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MEET THE PLAYERS Donald Nxumalo, interior designer based in Kramerville, and Amy Schofield, architecture student at the University of Cape Town. BUBBLE SOFA AMY:“It looks like Jelly Tots. It adds vibrance to a room. So soft!” DONALD: “It looks like a brain, a dream, sweets… All those bubbles – it is a Champagne sofa!” ODEA SOFA DONALD: “This is my first choice. Fluted, well tailored. It looks like a cloud. I can sleep on it all day – sitting optional.” AMY: “The colour is just delicious and it looks really comfortable.” PROFILE SOFA DONALD: “So manly, so genuine, so tailored, so me! Hand me a book and leave me here.” AMY: “It is a timeless piece.” MAH JONG AMY: “This is my first choice! You can grow your own conversation…

WHEN I WAS A BOY my family and I were always barrelling off to Mpumalanga, called the Eastern Transvaal in those days. Dad had a knack for discovering oddly inspiring out-of-the-way places. I remember us spending a weekend in an original miner’s cottage in the hills behind Sabie. It was buried deep in the pines, had an outside privy with a trademark creaking door and, best of all, corrugated iron walls. It was like wandering into the pages of Percy FitzPatrick’s Jock of the Bushveld. Mainly we hiked and bundu-bashed. We swam in rock pools, looking forward to coffee and rusks when we returned. Mom sometimes made her delicious fudge. My young eyes were full of innocent wonder. These were special, sun-blessed days. Best of all were the eight holiday…

THE INNOVATIVE, SENSITIVE DESIGN HAS ATTRACTED MUCH ACCLAIM. THE CLIENT NEEDED A STRUCTURE TO PROTECT THE EXCAVATION SITE FROM THE ELEMENTS. SHOULD THE RESEARCH BE CONCLUDED THE STRUCTURE CAN BE REMOVED WITH MINIMAL IMPACT. THE SIZE OF AN A 5 SHEET OF PAPER . THAT IS THE TOTAL AREA OF THE SITE INTRUSION – 32 bolts drilled into dolomite bedrock – of the Malapa Fossil Cave cover and viewing platform. Fact is, when you erect a structure on a site where the very ground is of international scientific significance, you cannot be too careful. Located within the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site, Malapa is the site of the discovery of an extraordinary hominid fossil, named Australopithecus sediba. “The significance of this fossil find cannot be overemphasised,”…

SHUTTERS DEFINE AND SCREEN, PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY. THE CLIENT’S BRIEF WAS FOR A CLUTTER-FREE, SIMPLE HOME. SHUTTERS ARE BOTH AESTHETICALLY AND PRACTICALLY INTEGRAL TO THE DESIGN. Much like the winding, tree-lined road you travel up to reach this private Atlantic Seaboard home in a quiet cul-de-sac, your access into the property itself is gradual. Leaving the garden to come indoors happens gently, offering glimpses of the interior as you follow the meandering path hugged by rocks and trailing indigenous plants to the front door and glass-box entrance hall. Step inside and you still remain connected to the garden. From the hallway, a partition wall conceals the next layer. Look left, and glimpse a passage and stairs descending; look right, and there is the garden again, framed in a floor-to-ceiling…

Pantone’s fresh colour choice for 2017 aims to bring people back to basics and promote personal growth. “Greenery bursts forth in 2017 to provide us with the hope we collectively yearn for amid a complex social and political landscape,”says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate, revitalise and unite, Greenery symbolises the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.” The choice of green also symbolises the growing awareness of the need to live a more eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle. Bring the colour into your home with indoor plants, terrariums, living walls and botanically themed wallpapers and textiles. • pantone.com…

Just a little over a year ago, for our 2015 Summer Issue, we followed designer Porky Hefer as he worked with crafters from leather merchant Woodheads to create a range of life-sized “nests” for Monstera Deliciosa, Volume 1, his first solo show, held at Southern Guild Gallery in Cape Town. Fast-forward to the end of 2016, a year in which Porky represented South Africa at the inaugural London Design Biennale, and the designer has a new body of work titled Heart of Lightness, first presented in New York at the prestigious R & Company design gallery in collaboration with Southern Guild. “Porky has a viewpoint unlike any other designer. The apparent playfulness of the work belies the depth of thinking, research and evolution that underpins every piece,” says Southern Guild…

What perspective do you bring to the CTAF? I plan to increase the fair’s international presence, not only by having galleries from abroad but also by bringing collectors, curators and artists to engage with contemporary expression from Africa. We want the fair to be an international destination for contemporary art in Africa. Has Western views towards African art changed? African art is no longer limited to masks. It has, however, not escaped the fascination of being “the other”. People are slowly coming to terms with the fact that Africa is more dynamic than previously considered. You work in the US. What attracted you to this challenge? I may have been absent from South Africa for two decades, but I have always been interested in its art. I believe that change…

Besides the sheer enchantment of watching bubbles sparkle and dance in your glass – and then in your mouth! – there’s nothing quite as luxurious as Champagne. And a brand that is synonymous with opulence, heritage and luxury is Dom Pérignon. Perhaps the most distinctive marker of a bottle of Dom P’s pedigree is the plenitude, a high point in the wine’s evolution as determined by the chef de cave (cellarmaster). Creator Richard Geoffroy has decided that the 2006 vintage has reached its first plenitude and is ready to be presented to the world. In keeping with its tradition of collaborating with designers and artists, including Karl Lagerfeld and Jeff Koons, Dom Pérignon teamed up with German contemporary artist Michael Riedel to create the labels and packaging of the 2006…

What inspired you to start the directory? I taught decorating courses and went on to write five design books. People always asked me for advice on what to do and where to shop. I realised there wasn’t a go-to guide available in the industry, which is how SA Décor & Design was born. How would you describe your experience over the past two decades? It has been a dizzying and disruptive time due to the advance of digital technology. Beautiful, functional design has shifted from last-minute bolt-on to first principle, which means smarter design, increasingly beautiful spaces and a more refined take on decor. I absolutely love what I do! What are the most significant developments in decor and design in South Africa? The most significant change is how digital…

• VISI competitions are open to all South African residents excluding employees of New Media Publishing, employees of the companies supplying the prizes, associated companies and advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family›members. • The winner will be chosen at the sole discretion of the judges, whose decision will be final. No correspondence will be entered into. • Winners will not be eligible for other prizes for three months after winning a›competition. • The prize is not transferable or redeemable for cash. • Neither New Media Publishing nor any of its partners can be held responsible for disputes in connection with prizes or for any loss, damage or injury that may be suffered or incurred by prize winners. • Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and…

ALMA VIVIERS What does great design mean to you? Simplicity of form informed by function and expressed in elegant, economic material use. What is the most beautiful item you own? Two prints by artist Beth Armstrong from her series Architecture of Loss. In your opinion, what is the most beautiful building in the world? Gosh, I have yet to experience so many beautiful buildings first-hand that there is no way I can judge that. One of my most treasured spatial experiences was a morning alone at Carlo Scarpa’s Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice. Which South African brands are on your radar this year? Atang Tshikare seems to be on a roll – I’d love to see what this talented designer does next. Do you have a quote to live by?…

MY FIRST HOLIDAY – I MUST HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 10 WHEN I EMBARKED ON IT – SPANNED TWO PROVINCES and can be mapped from the train journey that began at Queenstown Railway Station on a particularly humid day and ended a day later in Sasolburg, where I spent a month before returning to the Eastern Cape in time for the start of the new school year. I consider the train journey part of the holiday, because one embarks on it in broad daylight, watches the world outside go by, like one does when sightseeing on holiday, watches the sunset, eats dinner, falls asleep, wakes up, brushes one’s teeth, eats breakfast and again watches the world outside go by, railway stations alternating with wilderness the way they do along long-distance…

THE CONTEMPORARY VISION HAS BEEN TAKEN INSIDE, WITH A NOD TO THE OWNER’S FRENCH HERITAGE. AS YOU DRIVE INTO GLENELLY ESTATE,YOU'RE STRUCK BY THE SIGHT OF A RECTANGULAR BUILDING THAT SEEMS TO JUT OUT OF A SLOPE AS THOUGH IT WERE A TUNNEL THAT MIGHT LEAD YOU BENEATH THE VINES AND INTO THE SOIL. Its angular lines suggest it shouldn’t work, not here in the Greater Simonsberg region, where much of the architecture on the wine farms is steeped in Dutch culture. But then again, the owner of Glenelly, Madame May-Éliane de Lencquesaing, is no ordinary winemaker. The intrepid owner and managing director of iconic Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Bordeaux, France, for 30 years, she bought what was a fruit farm in Idas Valley in 2003…

Furniture designer Charles is the owner of The Storr Room at 27 Boxes, where he sells hand-crafted furniture that no else in South Africa stocks – high-end signature pieces in Shop 110 and cheeky pieces like his Liquorice Allsorts furniture in Shop 111. He has been in the design industry for more than 40 years, as both an interior designer and furniture designer and now shop owner. When two young guys walked into his store one day and showed him concrete furniture, lighting and countertops designed and made by Wolkberg Casting Studios, he told them concrete wasn’t his thing, and anyway, he only does high-end stuff. They’re Reando Potgieter and Graeme Bramley, two industrial designers who work with a concrete composite that they call Limesite. It turns out that architects…

“There is a certain thrill in creating a new product you can be proud of,” says carpet-maker Pieter Nouwens. “It is something that drives us to continue to innovate.” It’s little wonder the Nouwens family business has such a sterling reputation. Pieter launched the MONN brand of woven wool broadloom carpets in 2012 (the name is an acronym for the names of his sons, Marcus, Oscar and Nicholas Nouwens). In 2015, says MONN director Barbara Nouwens, they felt the need to streamline their marketing approach and prepare the brand for the international market, so Platform Creative Agency developed a marketing strategy for MONN that, she says, can only be described as world-class. Now, MONN has launched a new range, MONN Bureau, a structured loop-pile loose-lay carpet tile available in four…

Manufactured in Durban by local cabinetmakers, Umoya is a range of simple, stylish furniture that has been designed with the integrity of indoor furniture but with the robustness to live outside. “It’s a modular range,” says owner Jodi Robertson, “so pieces can stand alone or work together to make up a configuration, and it can be changed around continuously or added to over time.” Jodi’s favourite piece is the sun lounger, but the most popular piece with customers is the single-seater armless chair. “It fits into any configuration or it can stand alone,” she says. The range is made of iroko, a hardwood that can be exposed to the elements and weathers beautifully over time, or oak for furniture used in covered spaces. Jodi, who is a partner in Durban…

According to founder Tina de Wet, @LIFE grew out of the desire to simplify. “Quality and beauty are found in simplicity, and to simplify, we need to reuse,” she says. The goal to promote eco-friendly living has resulted in the creation of novel hand-crafted items, mostly made out of recycled things. Pieces are inspired by the materials sourced. “Finding scraps brings a design or idea to light,” Tina says. @LIFE started with small home decor designs, and has expanded to include projects such as rustic kitchens and bathrooms. Some of Tina’s favourite projects have been collaborations with clients, taking their vision and turning it into an eco-friendly reality. Tina recently set up a showroom at Eco Interiors in Strand, which has led to more collaboration, she says. “We can now…

There’s an exclusive new experience on offer for the person who has everything: a diamond safari to the mineral-rich West Coast where guests can either join a dive or observe divers panning for hidden treasures of the gemmological variety. The safari is the brainchild of Wynand Hendrikse, a diamond diver with more than 20 years’ experience. He wanted to expand the family jewellery business, Aphrodite Diamonds, beyond its Stellenbosch-based design studio, thus taking ownership of the full cycle of a diamond from its discovery to its inclusion in a precious piece of jewellery. On the diamond safari, which is exclusive to hotel guests of Ellerman House in Bantry Bay, up to six people are chauffeured to a private terminal at Cape Town International and flown by chartered plane to Port…

100 CONTEMPORARY WOOD BUILDINGS by Philip Jodidio, Taschen Wood is seeing something of a resurgence in construction thanks to new building techniques, computer-guided milling, responsible harvesting and wood’s enduring appeal to our sense. With this book Taschen pays tribute to both renowned architects and emerging talents who have worked in wood. The double-volume book features 100 contemporary wooden structures from around the world. The photographs are accompanied by Jodidio’s expert reflections on the architect, the innovation and the techniques that went into the construction. Two examples are a barn in Switzerland that was transformed into a holiday home, and the Metropol Parasol, a structure in the shape of giant mushrooms in the old quarter of Seville, Spain, designed by German architect Jürgen Mayer. CENTRAL by Virgilio Martínez, Phaidon Central is…

Start with the base and build it up to the water bowl: 1. Turn a saucer upside down and glue it to the bottom of a plate as a foot for the feeder. 2. Apply a thin layer of glue to the rim of a cup, turn it upside down and attach it to the centre of the plate. 3. Glue the base of a side plate to the base of the cup. 4. Glue the second cup upright onto the centre of the side plate. 5. Apply a thin layer of glue to the rim of the cup and top it with a second side plate. 6. Finally, glue a deep saucer to the side plate to serve as a water bowl.…

IN THE SUMMER HOLIDAY OF 1989, MY FAMILY MOVED TO THE SMALL TOWN OF EMPANGENI IN KWAZULU-NATAL. I was six years old and about to start school. Architecturally, the house we moved into was nothing special or spectacular: It had a small porch and entrance hall, open-plan living and dining room with parquet floors, a kitchen leading out to the back yard, and upstairs three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There were similar houses all along the street, offered as lodging to employees of the University of Zululand, where my father was a lecturer. We didn’t live in it long – I’d say one year max – and it may have easily been forgotten if it weren’t for one thing: I learnt to read while we were living there. I sat…

WHEN HE ARRIVED IN NICE IN WINTER ALMOST 100 YEARS AGO to recuperate from bronchitis, Henri Matisse wrote of the view from his room at the Hotel Beau Rivage on the Promenade des Anglais: From my open window you can see the top of a palm tree – white lace curtains – coat-rack on the left – armchair with white lace cover on the back – on the right a red table with my suitcase on it – sky and sea blue – blue – blue. Then he painted the scene. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair that would continue for the next 40 years. Not only did Matisse resolve then and there to remain in Nice for the rest of his life, but the brightly coloured…

“THE ARCHITECTURE IS QUITE ABSTRACT AND MINIMAL.” “THE OWNERS’ DESIRE FOR A PARED-DOWN SPACE REFLECTS THEIR LIFESTYLE.” “THE OPENNESS AT ONCE CREATES A SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS AND VULNERABILITY.” You have the strange sensation of stepping outside rather than inside when you cross the threshold of this award-winning house by Metropolis. A subtly angled wall, high volume and expansive glass facade propels the eye to the woodland and garden beyond. It is the kind of sight that makes you take a deep breath: trees gently swaying in a summer breeze and butterflies flitting among agapanthuses and watsonias. “One of the key aspects of the design was to create a relationship between nature and architecture,” says Jon Jacobson, founder and principal architect of Metropolis. “We wanted to create an immersive…

A RECLAIMED-BRICK SILO HOUSES THE STAIRCASE AND LIBRARY LOOKOUT, AND ACTS AS A LINK BETWEEN THE OFFICE AND LIVING AREAS. THE BARN HOUSES THE LIVING AREAS AND BEDROOMS. “IN THE KITCHEN WE HAVE VIEWS IN EVERY DIRECTION.” They say all good things come to those who wait. In this case, patience, determination and hard work got architect Friedrich Strey and his wife Wilna through nearly a decade of planning, designing and constructing the place they now call home: a contemporary farm-style house in Southdowns Estate, Irene. The vision for the house was threefold: “to show that one can be sustainable, even in the city; to experiment with different materials, test the capacity of unskilled labour, and recycle and reuse existing materials; and thirdly to use the building as…

One October day towards the end of last year, a handsome black cat wandered onto the grounds of the newly revamped The Robertson Small Hotel. A glossy little creature with a sleek coat, fluffy tail and arresting green eyes, the young cat was soon dining on foie gras and other treats procured for him at the kitchen door. The arrival of the cat is something of a metaphor for the experience of staying at The Robertson Small. Owner Abigail Rands says that “travelling freely, taking risks, finding yourself outside often and being open to new experiences” are some of the senses she hopes guests will experience here. And once you have been exposed to any of the 10 beautifully appointed rooms set in abundant gardens it becomes clear that…

At the Eclectica Design & Art exhibition space on Buitengracht Street, Cape Town, you’ll find collectable furniture, fine art and objets d’art. The furniture pieces were designed for the most part between 1930 and the 1960s. Gallery director Shamiela Tyer answered our questions about shopping for furniture from this era. What should one look for when buying Mid-century Modern? It is important to be fully aware of a piece’s provenance and any restoration that has been done. Have a close look at the patina on materials such as wood, leather and brass; you’ll see where the piece has been repaired. It’s not always possible to replace elements with absolute originality, but overrestoration would diminish the value. The best advice, however, is to buy furniture that you would love to see…

The digital motor spins at up to 110 000 rpm, making this the most powerful cordless vacuum cleaner on the market. The vacuum cleaner is carefully balanced, so it can be used with comfort for overheard tasks, floor-based tasks or anywhere in-between. A direct-drive cleaner head sports stiff nylon bristles to remove ground-in dirt from carpets. A soft roller cleaner head sweeps up fine dust and large particles simultaneously. The V6 is easily converted into a hand-held vacuum cleaner, perfect for cleaning the car or other small spaces. The handy trigger grip means the battery only engages when the trigger is pulled, giving the machine 20›minutes of fade-free suction. British brand Dyson has added a ninja to its vacuum cleaner range. The V6 Total Clean is cordless – in other…

Streamlight, a designer, manufacturer and supplyer of creative lighting solutions, has now opened a striking new showroom in the heart of Kramerville. It showcases the latest local and imported lighting ranges. “Our team regularly attends international lighting conventions to keep abreast of evolution in the industry,” says managing director Robert Kalish. “Streamlight offers clients a turnkey solution to their lighting needs.” VISI deputy editor Annemarie Meintjes attended the opening. “All the lights in this beautiful space are an accurate reflection of the trends on show at the finest international exhibitions,” she says. “The showroom is a charming open space that looks absolutely breathtaking at night and is filled with drool-worthy installations. I just wish they were open well into every evening so all customers and passers-by could appreciate the visual…

AAKS Founded by Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, AAKS produces luxurious raffia bags handmade by a women’s cooperative in Bolgatanga, northern Ghana, using age-old craft traditions seldom seen beyond Ghana’s borders. DIALLO DESIGNS Malian Cheick Diallo trained as an architect and designer in France before establishing a studio in his home city of Bamako. His team of artisans manufacture products from everyday detritus such as bottle tops, fishing nets and old tyres. ADÈLE DEJAK Adèle Dejak is a Kenyan fashion designer known for her focus on the strong contemporary African woman, a design aesthetic that is reflected in her sculptural fashion accessories in gold, bone, ostrich shell and traditional cloth. She has collaborated on projects with Italian design house Ferragamo. DJIGUIYASO COOPERATIVE This Bamako-based cooperative provides work for more than 100 women in…

Comfort is paramount. Bill Stumpf, who designed the classic Aeron chair with me, was inspired by philosopher William Gass to define comfort as the lack of awareness. Bill felt this meant not only physical but also psychological and emotional comfort. To me, whether it’s a chair, a sofa or a desk, the person using it needs to feel comfortable and it should make working a better experience – that’s a reasonable expectation of any office furniture product. I always say it’s still an Aeron, but really it’s a whole new chair. It has retained the distinctive shape of the original chair that made it an icon, but it has been redesigned from the castors up. All the changes in materials, manufacturing and ergonomics over the past 20 years have been…

If you were to come up with a travel itinerary that incorporates five-star luxury, top-notch food and wine, superior spa facilities, iconic art and scenic beauty, you’d be hard pressed to plan anything better than the Cape Region via the Cederberg and Vineyards Route. This customisable itinerary is one of more than 100 Routes du Bonheur worldwide that link Relais & Châteaux hotels and restaurants. BMW is the official partner of Relais & Châteaux’s Routes du Bonheur. You could start your journey by staying over at the elegant Ellerman House in Bantry Bay, where you can enjoy views of the Atlantic Ocean and see the owner’s astounding collection of South African art. Then travel to Delaire Graff Estate, a world-class destination for wine and art. From there, take a slow…

DARLING BREW Taking their cue from nature, Philippa and Kevin Wood create flavourful brews while highlighting endangered species. The decidedly bright and bold labels are designed by friend Carlos Simoes with input from Kevin. BEST SELLER Slow Beer STYLE OF BEER Slow fermentation and conditioning • darlingbrew.co.za MAD GIANT The punchy labels, designed by Chris Angelou, are as audacious as the beers. Mad Giant co-founder Eben Uys says they wanted to make the Mad Giant part of the label to convey their story of pursuing dreams in a playful way. Plans are in the pipeline to make the colours pop more, he says. BEST SELLERS The Guzzler (Pilsner), Electric Light (Weiss) and Killer Hop (Pale Ale) STYLE OF BEER: Brewed • madgiant.co.za JACK BLACK’S BREWING CO. In collaboration with freelance designer Dan…

BAROVIER&TOSO Like bubbles in a fish tank, these hand-blown glass lights in the Hanami Collection with their irregular surfaces in aquamarine, grey, liquid citron or crystal hues fall from the ceiling, creating a cloud of reflected and refracted light. The ceiling plates conceal the LED light sources. Based on the island of Murano in Venice, Barovier&Toso has been in the glass trade since the 1500s. • barovier.com ANGELO CAPPELLINI Angelo Cappellini is a leading producer of classic furniture, specialising in the reproduction of European styles such as Louis XV, Louis XVI, Empire and Biedermeier. The launch of a new brand, Opera Contemporary, in 2010, of which this Clarissa bed forms part, was a departure for the company into a more modern direction featuring sophisticated neutrals and luxe fabrics. • angelocappellini.net • operacontemporary.com ASNAGHI…