have

marched across the globe aecting all
populations eating our modern healthy diet.
The epidemic has occurred so rapidly and is so
costly that it is predicted that diabetes alone
will bankrupt US medical services by 2026.
Probably the same outcome will occur even
sooner in South Africa.
Second, having a father with T2DM, placed
me at a 10-fold increased risk of developing this
condition. Somehow this fact had escaped my
attention during my medical training.
Third, the biological abnormality I
inherited is an impaired capacity to safely store
and metabolise ingested carbohydrates. So the
very foodstu that after 1977 had become the
staple of my diet, was precisely what my body
is unable to process safely and which I would
have been best advised to avoid all my life.
Worse, only quite recently, did I nally
appreciate that the human has no need for
ingested carbohydrate there is no essential
carbohydrate without which humans cannot
survive and thrive. An evolutionary history
in which most of our dietary energy has come
from fat and protein has provided humans with
an unmatched capacity to generate internally,
from those two foodstus, all the
carbohydrates our bodies might require.
So I concluded that if a low-fat highcarbohydrate diet had put me in this
predicament, perhaps eating its polar opposite
a low-carbohydrate high-fat diet would
be my cure. Three-and-a-half years later,
21 kilograms lighter, 40 minutes faster over
21 kilometres, my T2DM daily in retreat and the
renewed vigour of my youth, the results have
been spectacular. Exactly as the science,
unknown to me until recently, said it would be.
I wish only that I had known this 34 years ago
when my father rst fell ill.
One oshoot of this journey has been the
book The Real Meal Revolution, written with
coauthors Jonno Proudfoot, David Grier and

Sally-Ann Creed. The spectacular success of

the book (see page 168), which is already in its
seventh printing within the rst three months
of its release, tells us that South Africans are
tired of nutritional advice that simply does not
work. They are ready for change. If our book
can convert a sizable number of South Africans
to healthier eating, can we next convert the
world? We will not fail for lack of ambition!
The great tragedy is that this evidence
shows that the obesity and diabetes epidemic
is utterly preventable. It requires simply that
those with the genetic trait of insulin resistance
must progressively restrict their carbohydrate
intakes as they age. Regular monitoring of a
marker of blood glucose control glycated
haemoglobin (HbA1c) tells when the
carbohydrate intake is unsafe for each persons
level of insulin resistance a value of more
than 5.5% should be enough to raise the alarm.
Will South Africa cure itself of obesity and
T2DM, and so become a world medical leader
in preventive health? If not, why not?

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Tim was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1949.
2. Hes been living in Cape Town since 1955,
where he is now a professor at the Sports
Science Institute and coauthor of the
best-selling recipe book, The Real Meal
Revolution, based on the principle
of banting.
3. William Banting was an obese English
undertaker and con maker who, in 1863,
wrote a booklet about his extreme weightloss following a high-fat, low-carb diet.
Readers started referring to it as banting
instead of dieting.
4. Tim has run more than 70 marathons and
ultra marathons, is the author of Lore of
Running and is very proud of his 1973
achievement of nishing the Comrades
in a time of 06:49 (66th place).
5. Apart from spending time in his wifes fynbos
garden, Tim loves collecting books.
6. He tweets @ProfTimNoakes.

PHOTO MONICA DART. LMAD SCARF DESIGN NUDE BY NICO KRIJNO

I WAS

VOICES

THE
FALLING LEAVES
WORDS ANGELA MAKHOLWA

IT WAS

a nippy autumn evening in 1997. I was

a young journalist invited to an intimate
press brieng hosted by one of the countrys most elusive
female politicians. Only a handful of journalists cracked the
nod for this invitation and I was slightly unsure how I had
made the grade, as I was only a junior reporter working for
a fairly popular consumer magazine.
Like my journalism career, my love life was blossoming
as steadily as a snowdrop in winter. Everything seemed to
be moving in perfect, rhythmic ux, like the change of season
from the golden summer to multi-hued autumn.
I had met a rather serious accountant who made up in
looks (and utter devotion) what he lacked in spunk. As an
ambitious 21-year-old, that was enough for me. We had only
been going out for two weeks but I was thrilled at the idea
of being with him.
The gust of wind that seemingly blew me into the entrance
hall of the venue, the World of Beer in Newtown, signied a
change of temperament in both my work and personal aairs.
As I walked in, I discovered a small group of mostly male
journalists sitting around the small conference room; their
attention xed to the stage as they listened to a tall, light
complexioned young man explain that Mama was about
to address them.
Mama took to the stage and proved as dramatic and
intriguing in real life as in all the newspaper articles and
opinion pieces that I had read about her.
At the end of her talk a question-and-answer session
followed and, the eager young reporter that I was, I took full
advantage and red o all the questions I had always wanted
to ask this red-tempered matriarch of South African politics.
As the brieng was wrapping up, the young man who
had presented the politician came up to me and introduced
himself. I was immediately drawn to his easy condence
and megawatt smile but did not expect him to proceed
to ask for my number.
A eeting moment passed when the accountants serious
countenance ashed through my mind, but it was quickly
replaced by the words that popped out of my mouth, reciting
my mobile number to the young man.
The next day, as I watched yellow leaves gather on the
pavement in the companys parking lot, while ruminating over
the pleasant conversation Id had with the total stranger from
the night before, my mobile phone buzzed. It was him.
Did I mind going for a quick bite after work?

22

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

Guilty thoughts of the accountant accosted me like grey

clouds in an otherwise pleasant blue sky.
But my racing heart gave in.
We had a picnic under the dark clouds of a grey autumn
evening and enjoyed the longest, most enchanting
conversation I have ever had on a rst date. Within two weeks
we had moved in together. Nine months later, we got engaged,
and a year later we had a child together.
It was a whirlwind aair. It went from ery red passion,
with spontaneous trips to London and weekends away, to
crimson hot as we discovered our passion for lm production
and storytelling. We broke one of the biggest stories of the
time, managing to secure exclusive lming rights to the
wedding event of that year. We were on a high! We were
young, gifted and going places.
Three days after our engagement, things took a dark
and sinister turn. He assaulted me.
My body was grey and blue yet he was clever enough
not to let it show on my face. I left.
He called my parents. He grovelled, apologised and
explained that it was a once-o occurrence and pleaded with
all of us to give him another chance. Colourful roses followed;
champagne owed, my passport stamps accumulated.
But all the charm and extravagance that was being
showered on me did nothing to stie the monster within him.
The slightest thing would spark o his quick temper and wed
go from mellow warmth to an icy chill within seconds.
By the next autumn, my life was as bluesy as a Billie
Holiday album.
When I was nine months pregnant, I knew it was time
to go; for the sake of my child. And I did.
Ive never looked back, but it was a time in my life I shall
never forget.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Angela was born in 1976, in Jozis East Rand township of Tembisa.
2. Agatha Christie, who was the rst crime writer to have 100000
copies of 10 of her titles published by Penguin on the same day
in 1948 (A Penguin Million), died that same year.
3. Angelas debut crime novel was Red Ink in 2007, and she has
most recently completed Black Widow Society, about a group
of wealthy women who club together to o their hubbies.
4. She now lives in Midrand with her husband and children, and
also owns and runs a PR company, Britespark Communications.
5. Angela loves her garden, and calls it her pride and joy.
6. She tweets @AngelaMakholwa.

PHOTO DUAL REFLEXION. LMAD SCARF DESIGN CARROTS AND SAUSAGES BY NICO KRIJNO

Angela recalls a passionate, ambitious time in her life

when every autumn her expectations changed colour.

VOICES

WOOD N THINGS
WORDS MARY WATSON

LAST

autumn we had the carpenter

in. He was meant to come in the
summer but had been delayed several times.
First by his daughters Caesarean section,
which had him taxiing grandchildren to and
from school, then by an unfortunate injury
to his nger that then became infected.
By the time he was able to start the job,
it was autumn and things were chaotic with
my month-old baby, and the eldest starting
school. I had the baby down for a nap, and
made the carpenter a pot of tea and biscuits.
So, did you get an infection? he asked
chattily, referring to the aftermath of my
C-section, while biting into Bourbon biscuits.
Clearly he had gained an interest after his
daughters operation and his own infection.
I was mildly alarmed; I was not used to
discussing obstetrics with near strangers.
Especially older Irish men who generally
prefer not to know too many details of things
they consider womens business.
Even after ve years of living here,
I sometimes struggle to understand thicker
rural accents. I have also had nice grandfatherly men nodding politely, but blankly,
as I chatted away at my customary high speed,
forgetting that I need to go slowly. Sometimes,
bridging a generational and cultural divide
can result in misunderstandings or misconnections. So, when the carpenter asked
if I had had an infection, I thought that I might
have misheard. But no.
In your wound. Did you get an infection?
I wasnt sure I wanted to have this
conversation. The baby was sleeping, there
were a million things to do. Stories to be
written, or time to just be quiet.
They should just give you antibiotics as
soon as you leave the theatre, he nodded.
Take them home with you when you leave
the hospital. He raised his hand with the
injured nger. I sensed there was a story
there. At which point I picked up a biscuit.

24

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

I am intrigued by gory hospital details.

And your infection? I nodded to his nger,
which was still bandaged. We talked about the
dierent doctors who had tried to x it; how
many courses of antibiotics he took.
The carpenter came several times to
complete the work. I looked forward to our
conversations. We discussed the merits of
slatted indoor shutters, which I am considering
for the kitchen windows. He showed me panels
of wood in about 30 shades of white for the
upstairs shutter.
This one, I stabbed randomly. I got
it wrong.
Are you sure? he asked. Id say its too
harsh for a bedroom.
I tried again and he approved, then
returned to the bench-shelf that he was
building under the stairs. He had realised my
messily scribbled drawing as something
precise, measured and functional. When he left
that day, I lined up Wellington boots, shoes and
childrens slippers. I delightedly seated the
three-year-old on the bench to tie his shoes.
The carpenter came a few weeks later to t
the shelf-closet for the area we call the back
passage, for want of a better name. Again, we
chatted over tea and biscuits. I apologised for
the mess of toys in the kitchen the children
were playing some intricately imagined game
that involved the use of many toys, kitchen
implements, sticks and stones. He smiled and
said: Why do we teach them to walk and talk
if we want them to sit still and shut up?
The third and nal job was an oak shutter
for the bedroom window. I needed it done
before the winter, to stop the heat from
escaping. We were cutting it ne. The weather
had already changed and it was more cold than
mild. That day he didnt join me for tea, but sat
on my bedroom oor with a ask, surrounded
by a mess of tools and wood. I missed the
company. By the time he left, the room was
spotless and the o-white shutters were folded

back against the wall. The view from that

window is idyllic white horses in the eld
next door, clusters of trees, dry stonewalls and
the lake. The shutters make it look even better,
as if a picture in a frame.
His last visit was to collect his forgotten,
oversized lunchbox from the house. It was a
Saturday morning and I was half asleep after
the night shift with the baby. I heard him
come in, leave and then dash back again.
Later, I found out that he had insisted on
leaving some of his payment behind, to buy
something for himself. A present for the baby.
The three pieces that the carpenter built
are some of my favourite things in the house.
Its not simply the craftsmanship, the careful
nish and the custom design, but the stories
that go with them: the sense that they were
made from more than sketches on paper, wood
and nails. Instead, on those autumn afternoons
with purple-grey skies and golden trees,
I made a connection with someone I wouldnt
have normally.
Its been a while since he was here. Its
nearly spring now, with the daodils beginning
to push through the ground. Im thinking we
need some shelves for the childrens toys

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Mary was born in 1975 in Cape Town where
she obtained her Masters degree in Creative
Writing under the supervision of Professor
Andr Brink.
2. In 1975, Andr translated his banned novel
Kennis van die Aand into English as Looking
on Darkness. It was unbanned in 1982.
3. In 2006, Marys short story Jungfrau became
the rst ever South African work to be
awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing.
4. Nonetheless, she was stolen away by a
rogue Irishman and now lives in Galway,
Ireland.
5. Here, in her bright and airy house, she
dreamed up the plot of her dark and
brooding new book, The Cutting Room.
6. Mary loves crushing dead leaves. In fact,
she says, I must.

PHOTO ROLEX/BART MICHIELS. LMAD SCARF DESIGN BEACH BY NICO KRIJNO

A chatty carpenter left more than his perfectly

realised shutters and shelving behind in
Marys home, she writes.

VOICES

FREE FALL
WORDS NATHAN TRANTRAAL

MY UNCLE

Boy is an unsuccessful artist

in the autumn of his life. The fall,
as Americans call it. But the unhappy truth is that he has been
falling for a long time now. For almost 30 years to be precise.
The plunge started when the rug of newly wedded bliss was
cruelly and unexpectedly pulled from beneath his feet. His wife
left him for someone else. He never really attempted to grab
hold of anyone else; he simply allowed himself to plummet.
But that is a sad story for another day.
In the 80s, Boy toyed with Rastafarianism. He still retains
the dreadlocks and a fondness for weed. For a short while in the
90s he exchanged Bob Marleys laidback contempt for the ruling
classes with the vituperative rage of Tupac Shakur. Black people
of a certain kind (poor, angry, depressed) at the nadir of their
existence are always into 2Pac.
He made a memorable likeness of the rapper by copying
an image from the back of an album cover. Almost everyone
who saw it oered to buy it. Extremely poor people were more
than willing to shell out cash for the painting. That is how
complete the portrait was. It may have been one of the few
paintings of his own that Boy liked and he did not want to part
with, though he eventually sold it to a particularly persistent
friend. The guy could not have paid more than R100 for it. One
of his best paintings traded in for the relatively inexpensive
consolations of a mandrax pipe. I am not sure that he ever sold
another of his artworks; he certainly never tried to make a living
o his work.
At that point Boy had been more or less permanently
unemployed (if you discounted a casual job here and there)
for over 20 years. During that time he had lived with and been
supported by his sister, a factory worker, and his father, a retired
pensioner. All his sister expected in return was that he be her
personal slave. But that is a disturbing story for another day.
The art materials he uses are as rudimentary as they come.
He paints on slats, on thick cardboard, using cheap oils and
watercolours. He does not know anything about Picasso, but
not entirely unlike Pablo he will often go looking for usable
materials among the rubbish freely available at the various
illegal dumping grounds that disgure Bishop Lavis (in the way
that a scar disgures a decidedly ugly man). He does not know
anything about Gauguin but his style is reminiscent of the
post-impressionist master. From small blocks of wood he
also whittles impressive miniature sculptures.
Many years ago, Boy built a small studio for himself. Using,
for the most part, bits of second-hand wood, he constructed

26

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

the shack in the backyard of his fathers house. The studio was
useful for working in, as well as for entertaining fellow dropouts
of civilised society. Most of Boys friends are drug addicts that
are also more or less permanently jobless; many of them have
been in and out of prison, too.
Boys one-room shack studio was conceived in an alleyway
behind the seedy intersection where grimy necessity becomes
intimately familiar with creativity. The entire structure was
lashed together with thin rope, knocked together with rusty
nails. Wavy sheets of green breglass were mixed up with wood
boarding adorned with oil-stains and mildew. There was a door
but no window.
To say that the interior departed radically from any kind of
conventional aesthetic would be an understatement: the walls
of the shack studio were covered with pages of glossy hardcore
pornography liberated from magazines and axed to the walls
with insulation tape. A single faded blue carpet covered part
of the dusty plank oor. A bed had been cobbled together from
planks and a yellow sponge mattress.
The shack is no longer there. Boy paints less and less. His
appetite for drugs, however, remains unchanged. As a teenager,
whenever we visited, and no one was looking and Boy was not
at home, I used to like sitting inside the studio. To get an eyeful
of the naked women displayed on the walls, to be certain.
But also to breathe in the air of a modest kind of liberty. Boy:
Michael K of Bishop Lavis. However, whenever I stayed inside
the shack too long the same air would become oppressive.
And I would realise that this type of freedom could only be
gained by giving up on trying.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Nathan was born in 1984 on the outskirts of Cape Town.
2. It was the same year that American comic book Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles saw the light and became a
television series shortly afterwards.
3. A professional cartoonist since 17, Nathan collaborates
with his brother Andre to create The Richenbaums,
a weekly strip for The Cape Times.
4. He is also a poet and calls himself a binge reader.
5. Listening to The Verve, as well as the Scottish indie band
Glassvegas, as a teenager was a massive inuence.
6. Like Nathan does in poetry and life, Glassvegas writes
songs in their homegrown dialect and performs them
in their specic accent.
7. He tweets @trantraal.

PHOTO CRAIG SWARTBOOI AT BLACKBOY PHOTOGRAPHY. LMAD SCARF DESIGN NEW YORK BY TITUS MATIYANE

Although a backyard dweller, ageing drug

addict and broke artist in Bishop Lavis township,
Nathan reects that his uncle has enjoyed
a certain kind of freedom.

VOICES

WINTER IS COMING
WORDS SIPHO HLONGWANE

Having moved to Gauteng only four years ago, Sipho has

never gotten used to Highveld winters, and associates
autumn with a sense of impending gloom. But spring
always comes around again.
a sighing begins
In the violins
Of the autumn-song
My heart is drowned
In the slow sound
Languorous and long

Paul Verlaine, Chanson dautomne,

translated by Arthur Symons in Poems.
The rst three seasons of the television
series Game of Thrones have come and gone,
and a fourth is in the ong this April. It has
been an eventful journey for those who have
stayed the course, and I count myself among
those unwilling to taint the experience of
watching the television series by reading
the original books by George RR Martin.
(What would the point of that be?) Heroes
have been created and killed o in quick
succession, and fan favourites have suered
similar fates.
As fraught as the bloodletting has been,
one is always expected to believe that the
worst is yet to come. No matter which likeable
character the writers kill o, it isnt as bad
as whats coming. Winter is coming, the
characters whisper nervously.
At the end of the second season we
are oered a glimpse of the coming threat
strange ice zombies from the north who
bring Arctic weather and mayhem to, er, the
English hill country? But so far, winter has not
yet arrived. All the mayhem is just the autumn
before hell truly starts.
I know about winters. My mother
says that I was born later than expected.
Did I have some premonition about the cold
that awaited me once I was expelled from
her, so hung around for as long as I could
before the inevitable happened on 10 July?
Thats what I choose to believe. It makes
for cute telling late at night in bars with
hot strangers.

28

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

In KwaZulu-Natal, the arrival of autumn

brings a drastic change in weather. The
sweltering days of summer are replaced with
a creeping nip in the air, but it is the dryness
that you notice most. My god, those summers
are wonderful: hot, humid and alive with the
kinetic energy of thunderstorms. Then the
rain goes. My sinuses dry up and my lips crack.
My nights become broken by recurring
incidents of dry coughing.
It is much worse in the Highveld, where
I live these days. I moved north just as the
2010 Soccer World Cup began, and I was not
ready. It was the rst African world cup, and
some of the matches played in Rustenburg
were the coldest the tournament had ever
recorded. I watched the opening match in
a cricket stadium in Centurion. My friends
and I sat on the ground. When we got up
to leave, I couldnt. The cold had crept up
my buttocks and lower back, numbing all
feeling and deadening the legs. When the
feeling came back, I was writhing about and
howling in pain.
In times gone by, autumn was the fattening
season. The harvest would be brought in for
the winter and feasts were had. In the North,
autumn comes from August and all the good
festivals start then too. These days, you can
go to the Great American Beer Festival in
Colorado in late September, or the bawdy
Oktoberfest in Munich during the rst days of
October. One last chance to get in a good round
of fun before the winter sets in. We all fatten
in our own ways. Dogs grow a thick new coat.
I buy drab winter jackets, new jeans and an
extra blanket.
Being alone in autumn is a bad idea.
John Keats called the season the close
bosom-friend of the maturing sun and sighed
for the song of spring. For a surprising number
of times, the end of summer has brought with
it the end of a relationship. The shedding of
leaves, and the death of colour and warmth

in the natural world lends an unnecessary

heaviness to my mood in those months.
I am not looking forward to this winter.
I learned something about pain through the
tattoos that I have: you cant mentally prepare
yourself. You might brace against it, but it will
be as intense as you remember every time.
This is my fth Highveld winter and I will suer
through it with grim acceptance. I am fatter
than I was in the summer. It will be scant
preparation in the end.
And yet there has been redemption in
winter itself. Two years ago, it brought a chance
encounter with a beautiful stranger on a
catamaran in the middle of the Knysna lagoon.
We started talking and much later would nd
hotel bars in Johannesburg with a replace
where it was warm.
Three years ago, I had a September autumn
in Zurich. Outside a drab lecture hall, I shared
a lighter with another beautiful dark stranger.
We came back to South Africa, it was spring
and we had four months of fun.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Sipho was born in 1988 in Greytown,
KwaZulu-Natal a richly fertile timberproducing area that Sipho appreciated
as a little boy by playing in the forests
and looking for wild animals.
2. Greytown is also the nal resting place of
Sarie Marais, a traditional Afrikaans folk
song and the title of SAs rst talking picture,
in 1931.
3. Today, Sipho blames living in Jozi on
SA hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
4. Here, he makes a living as a columnist
and features writer covering football,
popular culture, cars and music, among
other interesting things.
5. Last year Sipho authored the book Get Me
Started (a play on the expression dont
get me started), calling on SAs youth to
get passionate about politics and racial
injustices, and take action.
6. He tweets @comradesipho.

PHOTO NATHAN RICE. LMAD SCARF DESIGN BY MICHAEL MACGARRY

WHEN

AYN

BREK

EXTRA COOL

MICKEY

BREK

REX

BLITZ

Start Up
SWIVEL CHAIR
UPHOLSTERED IN
YOUR CHOICE OF
FABRIC

COMFORT CREATIONS
IS AN AGENT OF:

Tel: (011) 673-9333/9337/8702 | Fax: (011) 673 - 5770 | Comfort Creations House, 19 Banfield Road, Industria North, Roodepoort, JHB
info@comfortcreations.co.za | www.comfortcreations.co.za

STELLENBOSCH RANCH

OF

LOVE

AND
HOR ES

01

Equestrian concerns feature right up there with other

matters close to the Cavalli Estate owners hearts, like their
green-star restaurant project, for one.
P H OTO S M I C KY H OY L E P R O D U C T I O N S U M I E N B R I N K WO R D S D E B B I E LO OT S

02

33

01

PREVIOUS SPREAD
01

Silhouetted against the Helderberg

Mountain is Lauren Smith and Kentuckyborn stallion Wine, Woman and Song.

02

The vertical garden at the entrance

to the restaurant, Equus, was designed
by Lauren and installed by Brendon
Edwards, while Stone Age Construction
erected the gabion.

THIS SPREAD
01

A painting by Australian artist, Michael

Zavros, and the Pick up Sticks wine
tasting bar designed by James Mudge,
stand out from the furniture and
muted hues.

02

The restaurant bar was designed

by Lauren, while the Palm chairs
by Arper were imported by Limeline.
Pendant lights are all the rage, so shine
bright your own mix. These, by Marset,
are strung above an Osterwald and
Sons table and Arper Saari chairs.

04

A gold mosaic leads to the bathrooms

and makes a dramatic frame for this
Lusitano stallion by UK artist Lesley Thiel.

02
04

01

Lauren cools down Fancy Guy

in the ve-star stables, after
a trot around the estate.

02

Its the Year of the Horse and

unsurprisingly, Lauren pictured
here with Wine, Women and Song
is herself a horse according to
the Chinese zodiac.

01

avalli Estate is full

of surprises. Its expanse of 110 hectares
is not only home to vineyards, brand-new
stables, a restaurant and conference centre,
its also the safekeeper of a critically
endangered chunk of renosterveld where
special sightings of Cape fox cubs, malachite
sunbirds, and the annual return of a resident
pair of blue cranes, make the estates
operations director, Lauren Smith, very happy.
Thats apart from the delight Lauren,
whose family owns the wine estate and stud
farm just outside Stellenbosch, takes in the
horses, of course. Cavalli itself is Italian for
horses, and the steads are found in many
forms all over the farm and inside its
buildings: cast in bronze, sketched on paper
or painted, while their esh and bone
counterparts trot about in camps dotted
around the property, icking their sun-kissed
manes and tails.
Surrounded by views of the Helderberg
mountain range to the east and Cape Towns
smoky silhouette etched on the western
horizon, we head for the private stud and
training facilities. This building outshines
all preconceptions about a ve-star hotel
for horses if such a thing even exists. Seems
it does. Designed by Lauren an architect
by trade and Bouwer Architects, this
magnicent equine abode uses natural
resources as far as possible, for ventilation
and lighting. Consisting primarily of steel and
concrete, its ceiling is clad with grey-oiled
timber, giving the space a lofty feel with
a touch of luxury.
The stables were designed with as
many interactive opportunities for the horses
as possible, who are innately sociable by
nature, Lauren adds.
All good and gorgeous, but its high
time to get down to some general luxe for
humankind and so we whiz o to Cavallis
new restaurant, Equus. Also passively
designed, the restaurant will soon be SAs
rst green star-rated restaurant, the result of
a pilot project of the Green Building Council.
The main building comprises the
restaurant and kitchen, with views across
the dam, while below lives the wine cellar

02

next door to a gallery, boutique and conference

facility, which has its own private kitchen.
Using a geo-exchange system for the
restaurants air conditioning does bring about
its challenges, but Lauren smiles when she tells
of a guests phone call once when booking
a table, demanding the exact degree of the
restaurants temperature for lunch.
Not your average operations director,
Lauren fastens on an apron every now and
then to serve guests herself, as she feels this is
the only way to appreciate positive feedback
and hear of the possible problem areas that
need xing. Judging from the seared salmon
and watermelon salad that chef Henrico
Grobbelaar xed us, its all deliciously perfect!
Its clear Lauren doesnt discriminate when
dishing out heavy doses of green treatment
across the estate. She also doesnt pull in the
reins of her beloved equestrian theme, set

loose on a healthy gallop all around the

buildings interiors and the gallery. This is
evident in some of the furniture she designed
herself, as well as her choice of muted tones
and bespoke woodwork pieces.
Finally its time to go home, which brings
us back outside where we delight one last
time in the estates gorgeous gardens,
conceptualised by Keith Kirsten and Ray
Hudson. Guided by Lauren to focus primarily
on reintroducing indigenous plants, with
specic emphasis on colouring the garden
in various textures of bright pinks and purples,
its all decked out as an open invitation for
insect and bird species to make it their home.
All, of course, part of Laurens pretty
perfect preservation plan for this sprawling
110-hectare land, its beasts and grapes.
t
DBWBMMJTUVEDPN

01

01

02

02

Two works by Michael

Zavros titled Jumping
Horses feature behind
a George Millissard
sculpture in the gallery
foyer, while a Lyndi
Sales installation
utters above.
High-level windows and
a central skylight allow
for natural ventilation
and light in the stables.

ITS SURROUNDED BY VIEWS OF THE

HELDERBERG MOUNTAIN RANGE TO
THE EAST AND CAPE TOWNS SMOKY
SILHOUETTE ETCHED ON THE
WESTERN HORIZON.

01

STELLENBOSCH RANCH

02

01

Making the gardens by Keith Kirsten

and Ray Hudson its home, is a corten
steel pond designed by Lauren and
manufactured by Water in Motion.

02

Stable groom Alvino Hendricks takes

Fancy Guy, a Palomino, for a walk.

WINELANDS VILLA

ODERN

Five years ago,

the owners of
Okasie orist
in Stellenbosch
moved into architect
Henri Comries
contemporary
masterpiece. By adding
quirky collections,
vibrant colours and
fresh greenery inside
and out, they have
brought it to life.

P H OTO S G R E G C OX / B U R E AU X
PRODUCTION RETHA ERICHSEN
WO R D S L AU R A T W I G G S

01

43

WINELANDS VILLA

ITS

not hard to see why Henri Comrie

garnered a coveted Cape Institute of
Architecture Award for the house at
Johannesdal in the Banhoek Valley
of the Cape Winelands. Or why it has
been shortlisted for the 2014 Corobrik
South African Institute of Architects
Awards of Merit and for Excellence.
Yet all this may come as something of
a surprise to those who regard the architect
primarily as a leading urban design specialist.
(His then-rm Comrie + Wilkinson won the
bid for the urban design and architecture of
the 2010 World Cup Stadium in Cape Town.)
Inspired by architect Le Corbusier, vast
white lime-treated walls, expansive spaces,
exposed brickwork, integrated industrial metal,

LAYERED, COLOURFUL
AND DRAMATIC, THE
MANY ARRANGED
COLLECTIONS MAY BE,
THERES NOTHING
UPTIGHT ABOUT THEM.

01

raw concrete ceilings, untreated wood and

bountiful glass make a strong Modernist
statement without being incongruous to
the 2.4-hectare smallholding or the Cape
vernacular that characterises the greater area.
Owner Dan Erwee explains that he
and his partner Chris Willemse envisioned
something that nestles; a modern exterior but
with a farmhouse interior. The force behind
the popular Okasie orist and events company
in Stellenbosch, the couples personal aesthetic
air is as much the reason for Johannesdals
success as Henris design.
No xed cupboards is their only design
rule and a light, almost mischievous touch
pervades everything. At every turn theres an
unexpected vignette (a globe of the world and
a pot-plant on a weathered antique wooden
chair, for example) or a wild splash of colour to
arrest the eye. Yet, while freely unorthodox and
at times perhaps theatrical, theres a sense that
every inch of the decor is underpinned by
carefully considered curation. Authentic and
not forced, is how Dan describes their design
ethos. Styled as opposed to decorated;
collections that tell stories.

Because, collections are everywhere. What

dont I collect? laughs Dan. I like things that
tell a story; things with dirt on them and not
something I would nd in a mall. Layered,
colourful and dramatic though the many
arranged collections may be, theres nothing
uptight or precious about them.
Rules of symmetry arent religiously
applied; indeed, they seem to have deliberately
been thwarted. These tableaux arent mere
messy jumbles, mind: each has a common
thread that turns the assemblage of objects
into an intellectually engaging narrative as well
as a visual treat. Their every element is invested
with personal or historic meaning; they share
a common soul.
We dont nd them they nd us. Theyre
mostly passed-on heirlooms, gifts, and junk
shop or reclamation yard nds, says Dan.
For example, I grew up with the blue-andwhite plates that hang on the wall in the living
area; it was my mothers collection. I recently
unpacked it and the vine growing through it is
a new take on something old. In a way I guess
it may also be a nod to South African Dutch
heritage, but that wasnt my specic intention.
Whats more, like these plates, each tableau
has breathing room. Dan and Chris have
made sure that theres plenty of neutral space
to act as restful pauses for the eye. From the
light-lled triple-volume entrance hall with
its honed limestone oors and raw concrete
ceilings, to the untreated pine passage leading
to the bedroom and study. And from the openplan dining and kitchen area with its exposed
I-beam to the patinated lime-treated walls
common to every space, the building itself
is the star and the real it factor is its interface
with the natural surroundings. >>

PREVIOUS SPREAD
01

Le Corbusier-inspired architecture gains

contextual relevance with lime-washed
walls a characteristic feature of
traditional building in the area.

THIS SPREAD
01

Chris Willemse and Dan Erwee,

orists, event organisers and
home transformers.
Instead of in writers and titles, rearrange
your bookshelf in hues. The end result
will speak volumes.

THE COUPLES PERSONAL AESTHETIC

FLAIR IS AS MUCH THE REASON
FOR JOHANNESDALS SUCCESS
AS HENRIS DESIGN.

01

With Kindle beating paper, old tomes pile

up in corners and cupboards. Let paper pages
speak in other ways make a sassy side table,
or see VISI.co.za for more bright book ideas.

01

The modulation of internal spaces with

the house as a backdrop to living, Henri
concurs, is the most successful aspect of the
architecture. Framed views of the natural
landscape and the interplay between intimate
and generous spaces also work well. And
I enjoy seeing the aim of using varied internal
light quality realised after putting a lot of eort
into positioning openings very carefully.
South African landscapes dominate the
subject matter of the many paintings clustered
together in the private study. Generous
verandahs extend the open-plan dining
and kitchen area, the study, main bedroom,
bathroom, dressing room, and wet room on
the oor above. Large windows bring in the
views. A scullery leads to a kitchen garden,
while a wooden spout placed high in an
exterior wall channels water to a swimming
pool appropriately styled like a farm reservoir.
And, unsurprising seeing as both Dan and
Chris grew up on farms, the grounds are even
more lived-in than the house: We spend a lot
of time in the garden and are mostly outside,
says Dan. We like things that are honest and
true to our roots and lifestyle. Johannesdal is
the perfect illustration of exactly that, within
a distinctly Modernist idiom.

02

03

04

05

06

07

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t

PLBTJFDP[B
t

)FOSJ
$PNSJF





PREVIOUS SPREAD
01

In the living area, a large, bright yellow

niche housing a curated collection of
objects is a playful focal point.

THIS SPREAD
01

Bamboo and wood form the screen

between the garage and the walkway.

02

An antique burr-cut mahogany

wardrobe is reinvented to store
crockery in the kitchen and dining area.

03 + 04 Staghorn and maidenhair ferns

underplanted with peace-in-the-home

adorn the entrance wall.
05 + 06

The scullery leads out to a herb

and vegetable garden, and often
doubles up as a oral studio.

07 A slipper orchid in a peacock

vase, which Dan and Chris had

specially cast, and is available
at Okasie in Stellenbosch.

01
02

03

01

In the entrance hall, the arrangement

of colourful decorative ornaments and
bright Turkish carpet is grounded and
contextualised by the addition of a
wall-mounted old and cracked wooden
table-top. The large, dark painting is by
Cora Coetzee.

02

Lela and Sebastian in their favourite

spot on the back verandah.

03

The main bedrooms unpainted

plywood wall provides an earthy
contrast to the vibrant Turkish carpet.

04

The back of Johannesdal displays its

strong linear, cube-like architecture.

WINELANDS VILLA

04

PA R K V I E W R E N O VAT I O N

KEEPING

IT

IN

THE

F MILY

52

A dark, damp-filled 1920s house in suburban Joburg has

been transformed into a simple contemporary home that
ticks all the heritage boxes while welcoming kids, dogs,
art and wine with equal enthusiasm.
P H OTO S D O O K
P R O D U C T I O N A N N E M A R I E M E I N TJ E S
WO R D S N I A M AG O U L I A N I T I - M C G R E G O R

A
PA R K V I E W R E N O VAT I O N

wild,
overgrown garden obscured the 1923 Parkview heritage
house when Delani and Richard Roothman first came
across it. And it wasnt much better on closer inspection.
The house was on a slope and looked like it was sliding
down the hill towards Zoo Lake, Richard describes.
Nevertheless, it stood on a 2800square-metre
property, and in their suburb of choice. Weve always loved
Parkview for its villagey feeling, Delani explains. They had
been living on a smaller stand in the suburb until they
decided their three boisterous children Rynhard (11),
Wian (nine) and Lin (six) needed more room to grow.
The grown-ups in the family werent averse to some
private space either, laughs Richard.
Still, crossing the threshold into the new house was
an exercise in faith over reality. The floors comprised rotten
timber, and the interior spaces were dark and pokey with
lots of passages, says Delani. It was clear that an
intervention was urgently needed.
Enter their brother-in-law, and namesake of Ludwig
Hansen Architects and Urban Designers: I wanted to help
them create a backdrop to their lives, not a showroom.
Planning took six months and had to be approved by
the local heritage association as the house was older than
60 years with an underlying understanding to retain
as much of the heritage structures and trees as possible.
Poorly added additions were removed, as well as
interior walls, to improve flow while simplifying the living
spaces. Two skylights were added to bring in light because,
as Ludwig points out, often the central part of a deep
house is dark. Bay windows were modernised with steel.
Five original red-brick fireplaces were retained and two
new ones added.
An extension was built for the family sleeping area
that clips onto the existing house in two places to form
a U-shape, creating a quiet, private courtyard, Ludwig
clarifies. We used the simplicity of the existing house
as inspiration the additions did not extend beyond
the building line of the original house.
The generous entrance foyer is the link between
the old and new part of the house. The 70s-feel rough
floor was custom-cast for the Roothmans and is a >>

01

01

The Miniature Schnauzers,

Fudge and Max, have free
rein of Richards study.
The lamp is from La Grange
Interiors in Kramerville
(see page 138 for more
tripod lights).

consistent element throughout. Its basically cement sprinkled

with pebbles, Delani says. We just played with the intensity and
colour. In fact, the floors informed the grey colour palette throughout
the house.
In the sleeping area of the house, expansive sliding doors open
up to the jacarandas in the garden. The main bedroom encapsulates
the modernist less is more ethos, with no unnecessary bric-a-brac
and a simple duvet by Amanda du Plessis of Evolution. I dont like
clutter, Delani emphasises. I prefer not to complicate things.
The boys black-and-green coloured bedrooms are linked by
a bathroom and echo each other, while Lin went for pretty in pink
for her bedroom and bathroom. They all have access to the pyjama
lounge brightened by two David Kuijers paintings on glass.
Another consistent thread is the bold artwork throughout.
We have different tastes, admits Delani, but somehow it all works
together. So Nelson Makamos abstract piece lives happily with
Tribute to David Koloane by Sam Nhlengethwa, Frieda van Zyls
Village Life with Donna McKellars Karoo landscape.
Today, everything happens in the kitchen, the last corner of the
old house, Delani goes on: Its where the kids do their homework,
where we eat meals informally A courtyard bridges the kitchen
and Richards study in the new section. Hes an attorney who often
works on weekends and his workspace is a solid show of selfsufficient masculinity with his own TV, a fireplace and vintage Charles
Eames chair they picked up at Die Ossewa Antiques, in Melville.
Richards favourite, however, is the formal dining room with its
fireplace and exposed wine racks. I especially enjoy a good Merlot.
Nothing is for show. Its a full time job replenishing the wine!
The tennis court proved a challenge: Delani did not want the
view of the house and its generous verandah obstructed when
entering the property. So the court surface was sunk down into the
ground, and softened by a green edge of bush. Delani, who insisted
there be no fence, says: Its understated and simple, and connects
easily to the social space.
The idea was to hold the family, Ludwig explains, but also about
holding back. Its contemporary without being cold. Its not an art
piece. Its a house where you can put your feet up.
t

MVEXJHIBOTFODP[B

Dont build a wall to divide a room, let an

open rack stretch all the way to the roof.
Now you can eye your wine, and see
through to the other side.
02

Blu Line Design created the kitchen

specially for the space available. The
polished concrete slab countertops
are by Stoneform.

03

Sam Nhlengethwas Tribute to David

Koloane and Nelson Makamos abstract
piece in one of the lounges.

02
03

Have a bed on wheels and go

places in your dreams; in fact put
wheels on tables and desks, on
cupboards and chairs, to make
your furniture move with your
moods. This bed is from
Weylandts and the wallpaper
is Vista by Harlequin, from Black
Fabrics in Kramerville.
02

The stairs leading up to the

bedrooms lead past a Marina
Walsh wildebeest and two
David Kuijers paintings on glass.

03

Max and Fudge guard the foyer

from where the bedrooms lead off.

04

Delani and Richard chose the bath

mainly for its shape.

02
03

04

PA R K V I E W R E N O VAT I O N

01

I WANTED TO HELP THEM CREATE

A BACKDROP TO THEIR LIVES,
NOT A SHOWROOM.

01

The chair in the main bedroom

overlooks one of the jacarandas
in the garden.

02 The natural colour of the tennis

court was chosen to match the house.

02

O IG INS

The new MannaBay Hotel in Cape Town puts a glam spin

on our countrys cultural, natural and artistic heritage.
P H OTO S M I C KY H OY L E P R O D U C T I O N S U M I E N B R I N K WO R D S M A L I B O N G W E T Y I LO

01

62

02

01

A mobile
installation
documenting the
migration patterns
of swallows, by
artists Gregg Brill
and Maya Marshak,
dominates the triplevolume reception.

02

The reception oor

took Mel Miller
Mosaics four
months to
complete.

CAPE TOWN HOTEL

he drive up from Cape

Towns City Bowl towards the top of
Oranjezicht oers a gradual architectural
revelation from apartment blocks in
Gardens, through homes that get ever more
palatial, to the sky-high sandstone of Table
Mountain. But at the edge of the craggy
national park is a sliver of urban heaven, with
panoramic views and a beatic mountainous
backyard, where the buzz of the city seems
far away enough but is in fact, just ve
minutes down the road.

It is here that hospitality entrepreneur David

Ryan established the MannaBay boutique
hotel that, as its name suggests, is a slice of
divine nourishment. Having had the privilege
of travelling Africa and the globe extensively,
I was conscious of creating an experience that
was completely dierent, says David, founder
and managing director of Rhino Africa Safaris.
The hotel was inspired by the Mother City
and the immense joy we get from introducing
our beautiful hometown to our international
guests, David says of the eight-bedroom
luxury hideaway. He wanted to create a feast
for the senses that was still beautiful and
homely. Besides establishing the hotel in an
actual house, his strategy was to work directly
with local artists on custom decor and
furniture for the eco-friendly canvas that
architect Marius van Lonkhuyzen built.
Take, for the example, the Orchid and
01

Pom Pom rooms, both orally inspired. Not

only does the Orchid Rooms theme come
through in the purple-hued wallpaper and
botanical artworks but also in the armchair
and footstool set inspired by Arne Jacobsens
famous Egg chair, which evokes the blooms
form. The Pom Pom Room is a celebration of
indigenous ora with the theme carrying all
the way to its private courtyard, which has its
own plunge pool surrounded by wild plants.
I had immense fun decorating each of
the eight rooms, says David. Whether it was
the slightly indulgent Versailles Suite or the
Explorer Room, inspired by the intrepid
Bartholomeu Dias, each room has a unique
connection to the city and its cultures while
maintaining an international air.
The Versailles Room takes its inspiration
from the French palace but in a South African
context that evokes the Huguenots of our
own countrys history. Its walls boast the
fantastical pastiche style of local artist Karin
Millers work.
What keeps the heritage references from
getting stuy is MannaBays celebration of
South African art. David worked directly with
Christopher Mller to curate the permanent
collection, which includes the likes of
Christiaan Diedericks, Abigail Heyneke, Gregg
Brill and Maya Marshak. Gregg and Maya are
also responsible for the incredible installation
of swallows that dominates the triple-volume
reception. Further supporting local artists, a
small gallery in the main lounge displays work
for sale, with proceeds going to a local charity.
As an added twist, Davids eyes sparkle,
you will notice that a lot of the pieces feature
characters that work for Rhino Africa and
MannaBay! Because for David, besides the
comfortable bed, good coee, freshly
squeezed orange juice, and well-appointed
spaces and views, what distinguishes
accommodation from luxury accommodation
is the people. We ensured that as much love
and eort went into compiling our team as it
did into creating the beautiful spaces.
Perhaps this is a clue to what manna
is what religious texts refer to as spiritual
and physical nourishment of divine origin.
MannaBay, nestled between the city and the
magnicent rock that overlooks it, is bound to
make a believer of anyone If not a believer
in Cape Town, then at least a believer in how
divine luxurious accommodation can be.
t
NBOOBCBZDPN

02

01

The second of two

guest lounges at
the hotel has a photo
by Werner Schwehm
as a feature wall.
Also in this room,
MannaBay is having
a Year of the Horse
themed art exhibition
until June, with
proceeds going to the
Cart Horse Protection
Association.

02

Reecting diversity,
the ag carpets in
the reception are
from Tirmah Interiors.

01
02

03

01

The terrace o the Versailles Room on the

top oor comes with a magnicent daybed
from Robert Thompson, and chairs and table
from Cane Time.

02

An open-plan layout gives guests full access to

both the Le Creuset-lled kitchen and its sta.
The African Grey is a portrait of the owners
previous parrot, Preston, by Abigail Heyneke.

03

At the back, in the courtyard, is the hotels

solar-heated swimming pool with outdoor
furniture from Cane Time.

04

The library books in the TV lounge and rooms

are from The Emma Animal Rescue Society
(TEARS) and Help The Rural Child bookstores,
as well as guests leaving or exchanging their
holiday reads.

04

01

02

CAPE TOWN HOTEL

AS MUCH LOVE AND EFFORT

WENT INTO COMPILING OUR TEAM
AS IT DID INTO CREATING THE
BEAUTIFUL SPACES.

01

02

PREVIOUS SPREAD

THIS SPREAD

01

The wallpaper and fabrics in the Pom Pom Room, as well as

throughout the hotel, are all from St Leger & Viney.

01

02

All the furniture is either custom-made or refurbished secondhand wares sourced locally.

The Versailles Room even has a private dressing room.

02 + 03

The bling bed and desk from Robert Thompson are

resplendent with the blue patterns, cerise poufs
and Karen Millers I Kiss My Waiting Child artwork.

03

01

G R E E N P O I N T A PA R T M E N T

FULL

FANCY

Amassing such treasures as Staordshire china and a chair from

Westminster Abbey when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, the
director of the Irma Stern Museum has created an ode to romance
in his cosy Atlantic Seaboard at.
P H OTO S JAC D E V I L L I E R S WO R D S L I N S A M P S O N
02

73

01

PREVIOUS PAGE
01

Christopher himself, anked

by paintings by Scottish artist
Cowan Dobson (1919) and
German artist Baumeister (1917).

02

The plate was made by

Margaret Woermann.

THIS SPREAD
01

Glass cabinets accommodate

mementos and collectibles.
Roses are red and carpets
can be magic. Find rugs
of all sorts, shabby or chic,
geometric or oral, and
mix them pattern
blending is all the rage.

G R E E N P O I N T A PA R T M E N T

hristopher Peter has

meticulously curated his apartment in Green
Point to a froth of fantasy. The result is a sense
of the museum, intricate in its outlay, intimate
in detail, colourful in execution.
I wanted to make a distilled jewel box
of what I already had, a place of memory and
longing, a sort of artistic despair rather like the
Museum of Innocence in Istanbul, opened by
the Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and based
on his novel with the same name, explains
Christopher, director of the Irma Stern
Museum at the University of Cape Town.
It is an ode to romance. The energy that
lled me as a child sprung from the inuence
of the glamorous models that I saw in fashion
magazines, he reminisces. I recall my
mothers ballgown hanging on a wardrobe on
a farm in the Eastern Cape in the late evening
light with sweet peas outside. She would be
going to a dance at the country club, which
we always called balls, and I would be
painting her sandals gold for the fth time.
That was my duty and I adored it.
Christopher beams: I had such a wonderful
family. I was at boarding school in King Williams
Town, and it was my birthday and my

grandmother brought me a reproduction

of a Spanish dancer. I had fallen in love with
it and shed had it framed. It was the most
scintillating moment of my young life!
With his Florentine face and etiolated
body, Christopher has about him a papal
elegance. He is a foot soldier of the unexpected.
Today he is wearing a shirt with violets on
the cus and collar, and persimmon trousers.
He employs the same method with the
inanimate, mixing plates from Mr Price
with valuable Staordshire china.
The paintwork is a crushed rainbow, and
violet is sprinkled throughout on walls, on
chairs, on cushions. There is a pair of cuinks
enamelled with violets and bunches of violets
in vases throughout the house.
It all started when I fell completely for
Elisabeth Sisi Empress of Austria and Queen
of Hungary. She was this extraordinary
woman, beautiful beyond the meaning of the
word, Christopher narrates. Elisabeth, known
as the reluctant empress, was a fugue gure,
thin as a pin, she wished to be still thinner
and was sewn into her leather riding clothes.
The violet thing is part of her, he
continues. The tragic madness of the 19th
century has something so edgy, so fragile,
and yet so glamorous, it draws me. I made
a pilgrimage to Sisis museum just outside
Budapest. I cannot tell you how much I
adored it. It was there that Christopher came
across a shop with only violet-inspired products.
Renovating the at took courage,
Christopher confesses: I was scared of green.

I had always lived in red. The colourist Freya

Lincoln helped me. The scheme is based on
my favourite owers and the green of the
surrounding gardens.
Then, I turned the whole at around,
with the help of designer Marco Helfer. Like
the famous architect Borromini, he managed
perspectives that trick the eye.
Walking into the apartment is like opening
a Christmas cracker. Light dances o rubycoloured glass, and shines through jade and
paper-thin porcelain. Among this tinselly glory
are the silver cups won at agriculture shows
in the Eastern Cape where he grew up.
Like the cups, every item has a
provenance. I was once in a car with
Christopher when he suddenly stopped,
rushed into a shop in a sweat of excitement
and bought an overpriced chair, which had
been in Westminster Abbey when Queen
Elizabeth II was crowned.
The apartment is as fabulous as a Faberg
egg with its layers of glossy mineral pigments,
yolky yellows, seaweed greens, cyclamen
pinks, which curdle with nicotine and violet.
There are also glimpses of red, which designer
Nicky Haslam calls une touche de rouge.
Theres no austerity here, nods
Christopher. Because it is an Edwardian block,
the height of the ceilings gives it grandeur.
I was looking for lushness, opulence and nery
on a small budget.
t
'SFZB
-JODPMO




t
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01

01

The facade of the building.

Been there so long, the walls could talk?
A lick of green, a stroke of pink. Be bold with
unlikely colours to make your eyes sing, your
ears see and your space all brand new.

01
02

03

01

A banquette dining seat, also the

spare bed, is upholstered in a latticed
sage silk bedspread from the 50s.

02

The bathroom tiles are a sunlightsoap green and the basin is 50s
Argentinian. The curly wrought-iron
chair seat has a cover by Tricia Guild.

03

There are ample cabinets for vases,

which Christopher uses in his ower
arranging. The plates are largely by
his friends John Nowers and Georey
Bullen Smith.

04

This is the cherished chair that was

in Westminster Abbey when Queen
Elizabeth II was crowned.

THE ENERGY THAT FILLED

ME AS A CHILD SPRUNG FROM
THE INFLUENCE OF THE
GLAMOROUS MODELS THAT
I SAW IN FASHION MAGAZINES.

04

TH E

BONE

COLLEC ORS
Without lifting a paintbrush or knocking down
a wall, tribal art dealers Mark and Christine
Valentine of Amatuli have transformed their
cookie-cutter industrial apartment into a
friendly and functional home.
P H OTO S D O O K P R O D U C T I O N A N N E M A R I E M E I N TJ E S
WO R D S L I S A J O H N S TO N

MELROSE LOFT

01

The Valentines enjoy

Johannesburgs superb
climate with few
maintenance concerns.

01

81

ramatic leaps of faith appear

to be the norm for Mark and Christine Valentine.
It was one such leap that saw them start their
tribal art dealership, specialising in found objects
in southern and South Africa, 25 years ago.
We were one of the rst tribal art dealers in
South Africa, explains Mark. At the time there
was no understanding of the kind of utilitarian
objects we were collecting; it was the 80s and
everyone wanted gurative pieces. Then they
became cool and now everyone wants them.
These days their business, Amatuli based
in Kramerville, Johannesburg, has grown to
include photographs, gurines, textiles and
furnishings from all over the world.

But while the Valentines business and

travel obligations have increased, their
household has shrunk as their children have
left home, which has led to another leap of
faith their move from one of Joburgs original
ve-bedroom farmhouses crammed full of
their collections, to a slick three-bedroom
industrial loft apartment.
Their new home is the polar opposite to
the family home theyd occupied on Kyalami
Estate. The custom-built apartment block,
The Lofts in Dunkeld West (bordering Melrose),
is the epitome of ecient contemporary
convenience. From the neat, clean parking
garage on the ground oor to the secure
apartments requiring minimal upkeep and
boasting lock-up-and-go convenience.
Our biggest question was what to do
with all of our stu! exclaims Mark. The stu
in question is the Valentines prolic hoard
of ever-rotating treasures: carved wooden
01

headrests, walking sticks, shells, skulls, tribal

chairs and stools, animal-skin rugs, early Zulu
earplugs, carved doors, family photographs,
beaded bowls, fossils, pipes and spoons
to mention but a few.
We looked at the loft only once before
we bought it, Mark goes on. Every house we
have ever bought has been the rst house we
looked at. As long as the bones are reasonable,
you can do anything.
And the bones at The Lofts are excellent.
The ground oor is delineated by steel beams,
which create clean-cut lines dividing the openplan space into dining, sitting and kitchen
areas. A sliding glass door can be closed to
hide the kitchens work surfaces and utilities.
The high ceiling allows for a sense of airiness,
which is emphasised by glass doors leading
out onto the patio area, creating a continuous
ow between the indoors and outdoors.
The apartment is also an example of how
good architecture can cater to a multitude
of tastes. At face value the Valentines array
of natural-textured furniture, objects and rugs
should be at odds with the white tiles, stone
kitchen surfaces, exposed lighting conduits
and raw steel beams of the industrial loft.
Instead, through sensitive positioning of the
furnishing and carefully curated groupings of
their artefacts, the warm feel of a well-loved
and lived-in home has been achieved.
To t as much of their prized collection as
possible into the smaller space, the Valentines
have made use of every available surface.
Even the cable conduits have become display
surfaces for carved wooden headrests in the
downstairs area, and as a hook for two
decorative Indian umbrellas in the girls
bedroom upstairs.
What saves the space from potential
clutter is the clever architectural use of every
available source of light. The sand-blasted
glass wall in front of the staircase allows
maximum light while maintaining privacy from
neighbours, and large double-glazed windows
in the upstairs bedrooms cut out trac noise
from the busy, nearby Bompas Road.
Their move to downscale might have been
a leap of faith, but what theyve managed to
achieve is a lifestyle that many can only dream
of an eclectic space that speaks of their
passion for found objects and travel. The
convenient security also frees their nomadic
tendencies to act on a whim.
t


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02

THE CUSTOM-BUILT APARTMENT

BLOCK IS THE EPITOME OF EFFICIENT
CONTEMPORARY CONVENIENCE.

02

PREVIOUS PAGE
01

By replacing the original light ttings, the Valentines

have created a welcoming entrance.

02

The eclectic furnishing and decor speaks of travel and

a familys life together. The portrait of the Valentine
children on the far wall, by Saso Sinadinovski, was
a gift from Mark to Christine.

THIS SPREAD

Keep washing-up spaces secret, slide a door across to hide

the kitchen and show the things that make living beautiful.
02 The Africa-shaped mirror above the table full of artifacts

was made by the couple as prototype.

Fit the shapes and sizes of wooden frames snugly together
on a large wall, leaving the storytelling to the family portraits.

MELROSE LOFT

EVERY HOUSE WE HAVE EVER BOUGHT

HAS BEEN THE FIRST HOUSE WE
LOOKED AT. AS LONG AS THE BONES ARE
REASONABLE, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.

01

01

By partitioning the en suite with a glass door, the

architects have ensured the girls room upstairs
receives optimal light.

02

The modern ttings in the bathroom are tempered

with a baroque-style mirror and candelabra.

02

01

The holiday home is nestled

against the Hangklip escarpment.

01

P R I N G L E B AY C O T TA G E

EASIDE
S E R E N

I T Y

A Free State farming couple tasked a young Knysna architect

with the renovation of their cheerless holiday home and
were pleasantly surprised to nd that he genuinely walked
the talk with the spiders and baboons too.
P H OTO S L I E N B OT H A P R O D U C T I O N S U M I E N B R I N K WO R D S D E B B I E LO OT S

89

P R I N G L E B AY C O T TA G E

TOTAL FAMILY HOLIDAY

SATISFACTION WITH
SPACE AND VIEWS
FOR AFRICA
ive architect Guillaume
Pienaar a renovation project and youll soon
nd him a happy camper sleeping bag and
all in the empty house, before he even puts
pencil to paper. Things were no dierent
when Guillaume was approached by a Free
State farmer and his wife to jack up their small
holiday house in Pringle Bay and make the
utmost of its double-sided views of mountain
and sea.
So, Guillaume took along his drawing
tools, packed good coee and got to know
the square little face brick inside out: the
good, the bad and the ugly. He woke up
with the birds every morning, stood on
the stoep with his cuppa, and scoured the
landscape for the tell-tale signs of its
relationship with nature. How the wind blew
was vital; how the sun managed its way
around the mountain too, which he examined
while plotting and planning around the 2 448
square-metre fynbos erf in order to heed the
light at the best angles and times.
The couples only other requisite was
lots of space: for braaiing and visiting with
their ever-expanding brood of children
and grandchildren.
No mans an island though and pretty
soon Guillaumes holistic approach of simply
and beautifully solving all of the homes
design challenges (including its furniture and
ttings) included the approval of his only
partner during his recce: a rain spider. Would
this eight-legged occupant deem his work
good enough to still stick around afterwards,
he wondered?
Not all thats wild was welcome during
the house-building scheme of things, however.
Keeping Pringle Bays ballsy baboons and
their families ngers out of the kitchen was
a task Guillaume took on with gusto. He had
the outsized glass sliding door, leading from
the kitchen to the wooden deck outside,
tted with 150cm-wide aluminium frames.

WHAT THE
OWNERS SAY
Why Pringle Bay?
We wanted to see more of our
children who live in the Western
Cape and we needed a big house.
Friends who live in the coastal
town recommended it.
How difficult was it to manage
such a long-distance project?
Not dicult at all. After getting to
know Guillaume, we knew we were
dealing with a person of integrity.
We chose Martin and Therese
Helmbold of Quali-Projects to do
the building and we were happy
to later learn that Therese is a
landscape architect whose passion
is fynbos rehabilitation.
How did you come to trust
Guillaume?
Guillaume not only spent a lot of
time on the property, he also made
trips out to us in the Free State to
establish our needs and tastes.
What do you love most about
your new house?
Its big enough for our entire family.
We also love the magnicent views
and the peacefulness.

It remains rock solid in the wind and is too

heavy for a pesky primate to slide across and
slip inside. Whats more, leave this door open
during hot summer months and simply glide
a separate aluminium shutter across to have
free-owing air while resting assured.
All of the houses windows are tted with
heavy-duty latches, and although they open
wide enough for circulation, the gaps are too
narrow for even the tiniest of hairy thieves to
squeeze through. To further ensure constant
ventilation, Guillaume had small top windows
tted to all the bedroom and bathroom door
frames. Balau wooden shutters also double up
as a dramatic front facade while allowing the
cool sea air inside.
Back to what happened to the face
brick Guillaume expanded and transformed
the original three-bedroom, one-bathroom
house to have ve bedrooms, three en suite.
He designed everything, from the wooden
beds with their pull-out drawers to the
benches and window shutter designs.
This private part of the house he smartly
connected to the living area with an angled
extension, doubling up as a bright storage
space where glass sliding doors open onto
a protected mountainside courtyard.
The extension leads straight into the
expansive living space the family wanted,
complete with a ginormous inside braai. Here,
the views are all-round breathtaking: eat at
the extra-long table in the kitchen while
having a close encounter with the mountain
clis and fynbos through the paned windows,
or cosy up in a chair in the lounge area and
gaze out over the blue sea yonder.
Total family holiday satisfaction with
space and views for Africa Mind you,
a certain rain spider also gave it the nod.
His perching spot? Ask Guillaume.
t


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01

01

PREVIOUS PAGE
01

In the space connecting the living

and sleeping area, architect Guillaume
Pienaar perches on a ladder leading
up to a hideaway room. A secret patio
is also accessible from here.

THIS SPREAD
01

Retro kitchen chairs complement

the extra-long oak table, a perfect
spot for looking out on nature.

02

Washing up is wonderful at this

bespoke kitchen wet area with a view.
The lab light is by Anatomy Design.

03

Connecting the sleep and living areas

is an open space with a way out to a
secret patio. A cupboard, designed
to extend the theme of the shutters,
oers extra storage.

04

The grey colour scheme extends

to the practical concrete screed
oor in the kitchen and throughout
the house.

02
03

04

THIS SPREAD
01

The main bathroom, like the rest of

the houses walls, dons hues of grey,
with the large baboon-safe window
letting in sunlight. The bath is from
Victoria & Albert Baths.
Let the sunshine in or out with
custom-made square balau shutters.
Holes for handles work just as well
on cupboards and drawers. Born Free
Carpentry, 083 452 4429.
Widen windowsills and Voila!
A place to sit on, a space to store
stu under and somewhere to
perch a pretty picture.

04

The main bedrooms bespoke

wardrobe hides a compact wc
and separates the large bathroom.

NEXT SPREAD
01

01

The balau garage door imitates the

houses shutters above, which can
be adjusted to keep out baboons,
and let in air and diused light.

P R I N G L E B AY C O T TA G E

04

P R I N G L E B AY C O T TA G E

KEEPING PRINGLE BAYS BALLSY

BABOONS AND THEIR FAMILIES
FINGERS OUT OF THE KITCHEN
WAS A TASK GUILLAUME TOOK
ON WITH GUSTO.

01

JOBURG STUDIO

01

M N CAVE

The director of the Museum of African Design

takes us on a tour of his brand spanking new
apartment on the periphery of the pulsating
main street of Maboneng. Sometimes it takes
an American in Africa to show us that size is
not everything.

P H OTO S D O O K
P R O D U C T I O N A N N E M A R I E M E I N TJ E S
WO R D S H E L E N H E R I M B I
02

99

JOBURG STUDIO

THE

most
striking thing about Aaron Kohns bachelor pad on the third floor of
the new Artisan Lofts in Maboneng is not that its right next door to a
brothel or that the balcony catches the most indulgent rays of sun on
mornings after a night of partying. Its that the apartment is, well, so tiny.
At only 30 square metres as well as a 10 square-metre balcony,
he emphasises Aaron has to make the space work for his needs. We
settle on the short-short chairs on said balcony and enjoy the sunlight,
as a low-hanging lamp sways in the breeze. I know theyre tiny chairs, he
laughs, thats kind of the theme of the apartment if you havent noticed.
This, he gestures to his bedroom, looks massive to me. Especially
after living in New York. Its, like, three times the size of a New York
apartment at, like, a fourth of the rent. Everyone has it hard in New York.
You make a lot more money in New York but over there you have a
shittier quality of life.
The 23-year-olds quality of life has improved considerably since
he left his birthplace in Cleveland. Before he was a resident of Joburgs
hipster hub, Aaron was an African Studies student at Columbia University
in New York. He spent a year as an exchange student at Wits University
because I knew all the Americans had gone to UCT and co-founded
the AfricanLookbook.com e-retailer where five-panel Babatunde caps
priced as high as $40 are sold to Americans and Europeans who want
some African flavour in their wardrobes. Even before that though, he did
a year of high school in Gaborone, Botswana, and travelled through

Namibia. Its these experiences that are part of the reason he became
obsessed with this continent.
Now, he is the director of the new Museum of African Design
(MOAD), a stones throw from his apartment. MOAD is a project of
developer Jonathan Liebmann, who was recently named one of
Forbes magazines 30 Most Promising Entrepreneurs in Africa. Since
2006, Jonathans company, Propertuity, has rejuvenated the entire
Maboneng Precinct, transforming it from an industrial neighbourhood
to a creative one complete with an independent cinema, restaurants
and a Sunday market.
The initial plan was to give AfricanLookbook.com the pop-up shop
treatment inside MOAD, but through a combination of impulsive emails
from me, and them giving me a chance, he was tasked with being the
director of the museum. In November last year the museum, which
describes itself as a permanent cultural laboratory, officially opened
with an exhibition called Native Nostalgia, curated by Aaron and inspired
by a book of the same title by journalist Jacob Dlamini.
Images from the exhibition are still stuck to Aarons kitchen wall.
They are swallowed by a blood-red colour scheme. A cow-skin from
Amatuli lies on the cold floor. When I first lived in Africa it was in
Gaborone, a place that relies on cattle for everything, Aaron explains.
I like the Nguni rug because it is one of few Ive seen with both black
and brown tones. Theres usually only one or the other.
Looking around the man cave, past the clothes hung on a rail,
bottles of spirits in varying degrees of emptiness line the top of his
fridge; there is coffee in a white cup with Johannesburgs skyline circling
it. We drink water out of a jug that uses the Marlboro cigarette brand
motif to announce Joburg Tap Water. An alphabet shoe rack has
notebooks, tools, remotes for all the different gadgets in the place,
power cords... With so little space, it becomes a fun storage solution.
Aaron explains that he doesnt have any keepsakes or souvenirs
from around the world in his apartment where would he put them all?
But hes happy to source everything locally. Its clear: Aaron hearts Africa.
My attitude is Im happy here. I can be here a lot of the time and
never have to step into a mall, he smiles broadly. And besides, everyone
knows that design and art are going to reshape this city and country.
r

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r

NPBEKICDPN

PREVIOUS SPREAD
01

Aarons balcony view of the Maboneng Precinct

includes the infamous Zebra Inn brothel.

02

The Man: MOAD director, Aaron Kohn, poses

in a Babatunde cap.

THIS SPREAD

Look cool and clever store scrabble pieces in your

French press and be ready for show and spell.
02

Aarons multi-tasking kitchen walls share a space

between photos from his first MOAD exhibition and
dishcloths from Mungo.

02

Its small, so double up fab with function pile a

stepladder with books, hang clothes like they matter
and keep it tidy. Find more tips for compact living
on VISI.co.za.
02

02

The Johannesburg skyline on a mug from Love Jozi

and other Joburg-centric items abound. The alphabet
shoe rack is from Weylandts, table from Pedersen and
Lennard, and chairs from Raw Studios.

JOBURG STUDIO

01

A map of Africa from Amatuli

hangs above towels from
Mungo in the bathroom.

02

Aarons 10 square-metre
balcony with short-short stools
and table from Tin Town.

01

02

PIRAL

SPIRITS
Ellerman Houses new wine gallery shows how a
humble cellar can be transformed into a monumental
art installation with custom pieces by sought-after
designers, sculptors and craftsmen.
P H OTO S O B I E O B E R H O L Z E R WO R D S M A L I B O N G W E T Y I LO

AT L A N T I C S E A B O A R D C E L L A R

01

Inspired by the corkscrew,

the 6m x 3.2m high wine
rack holds 1 500 bottles
and bears more than
two tons of weight.
The human scale of the
wine rack enables you to
engage with it, by walking
through it and enjoying
the sense of being inside
a vineyard, with the vines
arching over above your
head, says designer
Brian Steinhobel.

01

107

AT L A N T I C S E A B O A R D C E L L A R
01

02

erched high on the slopes of Lions Head

in Bantry Bay, one of Cape Towns more covetable
addresses, Ellerman House, has been oering
exclusive hotel accommodation since opening
its doors in 1992. The recent addition of the aweinspiring wine gallery has taken that experience
up several elegant notches.
The gallery houses a magnicent collection of
more than 7 500 vintage and rare wines. The owner,
Paul Harris, called on a team of some of South
Africas most sought-after creatives, led by architect
Michael Dennett, to create an experiential space
worthy of the wine collection.
Together with the location and history,
every element in this space is designed to work
harmoniously. But its the giant carbon-bre wine
rack that is the cellars pice de rsistance. By industrial
designer Brian Steinhobel, it is enormous, holding
1 500 wines in the shape of a corkscrew. The twirling
form evokes the impression of being in a vineyard
and also resembles the spiraling helix of a DNA
strand, what ultimately distinguishes one grape
from another a winemakers most valued asset.
Echoing the spiral, well-known blacksmith
Conrad Hicks and sculptor Angus Taylor created
a helix-shaped stainless steel staircase. Angus also
did the granite oors, a monolith stone bar top and
the chalk tasting-counter in the Champagne Cellar,
which contains rare and special vintages of Dom
Prignon. As testament to the detail that went into
the work, before creating the counter, Angus paid
a visit to Champagne in France, to meet up with
Richard Georoy, Chef de Cave for Dom Prignon.

03

04

01

Michael Dennett

02

Conrad Hicks

03

Brian Steinhobel

04

Angus Taylor

05

The brandy display,

comprising handblown glass
decanters by
Lothar Bttcher.

Anguss most splendid creation however, has to be

the Terroir Wall. It is made up of soil samples from
a hundred dierent wine farms, each contained in
a copper frame with the name of the farm and GPS
coordinates of the exact spot it was dug out of.
In addition to the grape, the location and soil are
invaluable to every winemakers craft.
The wine gallery also features a brandy tasting
lounge, which is a nod to South Africas esteemed
industry (we are after all, the worlds third oldest
brandy-producing country). Aside from a collection
of the nest brandies, its standout feature is a wall
installation of free-formed, hand-blown glass
decanters by Lothar Bttcher of Obsidian Glass.
Each one is lled with brandy that gradually goes
darker as it matures. The decanters are suspended
in order, starting from spirits as young as one year,
and gradually increasing in age as your eyes sweep
along the installation, all the way up to the soughtafter 25-year-olds.
Cape Town has topped many lists as the
number-one holiday destination for 2014, most
signicantly The Guardian in the UK and The New
York Times in the US. It is World Design Capital for
2014, and its wine routes need no introduction.
All of this points to the Ellerman House Wine
Gallery being one of the citys most ideal
destinations for visitors, combining its very best
qualities: rare wines, magnicent art, innovative
architecture and a pretty much perfect location
on the Atlantic Seaboard.
t




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05

01

This extraordinary
basin in the tasting
rooms bathroom
is a 960kg piece
of Belfast granite.
The water spouts
(from Lavo
Bathrooms) hang
from the ceiling.

02

The Terroir Wall

is made up of soil
samples from 100
locations in the
Cape wine region.

01

TOGETHER WITH THE

LOCATION AND HISTORY,
EVERY ELEMENT IN THE
SPACE IS DESIGNED TO
WORK HARMONIOUSLY.
02

PA M G OLDING PROPERTIES

SUPERIOR STYLE
B A N T R Y B AY, W E S T E R N C A P E / R 6 5 M I L L I O N

Enjoy breathtaking panoramic views across the

Atlantic Ocean towards Robben Island and beyond.
Situated on the sea side of the road this magnicent family home
embraces modern clean lines and sweeping curves. An inviting
entrance over a koi pond leads into a modern living space, and out
onto the outdoor terrace with its innity pool and amazing views.
A dream kitchen, working scullery, laundry and lifestyle kitchen are
all fully equipped and ready for a master chef! An elevator goes to the
second level where four en suite bedrooms, a large master bedroom,
study area and storeroom await.
Downstairs is a heated indoor pool, part of a tness and games
centre, and a fully equipped techno-gym with a TV, as well as a jacuzzi
and steam room. A fabulous home cinema and a stylish double sta
suite are among the many more amazing features. Fitted with an
elevator, state-of-the-art automation and sound system, a security/
guard house, cameras, an irrigation system and garaging for four cars,
this home tells a story of sheer luxury!
AGENTS

Jackie Rosenberg 083 414 6600 jackie.rosenberg@pamgolding.co.za

Janice Toay 082 770 1510 janice.toay@pamgolding.co.za
WEB ACCESS

PR1162421

112

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PAM G O LD IN G P R O P E RTI E S

CONTEMPORARY CASTLE
B I S H O P S C O U R T, W E S T E R N C A P E / R 3 8 M I L L I O N

Fit for a king, his

queen and their
extended family,
is this magnificent
double storey home
boasting voluminous
rooms and views that
seem to stretch to the
ends of the earth.
Nestling comfortably on 5 185m
grounds, in a quiet and exclusive
pocket of this sought-after area,
is this luxurious family home and
magnicent example of
architectural excellence. Strong
and purposeful lines provide a
contemporary yet timeless feel
and a perfect space for relaxed
family living.
Its double-volume spaces,
inter-leading sun-lled reception
rooms, six spacious bedrooms
and seven bathrooms all boast
state-of-the-art nishes. Set in
an expansive and tranquil
garden, it oers privacy and
understated opulence, as well as
panoramic mountain vistas from
every rooms large windows.
Other features include an
undercover entertainment patio,
a separate tennis pavilion,
swimming pool, jacuzzi, squash
court, fully tted gym room,
extraordinary water features,
sta accommodation and
garaging for ve cars.
AGENTS

Myrna Duveen 082 443 8417

myrna.duveen@pamgolding.co.za
Christiaan Steytler 082 658 0071
christiaan.steytler@pamgolding.co.za
WEB ACCESS

KW1135060

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

113

PA M G OLDING PROPERTIES

ZEN IN THE CITY

BENMORE GARDENS, GAUTENG / R6.5 MILLION

Perfect for the special

family looking for a
relaxed lifestyle and
secure home in a quiet
cul-de-sac, set within
a boomed enclave.
Step inside and be charmed
by this lovely home situated
in a sought-after garden
suburb close to Sandton.
Elegantly designed, its
interior is as immaculate as
its spacious separate atlet.
Reception areas all open up
to reveal a stunning patio
for entertaining and lap
pool, surrounded by a lush
green garden.
The main bedroom, with
its glamorous full en suite
bathroom, has doors
opening up to an outdoor
shower, while the tropical
garden will entice a
peaceful walk and a quiet
linger at the meditation
deck. A second bedroom
has an en suite bathroom
and study.
Close to Crawford, the
French School, Redhill,
the Gautrain and Sandtons
business centre, it is an
ideal reprieve for the citydwelling family .

AGENTS

Marion Dean 082 800 7168

marion.dean@pamgolding.co.za
Lesley Gray 082 554 9589
lesley.gray@pamgolding.co.za
WEB ACCESS

HP1163100

114

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

PAM G O LD IN G P R O P E RTI E S

A LITTLE JE NE SAIS QUOI

B R YA N S T O N / R 7 . 9 5 M I L L I O N

An exceptional home that offers all the traditional

luxuries yet oozes French flair and style of years gone by.
This stunning home is beautifully proportioned and one of three
units in an exclusive complex in sought-after Eccleston Crescent.
Charming and with lots of personality, it oers gorgeous sash
windows in the formal lounge, travertine tiles throughout, an
informal lounge as well as a dining area with a built-in braai.
Here, glass doors open up to a gorgeous landscaped garden
with a heated rim-ow pool.
A double-sided replace graces the formal dining room and French
doors open up to an atrium with a sh-pond. The kitchen boasts
beautiful wood nishes and a secret scullery while the en suite guest
bedroom opens up onto the garden. Upstairs are four bedrooms
and a lounge, all but one open up to the balcony. Theres also sta
accommodation and garaging for three vehicles. Full security
measures include electric fencing and beams, among others.
AGENTS

Oce 011 380 0000

Win Doody-Pestell 083 309 0770 win.doody-pestell@pamgolding.co.za
Francois Rohlandt 078 392 6947 francois.rohlandt@pamgolding.co.za
WEB ACCESS

HP1166223

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

115

PA M G OLDING PROPERTIES

GREEN GRASS OF HOME

F O U R WAY S , G A U T E N G / R 2 8 M I L L I O N

Imagine a dream home transcending all expectations

of luxury, space and Highveld outdoor living.
Blair Atholl, a world where luxury, space, design and security will
transcend your dreams. This amazing home oers not only security but
the fulllment of every other desire. The ve bedrooms are all en suite,
and the main bedroom overlooks the Crocodile River. Downstairs
comprises four amazing reception areas and a built-in cherry wood
pub. Bask and relax in the sun next to a beautiful lap pool, where a
separate entertainment area is ideal for dancing the night away, or to
unwind and enjoy sundowners. The velvet-green manicured lawns roll
all the way down to the river and over 400 trees have been planted to
ensure a forest of privacy. There are six garages for all those special
collectables. Invite your in-laws, they can have their own lovely twobedroom atlet.
This home is being sold fully furnished with the most gorgeous
of handpicked furniture pieces and curtaining to match each theme.

AGENTS

Jo Lotter 083 297 7992 jo.lotter@pamgolding.co.za

WEB ACCESS

DNF1156867

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A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

PAM G O LD IN G P R O P E RTI E S

STEP INTO A BYGONE ERA

O R A N J E Z I C H T, W E S T E R N C A P E / R 1 5 . 9 M I L L I O N

Imagine stepping back

in time and into this
warm and charismatic
family home boasting
original woodwork,
fireplaces and pressed
ceilings, all with Cape
Towns majestic Table
Mountain as a backdrop.
Seldom does a property of
this calibre come onto the
market. Reminiscent of a
more graceful period in the
history of Cape Town, this
lavishly appointed home with
numerous antique replaces
oers six reception rooms
and six bedrooms. Original
woodwork, both internal and
external, ornate ceilings and
beautiful windows and doors
have made the restoration
and extension of this
imposing home an exercise
in meticulous detail for the
present owners.
Multiple garaging, o-street
parking, top security and
privacy complete this picture.
View by appointment only.

AGENTS

Rob Maspero 083 447 6660

rob.maspero@pamgolding.co.za
Andre Stassen 082 928 6139
andre.stassen@pamgolding.co.za
Bev Josten 082 571 6755
bev.josten@pamgolding.co.za
WEB ACCESS

CB1010435

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

117

TRADE EXPO
BOOKINGS NOW OPEN
Email:
trade@uia2014durban.org

Proudly hosted by the

South African Institute of Architects

PHOTO SHAVAN RAHIM

REASONS TO
LOVE THE
YEAR OF
THE HORSE

WIN

these two candles from

SobeitStudio.com by
counting the horses in the
issue. Enter at VISI.co.za/
competitions

119

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

BABIES GET US ALL BROODY

01 Harrison crib with conversion
kit, Harrison compactum and
Rosaline rocker.

Getting excited about welcoming home your

newborn is the source of great inspiration for
creative moms. Some knit, some decorate, while
others take on grander projects: they get into
business for babes. Like friends Maritte Bergh
and Lisa Vos who both had babies join their families
around the same time. Together they started
exclusive furniture brand, Bunny & Clyde.
What was the motivation behind Bunny
& Clyde?
There was nothing new or particularly stylish locally
for babies, so we created a range that not only fulls
our ideals but outlives the nursery to become snappy
pieces in the home.
How is Bunny & Clyde dierent?
We think of mom rst, a beautiful haven for her,
with details to make it quirky and appealing for
baby. The crib converts into a toddler bed, and
then becomes a mini couch.
What is important when designing furniture
for babies?
We choose solid wood not only for its beauty, but
because its naturally non-poisonous and sealed
with 100% non-toxic, water-based sealant or paint.
The cribs adhere to British safety standards
(South Africa doesnt have crib safety standards).
What should parents look for when buying
baby furniture?
Think practical choose a crib that ts a standardsized mattress. Buy safe and sturdy.
bunnyandclyde.co.za

120

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

01

WONDER YEARS
This enchanting fabric and wallpaper
collection by Patrick Frey, president
and creative director of Pierre Frey,
was inspired by his sons growing up
in the 1980s and motivated by his
brood of grandchildren 30 years later.
The themes vary from cars and stars
for boisterous boys to embroideries
and pretty prints for girls.
wallpaper from R1 787/roll
fabric from R1 334/m for a tulle
and R3 167/m for an embroidery
mavromac.co.za
pierrefrey.com

PHOTO MARITTE BERGH WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

O
M

M
A

M
G

In our hunt for all things best and beautiful for

baby, we happened on this outrageously stylish
French magazine, Milk. Smitten, we ipped through
the pages full of ber-cool kids fashion, moms and
dads to die for, and all things hip and covetable
for little ones. And if thats not enough to set our
hearts on re, they publish a decor edition too.
milkmagazine.net

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

GOOD
FURNITURE
CAN BE
FOREVER
Children dream beyond what they see,
believes Denne Viljoen, the owner
and designer of De Steyl, a furniture
design and manufacturing company
in George. They are interested in the
things that surround them, they see
beauty in tiny details, they are little
people who grow up, change and adapt
over the years in the spaces of the
homes they share with their parents
just like the lovely range of furniture,
Play Play that Denne, an architect by
trade, designs for them.
Inspired by the 1950s Scandinavian
furniture she grew up with, as well
as that odd quirky piece she thinks
we all remember from childhood, Play
Play is a modular chest range made
from sustainable birch plywood with

removable drawer boxes laminated

in white, blue or grey, and various
leg options.
For Denne, its really about putting
the fun in functional design and
excellence in quality when considering
furniture that grows with the child.
Not only is it environmentally
sustainable, but it saves money, too.
From storing nappies to stationery
supplies and, if one day your teenager
has simply grown out of love with a
piece, it should be good enough to use
anywhere else in the house.
Adding even more play, Denne has
collaborated with pattern designer
Rene Rossouw to create some bold
motifs for the new range.
Z[ij[ob$Ye$pW

01 The Play Play chests come in all dierent sizes,

with removable drawer boxes that are also
interchangeable and reversible.

01

122

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

B A N DA N A S
FOR BABES
Old schools cool but not when it
comes to wiping o dribbles and
catching all sorts of spills with a nasty
plastic-backed bib. Instead, these
cotton Bandana Bibs, by graphic
designer and mom-of-two Andrea
Barras (left), are the new cool.
Handmade in two styles, reversible
and dribble dry (the latter backed
by soft absorbent toweling) they are
super practical too.
Bandana Bibs from R35
babybirdbasics.com

PHOTOS KELVIN SAUNDERS, ANDREA BARRAS, THE PIXEL

SURGEON: CHARL VAN DER MERWE WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

Sewing workshops? Arent we talking

about booties?
Nunabean shoes are supplied as sewing
kits to communities around Cape Town
and Khayelitsha. We give free Nunabean
workshops on how to turn the kits into
booties and graduates can work from home.

B E C A U S E

LITTLE FEET HAVE

BIG SHOES TO FILL

With its online shop booming, artisan baby

brand Nunabean is growing out of its sweet
little hand-stitched leather booties. We spoke
to owner and designer Anthea Forlee, also
mom of the brands namesake, Nuna.
How was Nunabean born?
As a child, I often visited an old age home,

W O N K Y

and it was there that I fell in love with

knitting and sewing. When I had my
daughter Nuna three years ago, Judith
joined our family as nanny, and I soon
realised she loved handcraft as much as me.
I decided to share my childhood skills and,
when her unemployed sisters followed,
the Nunabean sewing workshops started.

W I N N I E

01 Turning childrens stories into fairytale furniture can

you guess which Winnie-the-Pooh characters these are?

01

What makes the shoes special?

They are not just baby shoes, but also
cosy little vessels carrying your hopes and
dreams for your baby, and you can customise
them with an aspirational button badge. Sizes
range from newborn to nine months. Most of
our fabrics are locally produced, natural and
organic. Every pair comes in a shweshwe bag
and with a certicate showing the artisan who
made them.
What are your plans for the future?
Our dream is to grow Nunabean out of its
baby shoes and into booties to cuddle little
feet all over the world! Our online shop sells
and delivers anywhere in the world, and
weve recently launched a range of handknitted jerseys, baby acorn caps and ecofriendly 100% bamboo baby blankets.
dkdWX[Wd$Yec

Japanese design studio Nendo has sprinkled its

magic all over Winnie-the-Pooh and friends to
conjure up wooly, wooden furniture for Walt
Disney Japan. Made of maple, each piece is
partly covered with dierent shades of knitting,
so go on and guess whos who in the Hundred
Acre Wood! Were sure Winnies creator,
AA Milne, would have thought them
all pretty marvelous.
d[dZe$`f%[d

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

MERMAIDS
ARE
MYSTICAL
Forget Me Not, R21 800.

124

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

FA

S T FAC T

In African
mythology there is a
mermaid goddess called
Mami Wata (water mother).
Jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela
recorded a song named after
her, which appeared on his
1975 album The Boys
Doin It.

WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

Shipwrecks, sea monsters and

mermaids Seems like yarns
for spinning childrens fantasy
tales, but put beauty and fear
in the mix and you have a taste
of the many ideas shaping
artist Lucinda Mudges new
body of handmade coil vases,
due for exhibition in April
at The Gallery at Grande
Provence, Franschhoek.
Lucindas ceramics have
always stood out from the pack
with their wry slogans and
illustrative embellishments.
South Africa hasnt always
been home to her, or her only
place of inspiration. After art
studies at Michaelis in Cape
Town, she moved to London
where she taught herself
ceramics. Back home a few
years later husband and the
rst of two babes in arms
she set up a home studio
in sleepy Keurboomstrand.
But not much sleep is on the
cards: after the Franschhoek
exhibit, Lucinda starts working
on a show for Circa in Jozi.
d[Whji$Ye$pW
]hWdZ[fhel[dY[$Ye$pW
bkY_dZWckZ][$mehZfh[ii$Yec

5666

Happy Mothers Guaranteed.

Spoil your mum this Mothers Day with a gorgeous piece from Le Creuset. Whether it be a
beautiful Cast Iron pot in her favourite colour or a gorgeous Stoneware piece for the family dinner
table, theres no better way to say thank you for a lifetime of delicious home-cooked meals than
with a lot of love and her favourite Le Creuset. Visit your nearest Le Creuset Boutique store today.
Visit www.lecreuset.co.za or share call 086 177 3321 for more information.
New store opening at Waterstone Village, Somerset West.
CAVENDISH SQUARE . TYGERVALLEY CENTRE . SOMERSET MALL . GARDENS CENTRE . THE CONSTANTIA VILLAGE . KILLARNEY MALL . BEDFORD VIEW CENTRE
HYDE PARK CORNER . CLEARWATER MALL . BROOKLYN MALL . WOODLANDS BOULEVARD . LA LUCIA MALL . THE PAVILLION . WATERFALL MALL RUSTENBURG
SANDTON CITY . V&A WATERFRONT . NICOLWAY BRYANSTON . CANAL WALK . WALMER PARK . FRANSCHHOEK

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

Fedoras, trilbies, Panamas, porkpies, cloches,

Gainsboroughs and Bretons Youd better
brush up on your headgear terminology
because hats are back.
This autumn is the launch of the Simon &
Mary millinery brand in Joburg. Dean Pozniak
tells us about the brand thats named after
his grandparents, and of his contribution
to a family business that has been producing
and exporting felt hats for 40 years.
What sets your hats apart?
Authenticity with a rich heritage. We take
pride in each hat that leaves our factory
moulded and made with the very same
machines as those that made and moulded
the styles of the 60s.

02

Arent you worried hats might be

a passing fad?
Over time, the hat has become a less essential
item, but it has always remained signicant in
expressing individual style. For us, the hat has
never been unpopular, and denitely not
enough so to cause concern.
How did you manage to capture that
special Joburg spirit so well in your
visual campaign?
We worked with design team Jana + Koos, who
were excited about a genuine heritage brand
from Joburg and insisted that a large part of
telling our story would be to drive home the
idea of made in Johannesburg. So we cast
real people, the modern hat wearer Joburgs
creatives, bloggers, artists, stylists, fashion
designers, curators and so the list goes on.
i_cedWdZcWho$Ye$pW
`WdWWdZaeei$Yec

126

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

03

01 Dean and Julian Pozniak, and Alfred Manyoni of Simon & Mary.
02 Serai, creative consultant and entrepreneur, wearing Julian.
03 Wanda and Kabelo, known as The Sartists, wearing Monza and Julian.

PHOTOS AIMEE POZNIAK, GARETH PLACE BRANDING & ART DIRECTION JANA + KOOS WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

01

OLD
HATS
ARE
TAUGHT
NEW
TRICKS

DESIGN a Kitchen tap that can heat water at the point of use,
using induction heating technology.
PDC CATEGORIES ARE: STUDENTS AND OTHER.
First Prize: R30 000, Naming of your range and PR/recognition, you will be announced as the winner in the media.
me
Second Prize: R15 000
Winning Institute: R10 000
Semi finalists will be announced in the 1st week in August 2014. Finalists will be invited to a function where the winners
in both categories will be announced. Format for submission & design competition brief can be found at www.cobra.co.za.

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: 7 JULY 2014

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

AMBIENTE WENT BIG ON JAPAN

Every year the Ambiente consumer goods trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany, partners
with a dierent country and this year it was the Land of the Rising Sun. Our resident
Japanophile, Annemarie Meintjes reports that there was a great deal of gentle
and minimal products better designs with less unnecessary detail.
CHAIRS AND SIDE TABLE

GEORG STOOL

by Afternoon for Menu.

Simplistic design at its best, this occasional furniture
not only meets everyday needs, but also inspires a smile.
c[dk$Wi

by Christina Liljenberg Halstrm for Skagerak.

A Design Plus award-winner, this oak bench
has a wool pillow attached with leather strings
irresistible Nordic minimalism.
iaW][hWa$Za

BLOSSOM BAG
by Odin.
Made of eco-friendly
synthetic leather, this was
the bag on every Japanese
magazine editors shoulder.
eZ_d#fheZkYji$Z[
]eeZ`eX#iWb[i$Z[

FIRE
by Konstantin Slawinski.
Another Design Plus
award-winner, this solves
a long-standing problem
the ugly re extinguisher.
It also has a rst aid kit.
aedijWdj_dibWm_dia_$
Yec

THE AA STOOL by Torafu Architects for Ishinomaki Laboratory.

These red cedar seats were inspired by trestles and can also be stacked
together to create a tabletop.
_i^_decWa_#bWX$eh]
L_i_jj^[m[Xi_j[\ehceh[
WcX_[dj[$c[ii[\hWda\khj$Yec

128

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

BECAUSE

ITS COMING TO A
STORE NEAR YOU

Based on the best-sellers

at Ambiente, Annemarie
Meintjes predicts the
homeware trends we can
expect to hit local stores
in the next few months.

EVERYWHERE AND NOW HERE

Villeroy & Boch has introduced a World Design
Capital-inspired Cape Town coee mug in their
NewWave Ca Cities of the World line.
l_bb[heo#XeY^$Z[

POTS ARE SQUARED OFF

My choice is the Silit Quadro range.
The tall casserole pot and the saucepan
will update any existing range in
your kitchen.
i_b_j$Z[

BLACK-ANDWHITE CHINA
Whether in stripes
or designs, the
monochrome trend is
going to glamorously
pop up on tables
everywhere this year,
like the minimalist
but opulent new
Sieger by Frstenberg
Ca dOro range.
\k[hij[dX[h]#
fehp[bbWd$Yec
i_[][h$eh]

MULTI-TASKING
COFFEE MAKERS
Bialettis new Mokissima Militare is dressed
in camo and has a trio system that allows
you to use ground coee, pods or capsules.
X_Wb[jj_]hekf$Yec

HAND-BLOWN
GLASS
An omnipresent dining trend
at Ambiente, the Ivalo range
with custom-made wooden
lids and hand-knotted
leather handles was
the ultimate example.
biW#_dj[hdWj_edWb$Yec

38 REASONS

PONIES
ARE
PRETTY
130

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

FA

ST FACT

The rat, ox, tiger,

rabbit, dragon, snake,
horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog
and pig, are the 12 animal signs
of the Chinese zodiac, in that order.
In general, the lucky colours of those
born in the year of the horse are red,
green and purple wait a minute,
isnt the Pantone colour of the
year Radiant Orchid?

WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

BECAUSE

Tuning into the neighing vibes of the Chinese zodiac,

we found this gorgeous new range of equestrian-inspired
tableware designed by Carmen Roome for Londons Royal
Crown Derby.
Called Equus, the range features original brush-and-ink
horses, some deconstructed onto ve dierent plates,
while crockery dons images of single horses nished o
in either white or gold. Apart from a range of plates, the
collection consists of a teacup and saucer, beaker, coee
cup and saucer, a sandwich tray and storage jars.
Interestingly, Royal Crown Derby has been
manufacturing ne bone china since around 1750 itself
the year of the horse and the word derby refers to
a horse race. Moreover, Queen Victoria herself gave the
company the nod, back in the 19th century, to use royal
as part of their name.
Well, it seems like giddy-up is the thing to do this year,
so go on, take a ne china horse for a ride.
heoWbYhemdZ[hXo$Ye$ka

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

WELL ALWAYS
HAVE PARIS
DIANE DU TOIT

GM PENDANT
by Grethe Meyer.
c[dk$Wi

Senior buyer, Entrepo.

Copper is a huge trend,
coming through in lighting
and accessories. Brands such
as Menu and Tom Dixon have
incorporated the colour
extensively in their new ranges.
A Scandinavian design originals
label, Menu has shifted its
image dramatically, focusing
on incorporating a broader
range of lifestyle products, from
furniture to smaller accessory
items and tableware. With the
inclusion of copper, the range
has softness and a slightly more
feminine appeal.
Metals are also being
shown with punch-outs
and perforations across
silver, brass and copper
colours. The perforated detail
is not all over the product
however, and is also often
seen combined with beaten
or bubble-textured surfaces.
Colours are terracotta orange,
burgundy red, dark teal, soft
pink, charcoal grey and petrol
blue. These are seen across
all materials, from textiles
to wood and plastic. Normann
Copenhagen has a great grey
rug and burgundy candleholder,
while Menus granite wall
clock just popped within
the collection.

MARBLE WALL
CLOCK
by Norm in green.
c[dk$Wi

FOLK CANDLEHOLDER
by Simon Legald
in burgundy.
dehcWdd#
Yef[d^W][d$Yec

PLUM ICE BUCKET

jecZ_ned$d[j

OONA RUG
by Simon Legald
in grey.
dehcWdd#
Yef[d^W][d$Yec

132

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

A visit to the city of lights, love and style, and home to the inuential
Maison et Object fair, is always good to dust o the inspirational cobwebs.
We asked two design romantics about their latest pilgrimage.

CAVALIER VELVETS
in ale, armour, champagne,
lead and saddle.
Z[b[YkedW$Ye$ka

MARGUERITE MACDONALD

MARABOUT MULTICOLORE

Owner, Mavromac.
The raw, thick and untreated wood trend just
gets stronger and stronger. Tree stumps, barktrimmed tables, freeform benches, gnarled
roots and huge slabs.
Retro rattan takes us back to the 60s with the
romantic curved lines of Palm Beach furniture
everywhere. The Dutch and Flemish come to
the fore with all their Indonesian sources.
A colour invasion of pastels pinks, purples,
tangerines, mauves and blues looked like a
macaroon party! Think nostalgic picnic baskets,
ovenware, oral china, rag dolls, enamelware
and clouds of Cath Kidston lookalikes.
Fabrics showed rich colour and textures
with the best by far being Pierre Freys Aloha
Collection. Rough texture and bold simplicity
have continued to keep a strong presence
nothing compares with the gorgeous linens,
paisleys and velvets of De Le Cuona.
The exposed light bulb and miners cage lights
trend has reached a point where it seems
almost rude to have a lampshade.
Vintage furniture still prevails, and hardly
a table is without the characteristic tapered
and splayed baton legs of the 50s. Stands
featuring period furniture looked downright
dull and stuy.

from the Aloha Collection.

f_[hh[\h[o$Yec

maison-objet.com

INSULAIRE
range of rattan furniture.
dkc[he'''$Yec

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

A LITTLE
BLING GOES
A LONG WAY

BECAUSE

WEVE
GOT
A
COPPER
CRUSH
From the high street
to the vintage
markets, from
clothes and make-up
to decor Copper.
Everywhere. Great
thing is, even if its
particularly popular
right now, shiny stu
from the earth never
goes completely out
of mode, like this
old-school copper
pendant light.

Decked in gold, this

glamorous bottle of
Bottega Gold never
fails to impress. The
beautiful packaging
protects the sparkling
brut Prosecco from
light, resulting in it
being unchanged for
more than a year.
H))&"Xejjb[i^ef$
Ye$pW
Xejj[]WiW$Ye$pW

WIN
ed[e\l[Xejjb[i$
;dj[hWjL?I?$Ye$pW%
Yecf[j_j_edi$

<hecH'(/&"
ab_]^j$Ye$pW

WZZ_d]WZWi^e\
rose syrup and
a sprig of mint
fekh_d]W
spoonful of
apple or peach
puree over
ifh_dab_d]
grated white
chocolate over
WZZ_d]WadeX
of glac ginger
and a drizzle
of syrup

134

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

WORDS CHANTL HANS

GIVE IT
EDGE BY

Est. 1984

true to the craft

generation after generation
www.osterwaldandsons.com - 2 Beach Rd. Maitland, Cape Town - Tel: 021 511 1734 - Email: midi@iafrica.com

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

ITS ACTUALLY A DESIGN OASIS

Who needs to go anywhere

when the whole world comes
to you? Top contemporary
interior brands from Europe
will descend on the city from 28 to 31
October for the Downtown Design
International trade fair.
ZemdjemdZ[i_]d$Yec

You know youre in Dubai

when at the fair you
encounter a massive stand
full of designer hookahs.
Trust the sheikhs to turn smoking
into a ne art with opulent hubbly
bubblies from designers including
Karim Rashid and Jaime Hayon.

Downtown Design is
organised by the same
people behind the Art Dubai
and Design Days Dubai
fairs where Southern Guild has
presented many an exhibition of
collectible South African design.

Speaking of bigger, the Burj Khalifa is

the worlds tallest building at 829.8m.
Its 163 oors include the exclusive
Armani Hotel as well as Atmosphere
on the 122nd oor this is the worlds
highest restaurant (from ground level).
Lunch there is a must.

In the meantime, you can buy

practically any designer brand your
heart desires at the worlds largest
shopping centre, the Dubai Mall.
Yes, everything is bigger in Dubai!

Hookah by Jaime Hayon

for Gaia and Gino.

7
FA

Like all super-cities,

Dubai has a design
district. Except in Dubai
you dont wait for
things to happen
organically, you build
them. Development
on the design district
started last year and
it launches at the
beginning of 2015.

S T FAC T

In 1991, there was

one skyscraper in the city
of Dubai. Today, there are
several hundred.

136

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

ILLUSTRATION iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

The desert and heat may make you

feel like it is the other end of the earth,
but the world is your oyster quite
literally. There is an articial
archipelago of islands in the shape of the
world map, and the Dubai International
Airport services over 230 destinations
and has the biggest terminal in the world.

WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

Everyone has an opinion on Dubai on its lavish facade, its biggest

this, tallest that, the grandeur of its sheikhs. However, we love its
insatiable appetite for architecture and design, and think its worth
experiencing for yourself the sheikhtastic VISI way, of course!

Tel: 012 346 3102 Tel: 021 461 7840

38 REASONS

B EC AUS E

ZEN IS SERVED
ON A PLATE

No need to long in vain for a Ruan Homann artwork of

your own anymore. Weve got great news: you can now
aord two, three, even four or more pieces, as this
celebrated local ceramic artist, whos making waves
all over the globe, has teamed up with Woolworths
to produce a bespoke range of homeware.
Not long ago, Ruans work was only available as art.
Known for his poignant one-liners and spontaneous
drawings on unevenly shaped ceramic plates, he always
preferred his work to develop from an emotive space,
leaving room enough for that element of surprise.
In 2011, however, during an exhibition in US store
Anthropologie, the retailer encouraged the self-taught
ceramicist to spread his artists wings and turn the
ordinary into the extraordinary. Its a big thing to ask
of an everyday object, says Ruan. But hes not one to
say no to a challenge and soon a beautiful collection of
oral-inspired homeware graced the retailers shelves.
Back home and what can we expect from Ruan in
the aisles of Woolies? Inspired by Japanese woodblock
painting and classic Eastern images, for the rst range,
his free-owing expressionistic style has infused Zen
with a contemporary shot of zing. This is but one of the
collections though, and Ruan advises to look out for the
still-in-production blue-and-white Annette set that, with
its wind-blown camellia motif, is sure to blow us away.
ruanhomann.com
woolworths.co.za
anthropologie.com

PHOTO RUAN HOFFMAN WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

01

02

138

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

05

03
04

01 Ruan Homann sele.

02 Droplets shower curtain,
R1 500, Anthropologie.
03 Jardin des Plantes tea
set, from R325 to R1 220,
Anthropologie.
04 Jardin des Plantes dinner
plates, from R255 to
R430, Anthropologie.
05 Side plates, R150 each,
Woolworths.

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

Thats right, Cape Town homeboy Martin

Doller has cracked the nod from the
biggest design show on earth and will be
representing at the Milan Furniture Fair
in April. Martin was selected to take part
in the Salone Satellite programme at the
fair, which showcases the work of the
most promising emerging designers
from all over the world.
However, his recent success doesnt
come as any surprise. As a student he
won a SABS award for his electric bike,
and he collected the Carrol Boyes Metal
Award in 2009, which kick-started his
career with his rst commercial product
mass-produced and distributed
nationally. Shortly after that, he started
making bespoke lights and in 2011
established Martin Doller Design. At
Design Indaba 2013, he launched his
at-packed Framed lighting collection
(see page 186).
Fast-forward a year and Martin has
produced a range of tables that, instead
of the typical at-pack clip-together
mechanism, have legs that screw on
directly. Our favourite thing about the
design is that if the table stands on a
slightly uneven oor, you can adjust
individual leg height.
After its international debut, the table
will be available at Stable, as well as be
part of 100% Design (see page 146).
cWhj_dZebb[h$Yec"ijWXb[$eh]$pW

01
02

03

01 Martin Doller.
02 This kitchen
table top
is made of
eco-friendly
bamboo.
03 The small side
table is Martins
experiment in
working with
sheet metal,
which is
much harder
to bend.
04

140

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

PHOTOS SHAVAN RAHIM WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

HES SHOWING
IN MILAN WITH
THE BIG BOYS

38 REASONS

01

B E C A U S E

FA

Dairy farmer
Wolraad Woltemade
and his horse, Vonk, were
the heroes who died while
rescuing sailors from the
shipwrecked De Jonge
Thomas in Table Bay
in 1773.
02

Isnt this voluptuous, smoky Vonk light

simply gorgeous? It is the result of a simple
experiment between renowned glass blower
David Reade, and designers Johan and Len
Botha, better known as Woltemade.
Having originally met in an Asian bar in
Johannesburg, the couple relocated to the
Mother City and havent looked back. In fact,
the very name Woltemade was chosen for the
heritage link to Cape Town and sailing boats.
Johan is qualied in industrial design and,

142

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

ST FACT

more recently, boat design, and Len is a

qualied interior designer. When asked about
how they came to establish a design studio,
Johan mentions that it just happened to be
their common ground, and that both of them
are intrigued by simple design solutions
and details.
We see design as a lifestyle, as exploring
various avenues to full and express our
passion, and to add value to everyday life,
he says. This is the secret to the success

theyve achieved in just two years.

The work is best described as simplied
elegance and the new range includes a glass
oor lamp, bronze mirror, tables and ceramics.
We cant wait!
mebj[cWZ[$Ye$pW

&' Designers Len and Johan Botha.

&( The Vonk lights cost R3 100 (180mm),
and R4 950 (280mm).


PHOTOS FRANCOIS REY FROM MONDAY DESIGN WORDS CHANTL HANS

A
SMOOTH
SEA
NEVER
MADE A
SKILLED
SAILOR

PROMOTION

VIVE LA

PRETORIA!
No need to y to Paris to nd ne French
architecture and cuisine, simply pop over
to Brasserie de Paris in Pretoria and enjoy
fabulous food while marvelling at the
interior of an architectural masterpiece
all la Franaise!

At Brasserie de Paris in Pretoria you can dine out on French

cuisine, while feasting your eyes on a rare example of
Afrocentric modernist architecture, complete with
unpainted concrete and coarse brick walls.
Designed by architect Karl Jooste in 1965, and inspired
by famous French modernist architect Le Corbusier
particularly by his Modulor ideal it was Karls family home
and oce back in the day.
He adapted the module, which equates the specic
mathematical proportions of a human shape to an
architectural design, by using the form of his wife as
prototype for his house. And he spared no detail
everything had to t his ideal proportions; some door
frames were left out, glass windows were bolted onto
walls, all to ensure the end result is true to form.
During the design process, Karl also made provision for
the severe Highveld sun and storms by including deep-set
windows and using robust materials.
Years later, in the hands of the owner of Brasserie
de Paris, Sarie Jooste Jordaan, this modernist icon was
transformed into one of South Africas top restaurants.
Now, in the houses lofty spaces, guests can enjoy
French fare la carte or degustation, paired with a bottle
of ne local or French wine, or champagne, all thats left to
be said for this little piece of Paris in Pretoria is bon appetit!
t





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38 REASONS

THE
SPOTLIGHT
IS ON
SHOWBIZ
GLAM
Evoking movie studios and
photographers lofts, the
tripod statement lamp casts
you as the star in your own
home ick. Although the
high-priced vintage originals
probably initiated the trend,
the extremely useful
adjustable legs and
directional light have made it
stick. Here are some of VISIs
favourite movie moments.

AS

T FAC

The tripod sh is
so named because of
its three elongated ns
with which it stands on
the ocean oor.

01 The Rookie desk lamp by Sutla

Design, R2300, stable.org.za
02 Aluminium Tripod oor lamp,
R5 995, weylandts.co.za
03 Pollock Tripod lamp by
Sobeit Studio, R4 450,
sobeitstudio.com
04 Art Light felt oor lamp
by Wiid Design, R7 262,
stable.org.za

144

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

01

WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

B E C A U S E

02
03

04

PROMOTION

FLOATING TABLE

A fabulous new table has seen the light of day thanks to ergonomic
specialists Humanscale. Called Float, it does its name justice by making
mechanical transitions between sitting and standing feather-light and
its available in SA only from Formfunc Studio.

Wave goodbye to cranking your table up and down, or

expensive energy insucient electric motors, and say hello
to Float, Humanscales unique new table with its immediate,
eortless and single-handed height adjustment.
We all know how busy it is at work; you sit for hours at
your desk every day, or maybe you stand while doing your
job. Whichever way, research shows that desk-bound tasks
increase the risk of heart disease and cancer, while working on
your feet for hours on end is not good for you either. Balance
is key, and alternating between the two positions should
happen throughout a working day to ensure optimum health.
Humanscales new Float table now makes the transition as easy
and natural as it should be, all day long.

On the forefront
of ergonomic technology,
and renowned for
achieving more with less,
Humanscale has designed
Float with a counterbalance mechanism
featuring constant-force
technology. It is also the
only table top of its kind
with a unique safety feature
it only allows adjustment
when the desktop and
contents are balanced.
With more than 140
prestigious awards to
their name and products
displayed in the Museum
of Modern Art, Humanscale
has ne-tuned ergonomics.
Formfunc Studio is their
exclusive dealer partner
in southern Africa and has
been the local supplier of
world-leading ergonomic
tools and furniture for
six years.
t

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JOGP!GPSNGVODDP[B

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

THE
WORLD
IS
WATCHING

01

02

03

With us hosting the World Design Capital 2014,

comes the rst 100% Design South Africa,
a showcase of contemporary local and
international furniture, lighting, interiors
and textiles. A globally renowned brand,
100% Design ocially launches in Joburg in
August alongside Decorex. However in April,
at Decorex Cape Town, there will be a teaser,
as the shows creative director Laurence Brick
puts it. Here, Laurence, also founder of Loads
of Living, talks local design and what we can
look forward to at 100% Design SA.
In your experience, in what state is the
market for local design?
South African design now holds its own

146

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

04

internationally. We have a strong sense

of our distinctive design aesthetic. Many
of our designers are supplying international
stores on an ongoing basis.
How will 100% Design help keep that
going and provide new opportunities?
It is an international brand, so willbring
more attention to South Africa and further
position our designers as global players.
What are some of the names we can
expect to see?
Established furniture designers such as Tonic,
Bronze Age, Dokter and Misses, alongside new
talent like Laurie Wiid and Wintec Innovation.

01 Laurence Brick.
&( Bench by Cape
Town designer
Laurie Wiid.
03 Customised
sneakers,
handpainted
by artist Atang
Tshikare.
04 Ceramic pots by
Martine Jackson.
&+ The Sweat Lamp
by Dokter and
Misses, made
out of a solid block
of soap stone.
Ceramics from master potters Martine Jackson,
Anthony Shapiro and Nic Sithole, as well as
relatively new names like Madoda Fani and
Mervyn Gers. Not to mention surface design
from Atang Tshikare. There will also be the
100 Beautiful South African Things exhibition.
A trend youre loving?
3D-printing.
A trend youre tired of?
Perfect formulaic interiors.
'&&f[hY[djZ[i_]d$Ye$pW
(+je(.7fh_b"9Wf[Jemd?dj[hdWj_edWb
9edl[dj_ed9[djh["Z[Yeh[n$Ye$pW

PHOTOS ATANG TSHIKARE, LAURENCE BRICK, MARK WILLIAMS, ALEXIS DYALVANE OF AD9 PRODUCTIONS, ROOIWOLF
WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

05

INTERNATIONAL
ENQUIRIES
Isabella Alves
T +27 21 761 1897
C +27 76 600 2151

CAPE TOWN
Southern
Meagan McLeod
T +27 21 762 0071
C +27 76 282 5503
Northern
Debbie Beath
T +27 21 853 2555
C +27 82 858 2218

GARDEN ROUTE
Karen Schoombie
C +27 83 553 1655

GAUTENG
Sandra Parkes
C +27 82 372 4262
Johannesburg Showroom
T +27 11 501 2704
Pretoria Showroom
C +27 71 649 7896

KWA ZULU NATAL

Malinda Pretorius
C +27 71 447 2169

HERMANUS
Eunice Rademeyer
T +27 28 312 4979
C +27 76 155 1184

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

Kudos to Pretorias Peet van Straaten who

recently walked away with the Fine Brandy
By Design competitions R50000 rst prize
money. Creative director of Pretoria-based
product design company Raw Studios, Peets
vision of turning old-style brandy drinking
ideas on its head, once again shines the
spotlight on the citys Cool Capital proclamation.
Unveiled at the Design Indaba Expo, the
thinking behind Peets winning bar was to

maximise on the social habits of the digeratti

by creating an interactive experience, instead
of ambling along the tried and trusted
traditional ways of pure sensual delight.
After all, Fine Brandy By Design has been
hard at work at changing public perception
of brandy as a preferred postprandial drink,
by showing how fabulously versatile it is
in cocktails, while it can also be enjoyed neat,
on the rocks or with a splash of water.

Although all out for charming the trendy

set, Peet also wanted to pay tribute to the
international achievements of SAs brandy
masters, and designed his bar as a showcase
to share the special brandy mastery with a
new generation. Raising his bar to operate
in a social interactive space put the winning
distance between Peet and his sti competition.
d[XhWdZo$Ye$pW
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PHOTO SHAVAN RAHIM WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

BRANDY IS
TRAILBLAZING

New Cape Town store now open!

(167 Bree Streetbetween Leeuwen & Pepper Streets)

Redefining your choice.

Yes, we offer sound advice, wide variety, great service and value-for-money but we offer something more,
product. Olivari, Grol, Basana, Mandelli and Formani world class handles: all brands top of the game, and for
a reason when all the hype is said and done... It is the product that counts.
Handles Inc are specialists in: Imported Handles, Home Accessories and Ironmongery.

$5



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38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

WE
CAN
BE
LEFT
TO OUR
OWN
DEVICES

Gone are the days when cabinets simply housed

fancy crockery, or when a lampstand provided
only lighting and aesthetic value. Today, interior
pieces do everything from interchangeably
amplifying various portable devices audio to
charging them, with some even doubling up as
control centres. What a relief not to have to turn
the whole house upside down to nd the charger,
or even worse your phone. Smart, savvy and
downright desirable, here are some of our
favourite modern must-haves.

JUKEBOX from Shox.

Dont let its size fool you; this 200g-pocket speaker
packs quite a punch. With a 10m Bluetooth range,
up to ve hours of playback, hands-free capability
and built-in stereo should you wish to add another
mini juke, this is one capable little accessory.
R400, tevo.co.za

150

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

WORDS CHANTL HANS

CAIXA by Paolo Cappello for Miniforms.

Available in white, red or black lacquer or canaletto walnut, or a combination,
this entertainment table comes with a universal iPod dock and Bluetoothintegrated stereo system. Connect your TV, computer, iPod and more.
R35028, miliashop.com
paolocappello.com, miniforms.eu

EMBRACE from Spell.

If you cant aord the whole MyWorld couch, upgrade what you
have with this sleek portable desk that hooks all your chargers
in one place and gets rid of most cables in sight. Made from walnut
and epoxy steel, not only is it a convenient resting spot for your
phone or tablet, but it can also provide a perch for a cuppa.
R4960, spell-online.com

NOMAD NIGHTSTAND from Spell.

This steel-and-wood nightstand simplies life by organising
and hiding unsightly cables, with the added bonus of being
a charging dock and having only one main AC supply.
R8743, spell-online.com

MYWORLD by Philippe Starck for Cassina.

MyWorld is a cocoon, a nest, a world where we can be egocentric and comfortably commune with our
own shadow or collect snippets of news from the world that is said to be real, says Philippe about the
collection. The two and three-seater sofas, an armchair, chaise longue and ottoman, can be decked out
with tech-equipped accessories that include a side table with electric sockets, USB charger, induction
charger and smartphone receiver.
Starting at R85000, afritaly.com
starck.com, cassina.com

01

BECAUSE

02
03

That the Hopewell Conservation Estate, a nature reserve on the edge

of Port Elizabeth, is home to an elegant eco-friendly, award-winning
building, should be a clue to its ground-breaking vision. For, sprinkled
throughout its 3000hectares of untouched fauna and ora are
residential plots for the genuine nature-loving investor.
A range of strictly green residences has been designed by architect
Richard Stretton from Koop Design. Insight into the environmental
rigour Richard has invested in the designs is evident in his rst
completed building on the estate, the Hopewell visitors centre,
winner of an Eastern Cape Institute of Architects Award of Merit.
The small building serves as an orientation point for visitors,
and includes a lobby, kitchen, admin area, presentation space and
bathrooms. Built on the ruins of a farm cottage, the need for site
works was minimised. The stone from the ruins was also reused,
in conjunction with lightweight timber and a steel frame. For its red
earth-colour oors, site soil was mixed with cement resulting in what
looks like a rened version of the ground.
The light environmental footprint wins over our hearts. And the fact
that it has been shortlisted for the Corobrik South African Institute of
Architects Awards of Merit and for Excellence, is just the cherry on top.
aeefZ[i_]d$Ye$pW
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01 Site stone forms the buildings plinth, engaging the landscape.
02 In the reception space, Slow chairs by Koop beckon visitors.
03 The building is part of the landscape, formalised for shelter.

PHOTOS RICHARD STRETTON, ROSS CHARNOCK WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

GREEN
SOLUTIONS
RISE FROM
THE RUINS

41719/V

EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF THE WILD

IN SHEER LUXURY
At Bushtec Safari, we believe that a luxury safari
tent is the only way to truly experience the thrill
and wonder of the untamed wilderness. Our
superior quality tents embody sheer opulence and
utter comfort, and are custom-designed to meet
your requirements and exceed your expectations.
However remote or wild your location, our team of
experts specialise in creating handcrafted tents that
are unique in design, innovative and tailor made to
capture the essence and beauty of the surrounding
landscape. They are also manufactured to
withstand the harshest of elements. Youll nd that
even the wildlife is unable to resist the allure of our
beautiful safari tents.

With over thirty years in the business of designing

and manufacturing high-end quality, luxury safari
tents, which are awe-inspiring, its no wonder
that most luxurious camps in Africa demand our
safari tents.
Bushtec Safari is an undeniable market leader in
luxury tenting, offering excellent after-sales service.
We are also a division of Canvas and Tent, Africas
largest tent manufacturer, and we are ready to turn
your dream into the ultimate outdoor experience.

So, call us on +27 (0)36 634 1902 or visit

bushtecsafari.co.za to discuss creating your
ideal safari camp.

a CANVAS AND TENT company | www.bushtecsafari.co.za | info@bushtecsafari.co.za

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

WEVE GOT OUR BEADY

EYE ON THAT WEAVE
Three of the biggest worldwide trends geometrics, Africa and
handmade converge on a very sweet spot that has our eyeballs
dancing. To make it even sweeter, beads and weaves are best
made right here in our backyard. Local is baie lekker!

CLAUDINE
FLOOR CUSHION
by Madwa.
The outer shell of this
eye-catching eco-friendly
pouf is handwoven from
papyrus, and the inside
stued with pine needles.
R1 190, madwa.com

COILED by BCXSY for Siyazama Project.

IPHONE CASES
by Vukile Batyi.
Our new iPhone 5s is hot
o the ship and in need of
protection, preferably by
one of these nifty beaded
cases we spotted at Design
Indaba Expo.
R750,
vukile.batyi@gmail.com

154

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

PHOTO SHAVAN RAHIM WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

Inspired by traditional Zulu ceramics, Dutch

design cooperative BCXSY developed these chunky
beaded vessels with the local community project.
R5 300, siyazamaproject.dut.ac.za

BULB CUPS
by Margrethe Odgaard
for Siyazama Project.
A Swedish designer and
colourist, Margrethe worked
with the Durban University
of Technology community
project to develop these cups
that diuse and prettify the
ol light bulb.
Prototype in development,
siyazamaproject.dut.ac.za

XHOSA BASKETS
by Design Afrika.
Woven by women in the Eastern
Cape, these supersized baskets
are bound to make a dramatic
statement. Think of them as the
exclamation mark in your home!
R2 400 (150 x 75cm),
designafrika.co.za

LAMPSHADES by Noush.
The vendor bag check goes chic in these
lampshades designed by Manoushka Kraal
and hand-embroidered with wool by
crafters in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
From R590, noush.co.za

38 REASONS

01

BECAUSE

01 Candice Lawrence,
owner and designer
of Modern Gesture.
02 Table, R4 800.

02

The new furniture, lighting and homeware

design company Modern Gesture is the
brainchild of Candice Lawrence, a
vivacious and multi-talented young
designer or in her own words
a creative and spontaneous, wild piece
of work, who also happens to play the
classical guitar.
How did Modern Gesture come
about and where does the name
come from?
I studied surface design at Cape Peninsula
University of Technology, and my
Bachelors thesis focused on peoples
body language when conversing with
each other at a table. While observing
these bodily gestures made with our
hands, arms and elbows I started
thinking about how these gestures would
look if they were to be imprinted on
a table. The name Modern Gesture
captures the present conversation in
design circles, about how to inspire

traditional surfaces with a contemporary

appeal and feel.
Wood is quite a traditional medium.
Why did you choose to work with it?
Ive always had a soft spot for wood. The
material oers the unexpected, which is
like a metaphor for life. We are constantly
carving away and rening our lives, but
we can only plan and carve so far. Each
piece of wood oers something dierent,
encouraging me to be open-minded.
You describe every piece you create
as having a story. Can you elaborate
on this?
Each piece is a dierent conversation
happening between my hands, tools and
materials. I try to allow the process to
guide me and stay open to what is
emerging from the creative process.
As the layers of self are peeled away, the
product emerges and comes into being.
ceZ[hd][ijkh[$Ye$pW

PHOTOS BRENDAN NEWMAN WORDS CHANTL HANS

THIS TABLE
IS SHAPED
BY BODY
LANGUAGE

B E C A U S E

YOU CAN
WEAR
ART
AROUND
YOUR
NECK

01

02

&' Lucy MacGarry

&(!&) Two of Lucys
scarves shes produced
in collaboration with
artist Nico Krijno (see
page 160).

Getting art and business to happily

mingle doesnt just require knowledge
and know-how, it takes vision. Ask
Lucy MacGarry, owner of luxury
fashion and design brand LMAD, who
if she could have her way would
have all of us wrapped up in her
fabulous art-printed silk scarves.
LMAD is Lucys way of making the
work of SAs hottest young artists
such as Michael Taylor, Nico Krijno,
Jan-Henri Booyens, Titus Matiyane
and Michael MacGarry (her husband)
wearable and available to all;
a lovely culmination of this
entrepreneurs art and business savvy.
For the past ve years, Lucy has been
working as art director for the
Jeanetta Blignaut Art Consultancy,
which curates the collections of
Spier, Hollard and Nandos and
advises on how to make investments
socially meaningful.
A Jozi girl by birth, Lucy studied
lm and literature, and obtained an
Honours degree in business from the
University of Cape Town. She then
became gallery director at David Krut
Projects in Joburg before completing
her Masters in ne arts at Wits, which
lead to her curated exhibition of
emerging SA artists in New York.
That Lucys a relative newcomer
to fashion, doesnt deter her, she says.
I always gravitate towards what
I love and believe that no amount
of training can replace solid instincts.
Besides those shown here, weve
also used the scarves on our essay
pages (19 to 28). Look out for a
collaboration with Lisa Jae, and a
Ben Johnson range of unisex scarves.
bcWZYebb[Yj_ed$Yec

WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

03

38 REASONS
01

BECAUSE

IN THE LAND
OF THE BLIND
THE ONE-EYED
MAN IS KING

Photographer Nico Krijno can only see

through one eye. Say what? We asked the
pattern-mashing and dimension-bending
young artist about collaborations and his
ever-rising trajectory.
What do you mean you can only see
through one eye?
Only one really works, the other is 20% or
something like a TV with Vaseline on it.
My father sent me an interesting fact about
the condition that he read in a recent
newspaper article, which claims that it can
happen in the womb when the baby puts
pressure on his one eye with his st what
an image! The condition is called amblyopia.
We love the colour and patterns
in your work, where do you draw
inspiration from?
Colour and form is central. Its all part of
my structural and geometric aesthetic that
marries opposites to create new meaning.
I draw energy from my everyday life; from
doing dishes to riding my bicycle, sex, going
for a swim from everything!

02

03

You showed in Paris at the beginning

of this year. How did that come about?
The curator, Emeric Glayse, asked me to get
involved in his new project at Do gallery.
Ive done a few US and European group shows,
which have helped in making connections
with collectors and galleries abroad.
d_Yeah_`de$Yec
heea[WdZlWdmoa$Yec

160

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

04

05

01 Self-portrait in the bath with Slinkys, 2013.

02 Composition with painted leaf, 2014.
03 Yahoo, 2013.
04 The Cage, 2014.
05 Were Not in Memphis Anymore, 2013.

WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

Your collaboration with Jody Paulsen

was brilliant so much so that it landed
on our previous cover. How do you
maintain balance in collaboration?
When I collaborate, I usually know the people
well, or weve admired each others work for
a while. I dont collaborate with or work for
people who tell me what to do. I need freedom
to react in the moment, to trust my instincts.

Walter Battiss, Nude

Online auction 7-23 April 2014

011 728 8246 / 021 683 6560

www.straussartonline.co.za

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

I live by the sea and in the same way

as water does, porcelain holds light and
lends itself to many transformations. I see
porcelain as my true medium and view it
as a canvas in the round, says ceramicist
Katherine Glenday.
Katherine has been producing her
breathtaking porcelain vessels for over
three decades and her work is included in
public collections such as the Johannesburg
Art Gallery, Pretoria Art Museum, Iziko
Cultural History Museum and the Museum
of Art and Design in New York.
From now, until 12 April, she is staging
a retrospective inside her very own
home, titled This Personal and This
Particular. The work is installed in her
studio and the upstairs area of her Kalk
Bay house, and will resonate with a sense
of collaboration.
Having once been an artists collective,
a furniture restorers space, a mechanics
workshop, the original Olympia bakery
and, at the turn of the century, the
original blacksmiths forge, the house
is a living monument to community
collaboration. Katherine has collaborated
with a broad range of creatives, even more
so while she has been living in Kalk Bay,
famed for its eclectic artists and writers.
We cant help but be seduced by the
delicate and organic way in which
Katherines work captures light,
movement and natural gestures. Go on,
go and have a look its rude to snub
an invitation to someones home!
J^[<eh]["'(M_dZiehHeWZ"
AWba8Wo"aWj^[h_d[]b[dZWo$Yec

162

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

01 Katherine Glenday
at her potters
wheel in Kalk Bay,
surrounded by her
nished pieces.

01

PHOTOS DOREEN HEMP, KATHERINE GLENDAY WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

ITS SHOWING
INSIDE THE
ARTISTS
OWN HOME

The Reiko range from the new Linen House Winter

collection will lighten your bedroom like a fresh
Spring breeze, even in the depths of Winter.

Available from retail outlets nationwide.

Phone Linen House on 021 552 1060 or
email info@linenhouse.co.za to nd your nearest stockist.

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

THE PUPPET
PROCESSION
COMES TO TOWN

Once a year, magic reigns in the sleepy dorp of Barrydale when people and
puppets march through the town in the Day of Reconciliation parade.
Crowds line the streets to watch merry processions swinging colourful
decorations, following behind larger-than-life puppets. The event sees the
Handspring Puppet Company (most famous for the War Horse production
in London) giving back to the community, by training youngsters to build
puppets and make decorations from recycled items (this time designed by
former Handspring puppet-maker, Andy Mias-Jones of Shrinkray). Its done
in collaboration with Net vir Pret, an NGO that organises after-school and
holiday activities for local children, and the Magpie Art Collective that
runs craft projects in the community. Heres how the procession unfolded

Barrydale is a town
on Route 62 that
lies on the border
of the Overberg
and the Klein Karoo.
One way to reach
it is via the scenic
Tradouw Pass.

Together at last! The two processions that

had followed dierent routes through
Barrydale met up in front of the school.

The elephant wound his way

through the streets to meet his
mate who was leading the second
procession. The nal destination:
BF Oosthuizen Primary. Here, the
festivities continued with hordes
of children and grown-ups taking
part in an outdoor konsert.

The rain clouds

gathered and spilled
some drops but not
enough to dampen
spirits. Everyone
waved their
decorations, made
mostly from cut-up
plastic bottles. And
the band played on.

Night fell and still the

people kept coming.

The recycled sea was carried onto the eld.

PHOTOS ADRIAAN OOSTHUIZEN WORDS ELNA VAN DER MERWE

Adrian Kohler,
manipulator of
the mermaid, is
co-founder and
artistic director
of Handspring
and considered
to be one of the
worlds masters
of puppetry.

The stars of the show, the Karoo mermaid, the sh

and King Neptune, braved the stormy weather.

Kids craned over a railing to see the sea creatures

performing down below on the sports eld.

10

Even sh catch
40 winks sometimes.

^WdZifh_d]fkff[j$Ye$pW
d[jl_hfh[j$eh]
cW]f_[WhjYebb[Yj_l[$Yec

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

For designer Cameron Barnes each step is

considered, from tree to table and beyond. He
uses no glue or nails, and the pieces can easily
be taken apart and repaired or redesigned.
Best bit? When youre so over it, Cameron
will buy his pieces back from you! We caught
up with the environmental architecture
Masters graduate for a quick chat on all
things green.
Although slower than machine work,
you work mostly by hand why?
My motivation is partly environmental, but
Im also strongly inuenced by a worldwide
revival of traditional joinery techniques
using hand planes, chisels, les and scrapers
03

to smooth and level the timber as each piece

takes shape as a way of moving away from
mass-production.
Why do you use no imported or
indigenous species, and no plywood?
Locally sourced timber from invasive alien
species cuts down on the transport energy
and cost of moving it around the world, not
to mention saving indigenous forests. As for
plywood, after years of researching the glues
and methods used to make most composite
woods, while working in green architecture,
I discovered that some of the resins and
adhesives continue to release gases into the
air throughout their lifespans.

02

Career highlights thus far?

Last year a bench of mine went for R40000
at an international charity auction. Surreal.
Another highlight was designing and building
furniture for Woolworths to use in their cafs
at Design Indaba. To see that many people use
something youve made is very gratifying.
YWc[hedXWhd[i$Ye$pW
01 The designer, Cameron Barnes.
02 The Hexagonal Stool in stone pine.
Push a few together to make a coee
table, or split them up for extra seating.
03 Built for the G20 Summit in Rio de
Janeiro, the Cooper Bench is made from
reclaimed French oak wine barrels.

PHOTOS KENT LINGEVELDT, DON BAYLEY, NIC GROBLER WORDS MALIBONGWE TYILO

01

THE
DESIGNER
WILL
BUY HIS
FURNITURE
BACK FROM
YOU

Wash cool. Save energy.

Ashanti Mbanga,
Samsung Ambassador
Miss Earth 2014

The perfect wash now uses less electricity

While conventional washing machines use heated water to wash clothes,
Samsungs ecobubbleTM technology pre-mixes detergent with water and air
to create a richer, deeper cleaning foam to wash clothes perfectly in cold
water, saving you time and energy. Its the coolest revolution in washing.

Samsung recommends
TM

OMO Auto Liquid & Capsules.

REMOVES STAINS FAST!

13810 VISI Mar.Apr 2014

with

38 REASONS

BECAUSE

THE MAP
IS NOT THE
TERRITORY

01

02

&' Karlien Thomasho,

Inge Wilkinson and
Marguerite Pienaar.

&( Amy-Leigh Weldrick

with her pack of
designer dogs.

BECAUSE

While at the tip of Africa, Capetonians are buzzing to the tune

of World Design Capital 2014, further north, Pretoria is having
its own party as Cool Capital, with a slew of interesting interventions
and projects seeing the light. One of which is the concept factory
WitOpWit (WOW), founded by three young architects Karlien
Thomasho, Inge Wilkinson and Marguerite Pienaar.
One of their rst products is a cartography-inspired table runner
intended as a conversation piece by encouraging diners to have their
meal on the city. Not just any section of Pretoria features parts for
each map are carefully selected to show the markings, typography
and complexity that make the city unique. Specically derived from
a digital Nolli map by architect Morne Pienaar, themes such as Church
Square, Freedom Park and The Apies River, are sure to pique the
interest of those at the table.
The trio promises to give other South African cities the WOW
treatment soon.
JWXb[hkdd[h"H.+&(+&n,&Yc
m_jefm_j$Ye$pW
YeebYWf_jWb$Ye$pW

168

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

Folding paper cranes while shes

thinking up new ideas is what
gets Port Elizabeth product
designer Amy-Leigh Weldricks
creative juices going. Her small
business, A Thousand Paper
Cranes, sets out to surprise and
delight customers with its special
homemade range of quirky
interior products. As she says:
I want people to experience a
lighter side of beautiful design.
However, its specically her
new collection of little cushion
mutts that gets us barking glad!
It was Amy-Leighs own pup Bella
who inspired the screen-printed
cotton drill pooches, ranging
from a Bulldog named George
to the dapper Dachshund, Paul.
Amy-Leigh loves her little
creatures so much, shes soon
adding two new collections of
cats and owls to her brood. And,
judging by her cute canines,
were sure these will also be
sweeter than sugar.
H'//f[hfkf
Wj^ekiWdZfWf[hYhWd[i$m_n$
Yec%Wj^ekiWdZfWf[hYhWd[i

PHOTOS CHRIS WILKINSON, CHRIS KITSOPOULOS WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

THEYRE
SCATTER
PALS

showroom : shop 15 hyde square centre

cnr jan smuts and north road, dunkeld
tel 011 3252342 www.chicproducts.co.za

CHIC KITCHENS
A DIAMOND FOR LIFE

DIAMOND RANGE

38 REASONS

Being an Emerging Creative at

last years Design Indaba Expo
gave him wings, says Nawaaz
Saldulker, and not the eeting
kind that pops out when
consuming that energy drink!
We caught up with this Cape
Town interior architect and
product designer whose
multi-purpose upcycled
Chairman has us titillated.
What has happened since
Design Indaba last year?
I took part in Li Edelkoorts
Totemism:Memphis Meets
Africa show, and exhibited at
Designgalleriet in Stockholm.
Then it was Paris Design Week
in September. I also showed at
last years Cape Town Art Fair.

BE C AUS E

RULES CAN BE
BROKEN

What is your design

philosophy?
In order to create something
new, it rst needs a good
reason to exist. For me, the
key to a project is varying the
formal limits and techniques
of art, design and
architecture. As they say,
you have to know the rules
to break the rules.
What lies in your future?
A French rm has
commissioned me to source
the best in African design for
an international exhibition.
dWmWWpiWbZkba[h$Ye$pW

02

170

03

01 Nawaaz assembling the Chairman,

a remarkable piece thats a cross
between a chair and an ottoman.
02 Spinning Skies is a wallmounted light sculpture that,
when on, casts twirling shadows
as it rotates in the breeze.
03 The Shelf Light that literally
shines on the objects we love,
or love to forget so need
reminding about.

WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

01

What was the rst

product you designed?
I designed and built my own
version of the famous Carlton
bookcase for a crche in
downtown Joburg. One side
is a storage space for school
bags, and the reverse a
chalkboard.

PROMOTION

EASY
ALFRESCO

PHOTOS SHAVAN RAHIM

Its that wonderful time of the year again,

Autumn. Not too hot, not too cold.
In fact, the weather is perfect, and now
is the time to celebrate the beautiful
outside with family and friends.

There is simply no other way to enjoy these

last blasts of balmy Autumn evenings than
on the patio and on a set of Mobelli outdoor
furniture. Its not only gorgeous, its specially
made to weather South Africas seasons be
it scorchy or rainy, blustery or steamy, it wont
let you down.
Worried that your outside furnitures look
wont match your fab decor inside, especially
when the doors are open wide? You don't
have to worry any more. Mobellis chic retro
vibe will tune in beautifully with any style

to enhance your home: from the less is

more minimalist to the arty avant-garde,
bring them on! Mobelli has also thought of
the exibility you need when entertaining
the Mediterranean table shown here can
be extended from an eight- to a twelveseater to suit those intimate as well as the
more boisterous dinners. And all of their
lounges feature acrylic cushion fabric,
which is antibacterial and easy to clean,
ensuring you neednt worry about spills
or feet on the couch.

If youve missed the balmy Autumn

evening boat and you feel that sudden
wintery chill brewing in the night air, dont
fret. Invest in a stylish standing heater
and you can carry on with all the outside
festivities. It will leave your guests warm and
cosy and you as always, the supercool host.
t

NPCFMMJDP[B
t


$BQF
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o
1BBSEFO
&JMBOE
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1PJOU
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t
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o
*MMPWP

'PVSXBZT
t
%VSCBO
o
6NIMBOHB
3JEHF

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

&' Fine-art printmaker and part

owner of The Atelier, Fiona Pole.

02
03

It was a forced change that threw Fiona Pole and

Didier Presse, the unsuspecting owners of The
Atelier, into retail. Having relocated from Paris
with their two young sons, the couple initially
moved into a hidden upstairs studio at 44 Stanley,
Johannesburg, where they set up their respective
businesses as a ne-art printmaker and a framer.
But with no passing trade, business was slow
and their anxiety increased when they were told
that their workspace was to be bundled with
others and rented to a hairdresser. Their only
option was to move on or take a larger, more
expensive shop downstairs. The couple took a
leap of faith and decided to expand the business
to include the sale of limited-edition prints and a
selection of unusual books for adults and children.
The space was conceived around wanting to
use my working antique press as a focal point as
well as the fact that we needed two workspaces
for printing and framing, explains Fiona.
The aesthetic of the centre with its industrial
ttings and pared-down look was an important
consideration that we carried through into the
interior of the shop.
Now business is booming with an increased
demand for art works by a range of popular local
artists(most of which sell for less than R5000)
as well as Didiers custom-made archival and
eco-friendly frames.
The Atelier has also found a niche among
bibliophiles. The books have been ying o
the shelves, so much so that in the beginning
I had to borrow my son Lukas prized books for
placeholders while I waited for orders, says Fiona.
&-('--(+++"j^[Wj[b_[h6m[XcW_b$Ye$pW
&( Aordable prints by the likes of Sandile
Goje, Sam Nhlengethwa and Christian Nerf
line the walls.
&) In The Forest by Anouck Boisrobert and
Louis Rigaud is one of the enchanting
books on display.

PHOTOS AND WORDS LISA JOHNSTON

IT JUST
TAKES
A NEW
FRAME
OF MIND

38 REASONS

Inspired by contemporary South African life

with a strong focus on indigenous talent,
Quivertree is a proudly independent niche
publishing house started by graphic designer
Libby Doyle and photographer Craig Fraser
in 2001. Here are 10 things you probably didnt
know about them.

Quivertree was founded after all major

South African book publishers rejected
Craig and Libbys rst book, Shack Chic.
In fact, the pair mortgaged their respective
houses in order to make it possible.

2
3
4
5

Rights to Shack Chic have since been sold

to Thames & Hudson after 11000 copies
were sold in South Africa.
Craig and Libby ran Quivertree as a hobby
for seven years until, in 2007, they realised
the need to focus on it entirely.

B E C A U S E

FIRST CAME
SHACK CHIC,
NOW THERES
REAL MEAL
REVOLUTION

They have published 35 books to date, with

a predominant focus on food and decor.

The low-carb, high-fat meal plan

prescribed by Prof Tim Noakes in
The Real Meal Revolution has been
so big that it had sold 60 000 copies after
just ve months of the book being launched.

8
9

Craig has photographed for all the

publications so far, bar Sharp Sharp:
South Africa by Ed Suter and Stellenberg
by Alain Proust.
Mud Chic is Libby's favourite book:
I love Craigs photos and the pared-down
layout. While Karoo Kitchen is tops for
Craig, because it has soul, its practical, and it
has history, culture and beauty.

10
Libby Doyle and Craig Fraser.

The name Quivertree was inspired

by a trip to Namibia where the
indigenous succulent tree survives
the hardship of desert conditions. Its also
known as the kokerboom.
gk_l[hjh[[fkXb_YWj_edi$Yec

PHOTOS CRAIG FRASER WORDS CHANTL HANS

Quivertree has won awards for most

of its cookbook titles, with Prickly Pears
and Pomegranates and Firewater, South
African Brandy winning their categories
at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Authors include celebrity chef Reuben

Riel, award-winning chef Franck
Dangereux from The Foodbarn, Tina
Bester from Queen of Tarts and Prof Tim Noakes
with his current phenomenon The Real Meal
Revolution (see page 20).

174

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

Introducing
SPIRIT from

Johannesburg - 011 262 3130 I Durban - 031 312 0930 I Cape Town - 021 462 7707 I Port Elizabeth - 041 581 4238

www.blackfabrics.co.za


38 REASONS

WIN

Yef_[ie\Brett
Murray and Colour
in the Making$;dj[h
WjL?I?$Ye$pW%
Yecf[j_j_edi$

B E C A U S E

THESE BOOKS ARE FOR KEEPS

A fab and varied selection of reads has recently come our way,
so take your pick from this bright bouquet. Theyre all about the
journeys of special people, and the things they create and discover.
The best part is that its also ne to just look at the pictures!

B[ji][jj^[Yedjhel[hi_WbXWbbhebb_d]m_j^^[e\
J^[If[Wh\Wc[" Brett Murrays 30-year art journey. Filled
with evocative photographs and text, Brett Murray (Jacana) tracks
this artists prolic output from the 80s onwards and culminates
at the sharp tip of South Africas most infamous artwork. A book
to spark o lively dinner-time conversation.
H+.-"aWbW^Wh_$Yec

<boeje;khef[WdZ_djej^[c_dZe\IfWd_i^Z[i_]d[h
FWjh_Y_WKhgk_ebW"creator of Moroso sofas, B&B Italia chairs and Flos
lights. Her gorgeous monograph, Time to Make a Book (Rizzoli) shows how
her passionate and emotional approach has shaped the past 12 years of
her career. So even if you cant aord her to-die-for lounge suites, the
book can inspire forever!
H//*"aWbW^Wh_$Yec

in the Making: From Old Wisdom to New Brilliance (Black Dog), and follow
the fascinating history of hues from ancient natural pigments to the
synthetic versions used today. Colour innovations and the advances
of organic chemistry are also explored. Ever wondered how printing
techniques developed or what lies in paints crystal ball? Wonder no more.
H*'&"aWbW^Wh_$Yec

176

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

Love all things bright and beautiful? Get your hands on Colour

01

IT GETS
UNDER OUR SKIN
BECAUSE

178

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

02

and are harvested according to the ethical and

environmental criteria of the fair trade and
environmental organisations of Phytotrade
Africa and Ecocert.
With its one-year anniversary behind it,
Terres dAfrique can proudly proclaim that
by doing things dierently they have created
an authentic African persona. Wanting to
harness the best of Africa and take it to the
rest of the world, theyve partnered with
parfumier Tammy Frazer to craft fragrances
from three African resins omumbiri, omutati
and opoponax and are also currently
working on a range of distinctive teas.

01 Terres dAfriques agship store,

in Joburgs Maboneng Precinct.
02 Myrrh Body Scrub with coconut shell,
rooibos leaves and baobab oil.

J[hh[iZ7\h_gk[")H[lebkj_ed>eki["
Yehd[hCW_dWdZAhk][hijh[[ji"
CWXed[d]"&-./+)+&+'
<ehijeYa_ijiWdZifWil_i_j
j[hh[i#ZW\h_gk[$Yec

WORDS LISA JOHNSTON

We are everything a skincare brand isnt, we

dont do things the normal way, says founder
of Terres dAfrique, Stephan Helary. Speaking
from the brands agship store in Joburgs
Maboneng Precinct, Stephan says that the
aim of the store is to create an experience
through which people can learn about the
product. The arty location provides an
opportunity for the brand to engage with
like-minded traders and people who seek
out unique products.
The products are unisex, and the design
and packaging of the brand is clean and
minimal, with a nod to the internationally
acclaimed Aesop stores. The dierence
is that the creams, fragrances, masks and
scrubs are made from Africas broad botanical
pharmacopoeia. Indigenous ingredients such
as buchu, Kalahari melon and kigelia are used
for their curative and restorative properties,


 

    

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38 REASONS

01

BECAUSE

CHILDHOOD
FRIENDS CAN BE
BUSINESS BESTIES

01 Mixing work with

friendship: Daley Muller
and Jacki Lang.

Jacki Lang may be the new kid on

the block in Cape Town, but shes
got some serious design street
cred behind her. Not only has Jacki
worked at Garth Walkers legendary
Orange Juice Design Studio but
she has also done time at Britains
ultra cool furniture manufacturer,
Established & Sons. Now she is
teaming up with her oldest friend
to realise their childhood dreams
through The Cabinet, a design
gallery and pop-up space in Cape
Town. Curious about this design
curator, writer and consultant,
we shot her a few questions.
What does a curator do, exactly?
The word curator has moved from
its more formal museum context to
mean many things. It brings the right
people and the right pieces together
in ways that tell a story.
How did you become the curator
of The Cabinet?
My business partner, Daley Muller,
and I have always wanted a place
to make our ideas happen. When
the right space opened, we jumped!

05

02

j^[YWX_d[j$Ye$pW
`WYa_bWd]6cWY$Yec
02 Shark Attack by Alex Latimer.

180

You have worked with some

industry super-celebs in London.
Name-drop a few?
As gallery manager at Established
& Sons, I was privileged to sell to
prolic collectors and galleries,
and work with designers like Barber
Osgerby, Jasper Morrison, Zaha
Hadid, Maarten Baas and the
Bouroullec brothers. Not to mention
the companys founders, Alasdhair
Willis and Sebastian Wrong.

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

PHOTO SAM GOLDENBAUM WORDS DEBBIE LOOTS

What did you do before

The Cabinet?
I worked as freelance curator
and design consultant, and the
last exhibition I curated and
conceptualised was Lauren Beukess
Shining Girl Art Show for Rape Crisis.

38 REASONS

THE FLOWERS OF
TOMORROW ARE IN THE
SEEDS OF YESTERDAY
Natural, wild and a little bit
extraordinary is how young orists
Emma Frost and Jessica Ellis
describe their approach to oral
design. Although urban, edgy and
exquisite arent too far o either.
The two started Supernatural
Floral Design last year and with
hard work, determination and
copious amounts of passion, have
built up a reputation that has them
creating beautiful arrangements
for anything from weddings to
fashion shoots.
Maybe most surprising is that
neither has any formal orist
training. Emma, an art historian and
qualied primary school teacher,
says her passion stemmed from
restoring her cottage garden; while
Jessica, a ne arts graduate and
self-confessed aesthete, claims that
hers came about quite by chance.
Both, however, agree that the only
way to really train as a orist is
experience and between them
they have had their fair share,
Emma having experimented at
well-known Flowers in the Foyer
in Stellenbosch and Jessica at
Ecozest in Knysna.
Constantly keeping a pulse on
oral art trends and collaborating
with other young creatives to
keep their products fresh and
contemporary, this is a design pair
well be keeping a close eye on.
ikf[hdWjkhWbehWbZ[i_]d$Ye$pW

AS

T FAC

Autumn is
the best time of year
to plant fynbos, as the
delicate roots will have
a chance to establish
themselves before the
summers heat.

PHOTOS ALIX-ROSE COWIE STYLING KATE DESMARAIS MODEL LALA QUAIL MAKE UP KIRSTEN ROSSITER SHOT AT THE LEGACY COLLECTIVE WORDS CHANTL HANS

B E C A U S E

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SOUTH AFRICAS LARGEST RETAILER OF FIREPLACES,

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B E C A U S E

HES CRAFTING LOVE

NOT WAR, ALL THE
WAY TO HOLLYWOOD
184

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

PHOTO SOFIA ZIMAN WORDS NADINE BOTHA

38 REASONS

Is there design this good that doesnt kill

people? asked the US magazine Good a few
years ago about the AK47.
After all, as the Nicholas Cage character
in Lord of War explains: Of all the weapons
in the vast Soviet arsenal, nothing is more
protable than the Avtomat Kalashnikova
model of 1947, more commonly known as
the AK-47, or Kalashnikov.
Its the worlds most popular assault rie,
a weapon all ghters love. An elegant and
simple nine-pound amalgamation of forged
steel and plywood, it doesnt break, jam or
overheat. It will shoot whether its covered
in mud or lled with sand. Its so easy even
a child could use it, and they do. The Soviets
put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on

their ag. Since the end of the Cold War, the

Kalashnikov has become the Russian peoples
greatest export.
With some 200 wire-and-bead AK47s in
tow, these are the issues that South African
lmmaker-turned-artist Ralph Ziman raised
with his rst solo show, Ghosts, at the CAVE
Gallery in Los Angeles. Ralph commissioned
six Zimbabwean street artists in Johannesburg
to make the guns, providing six months of
paid work for them. The photos shown here
are of the artists themselves with their wares.
Ralph, based in Los Angeles, may not be
well known in his home country but some
of his claims to fame include directing music
videos for the likes of Michael Jackson, Shania
Twain, Toni Braxton and Ozzy Osbourne. Local

lm fanatics will also recall that he directed

the rst independent South African feature
lm to be completed after apartheid, Hearts
and Minds, and the unforgettable Jerusalema
about a Hillbrow gangster, which was
shortlisted for an Oscar in 2008.
Besides the beaded guns and photographs,
the exhibition also entails a street-art
component of murals and currency-inspired
stickers. After showing at the Muti Gallery
in Cape Town, opening 24 April, Ralph is
planning to make a pan-African documentary
in which he intends to get real soldiers to
pose with the guns.
This design certainly trumps the original!
hp#Whj$Yec"YWl[]Wbb[ho$d[j
j^[ckj_]Wbb[ho$Ye$pW

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

185

38 REASONS

B E C A U S E

SEVEN FRAMED
PENDANT LIGHTS
ARE UP FOR GRABS

With its simple skeleton frame, Martin

Dollers Framed collection celebrates the
beauty of the light bulb. Made from the
highest-grade aircraft aluminium, anodised
in black or white, each at-packed pendant
comes with a state-of-the-art designer
bulb and a choice of either a red, black
or gold-coloured fabric cord. Clustered
or single, the unique designs are sure to
add an exciting dimension to any interior.
H[WZWXekjCWhj_did[m[ijYebb[Yj_ed
on page 140.

Subscribe to
VISI, or renew
your existing
subscription,
and you
could win one
of seven
contemporary
sculpted
pendant lights
from local
designer
Martin Doller.

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o on a one-year print subscription. Youll pay
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REWIND
REDO
RENEW
38 REASONS
WHY DESIGN
IS FOR
EVERYONE

MAKING 30 sqm WORK

186

A P R / M AY 2 0 1 4

5
MEGA
MAKEOVERS

15
HIP
UPSTARTS

COUNT
THE
HORSES
INSIDE
AND
WIN!

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or computer.

L_i_jVISI.co.za/subscribe formore
information, or go tomysubs.co.za/visi
to subscribe.

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20
YEARS
1994 - 2014

Midrand
324 Old Pretoria Road
Halfway House
Tel : 011 312 4060

Sandton / Randburg
20 Rhodes Street
Tel : 011 781 4888

*Durban
1322 South Coast Road
Mobeni
Tel : 031 462 7722

Pinetown
Cnr.Old Main Rd
& St Johns Avenue
Tel : 031 709 6263
Ballito
Ballito Bay Mall
Tel : 032 586 1470
Margate
Cnr. Harcourt Rd / National Rd
Tel : 039 317 3732

Cape Town
2 Highway Park, Northgate Estate
Tel : 021 510 8130

Ghana
34 Spintex Rd, Accra
Tel : +233 247 945 516

www.kitchenstudio.com

info@kitchenstudio.com

Manufacturers of
SAS BEST SPA BY FAR...
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www.superiorspa.co.za

National sales and service centres

ENJOY IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME

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Cape Town(021) 551 0890JHB & Pretoria(011) 791 7899Bloem & Welkom(051) 432 4397
Durban(031)205-1444 or (031)267 1683 or(031) 467-7489 Polokwane(015) 292 3449
Port Elizabeth(041) 581 8117Plettenberg Bay(044) 533 4242Namibia(00264) 61 25 3160
Angola (00244) 222 0110847Zambia(00260) 212 221063Zimbabwe(002634) 860 997
Mauritius (00230) 286 8686 Seychelles (00248) 434 5015

PAVING DOESNT HAVE TO BE BRICKS

0861 555 2222 (Nationwide)
www.smartstone.co.za

E+I 19336

CLASSICAL

CONTEMPORARY

SHOPPING DIRECTORY

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GHFRUDWLYHILQLVKHV

House of Corbels
Hand Carved Wooden Corbels & Onlays

HELENA BEALE
082 990 4900
houseofcorbels.sa@gmail.com
www.corbels.co.za


    
 
 
       
  
  
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SHOPPING DIRECTORY

E+I 19339

PAVING DOESNT
HAVE TO BE BRICKS

0861 555 2222 (Nationwide)

www.smartstone.co.za

125 Springfield Rd, Carlswald, Midrand

011 468-2591, 083 284-1818, cinda@cindahunter.com
cindahunter.com, Open:10am-4pm Tues - Sat

SMART IDEA

DOUBLE TAKE
Tea lights are such a great invention and most aordable.
Ride the double-walled glassware craze and make your
own holders by simply putting a smaller, shorter or taller glass
into a larger one. Not only is this a nifty way to repurpose
oddments of single or chipped tumblers, but the
glow of many candles will temper the autumn chill.
P H OTO D O O K P R O D U C T I O N A N N E M A R I E M E I N TJ E S

192

DIEP RIVER, CAPE TOWN

99 Main Road, Diep River
Tel: 021 712 5193
Fax: 021 712 8734

ILLOVO, JOHANNESBURG
40 Central Avenue, Illovo
Tel: 011 442 0809 or 010 593 9308
Fax: 011 2680975

www.blockandchisel.co.za

CHELSEA VILLAGE, CAPE TOWN

35-43 Durban Rd, Wynberg Village
Tel: 021 762 3131
Fax: 021 797 4732

WWW.RADO.COM

RADO HYPERCHROME
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