Table of contents for VISI 119 in Visi

ARRANGEMENTS Designed by Michael Anastassiades for Flos, Arrangements is a modular system of geometric LED elements that can be combined to create unique chandeliers. Made from extruded powder-coated aluminium and optical silicone, each minimalistic unit attaches onto another, as if part of a glowing chain. Reminiscent of delicate jewellery pendants, the shapes include Broken Line, Circle, Drop and Square. michaelanastassiades.com | flos.com…

HOT ON THE HEELS OF HER LATEST EXHIBITION at Everard Read (in fact, overlapping with its showing in Cape Town), artist and sculptor Nandipha Mntambo has released her first collection of furniture (or “functional sculpture”, as she sometimes refers to it) with design gallery Southern Guild. It consists of four once-off furniture pieces – a throne-like zebra-skin chair; a tasselled stool; a tentacled chaise; and a cocoon-like, gold-lined love seat – and two oval paintings. Nandipha is probably best known for her distinctive cowhide works, which she moulded on her own body to create sculptural forms, at once human and animalistic. These hybrid sculptures speak not just to the brute, instinctual animal nature that humans are never far from, but also represent something of the transformational potential of in-between states:…

SOUTH AFRICA LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK on Sebastian Herkner when he visited a few years ago. Now, the star designer, acclaimed for his work with international companies such as Moroso, Gubi and Ligne Roset, has used this impression to create magic on our shores. “I was attracted to the colours, light and sensual visual experience of South Africa,” says Sebastian of the five-piece Aarde collection that he designed for Indigenus. “With Aarde, I wanted to express the multiple facets and layers of the landscape, the way the colours of the rocks, earth and sand change character during the day. I wanted to add this aspect to the design – layers of clay playing with the light and shadow.” Indigenus is well-known for great collaborations with top local designers, but working…

ONLY IN JOBURG WOULD A GARAGE SHOP be the hottest new spot in town. Thanks to the Marble Group’s latest offering, the boys in their Lambos can pull in to fill up – and grab some fresh sourdough, a bottle of Cinsault and a ceramic platter while they’re at it. Situated on Jan Smuts Avenue in the Trumpet Building (below Marble restaurant), The Pantry is a forecourt convenience store gone wild. Having replaced a service garage and tyre shop that had been mothballed for some years, it is now buzzing with an array of 6 000 fancy food brands and fresh produce, baked goods, flowers, deli treats, homeware – and even fine wine. As with its older siblings Saint and Zioux restaurants, for the design of The Pantry, Marble Group…

IN THE MID-1800s, FRENCHMAN LOUIS VUITTON reinvented the idea of luggage, introducing a flat, stackable waterproof trunk in an array of chic fabrics. His in-demand luggage pieces were creative, elegant and practical. By 1905, his now ubiquitous initials made an appearance on the trunks and, well, you know the rest of that tale. Today, the LV trunk is as popular as ever, and an original could cost well over R100 000 at auction. “200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries: The Exhibition” was launched in January 2022 at Vuitton’s historic Art Nouveau home in Asnières-sur-Seine, a village northwest of Paris. While the show may applaud the trunk and the man who conceived it, it also showcases new innovators: for the project, 200 of them get to produce their own interpretation of the LV…

ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DESIGN AND DECOR CALENDAR, Design Joburg is now in its fourth year, and is set to be a full-scale showcase of the best in local interiors and design, fashion, architecture and sustainable design practices. It will again shine a light on where new talents are putting their energy, and what the future holds for design as a vehicle of change in southern Africa and beyond. Design Joburg will run from 19 to 21 May 2022 at the Sandton Convention Centre; the fringe event – Design Joburg Collective (which will include trend talks, industry walk-arounds and networking events) – kicks off on 17 May, and will be live in nearby decor and design districts of Kramerville and 44 Stanley. Both events will present an opportunity…

LAND Designed by Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa for Italian furniture brand Plank, the Land lounge chair beautifully balances the relation between form and character, and expression and fluidity. Made entirely of plastic – and available in black, white, basalt grey, signal grey, traffic red and yellow green – its low, slightly inclined seat invites you to lean back and stretch out your legs. plank.it PANTON CHAIR Danish designer and Arne Jacobsen protégé Verner Panton’s sleek and sexy chair was a technological innovation – it was the first cantilevered chair to be made from a single piece of plastic. It epitomised the optimism of the 1960s, and caused a sensation when it was revealed in the August 1967 issue of Danish design journal Mobilia. vitra.com PERFECT PENCIL II A combo…

THE LONDONER Remember the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square? Home of a thousand British premieres? The new Londoner is set on its original site, and has dubbed itself the world’s first super-boutique hotel. It spans 16 storeys, rising up to a rooftop bar and plunging down to six subterranean levels. The entire establishment gives more than a passing nod to its theatrical location in the heart of the West End, with undulating walls referencing the lines of theatre curtains, and illuminated mirrors in the bathrooms echoing those found backstage. The lighting is sublime, changing throughout the day to adjust the ambience in one of the greenest hotel in the UK. Stop for a classic gin and tonic at the speakeasy, Joshua’s Tavern, named after the 18th-century artist (and former local)…

IN THE THREE DECADES that Tracy Rushmere has watched over Cape Town from this vantage point on the slopes of the historic Bo-Kaap, her Victorian home has seen almost as many alterations as the bustling city below. Initially, when she moved into the neighbourhood in 1995, she occupied one half of the semi-detached house with her photographer husband and baby son, while their architect friend, who bought the property with them and helped them renovate it, stayed in the other. Walls were knocked down to open up poky rooms, original sash windows were re-installed, and bathrooms relocated (Victorian homes seldom had inside bathrooms). When Tracy’s daughter was born, the family took occupation of the entire property, getting rid of the dividing wall and turning the two houses into one. And,…

WE GOT SOME VERY FUNNY REACTIONS BECAUSE IT REALLY WASN’T PRETTY,” says architect Sean Mahoney, recalling friends and colleagues visiting his newly completed house in the Cape Town suburb of Constantia for the first time. “The exterior was raw brick, and the garden had rubble lying everywhere. My architect friends, in particular, were just… quiet.” The house, where he lives with his wife, artist and sculptor Justine Mahoney, and their daughters Ella and Biba, is an extreme example of one of his architectural mantras – as a partner in the firm StudioMAS, he believes the buildings he designs should look their worst on the day he hands over the keys. Or, in more marketable terms, they should look better with time. “Good architecture needs history,” he says. Now beautifully engulfed…

2017 We launched our range of Spindle furniture at 100% Design SA. The response was so overwhelming that it became the only focus for Houtlander, and established the future of our studio’s aesthetic. In the same year, the Coronation Bench (above) won the award for best furniture design at our debut 100% Design show. We really believe this accelerated our progress on the local design scene. One of the products we launched at that exhibition was the Spindle Back Diner (below right). This chair has made an appearance in dining rooms, restaurants and cafés all over South Africa – we’ve sold more than 3 000 in the past four years. 2018 In 2018, we were invited to be a part of a Southern Guild show called “Extra Ordinary”, and it’s…

ON A FARM WHERE TRADITION, HISTORY and culture are deeply ingrained and celebrated at every turn, it’s little wonder that Babylonstoren has at last added a wine museum to the estate. Doors opened in late 2021 – except, and perhaps in character for this ever-inventive estate, there are no actual doors at “The Story of Wine”. Rather, in this gorgeous double-volume space adjoining the wine-tasting centre, an archway of farm packing crates frames the entrance. But look closer: in six of the crates, you’ll find mesmerising paper-cut dioramas by Cape-based artist Lyndi Sales, telling the story of Cape wine through the centuries. Next, visitors are transported underground into a remarkable sculpture of twisted vine cuttings woven together to form an oerwortel, a “primeval root” suggestive of the genesis of winemaking…

YOU PROBABLY ASSOCIATE FACE BRICK with cookie-cutter Highveld complexes and apartheid-era civic structures. Over decades, these building blocks that require neither paint nor plaster have earned a bit of a bad rep. But it wasn’t always the case: at one time, face brick was a key player in local design, and brilliant local architects used the material to create buildings of real beauty. Take Pretoria-based architect Norman Eaton. From the 1930s onwards, he was known for using face brick to create a cool yet rough mid-century look, influenced by African form. This trailblazer’s inspiration came from the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, and his use of unadorned brick put him way ahead of his contemporaries. Eaton showed that the brick suited many situations, spaces and seasons. It works well for both…

“A designer’s fresh take on upholstery inspires us to think out of the box, to be more adventurous, to bring excitement to the way we live and re-upholster our sofas.” – ANNEMARIE MEINTJES moroso.it An innovative range of MODULAR SEATING and OTTOMANS uses polyurethane tape to join together small scraps of fabric that would otherwise be discarded. Each individual block is subdivided into a series of fabric panels, held together with strips of tape. The polyurethane tape, which is normally used in sports clothing, is an AESTHETIC FEATURE of the furniture – but it also has an important constructional role. Designed by BENJAMIN HUBERT for MOROSO, the range is simply called TAPE.…

HYBRID ONLY For the very first time in South Africa, Lexus has launched the IS as a hybrid-only model, with three derivatives. Lexus is at the forefront of the immense global shift from diesel to alternative-propulsion vehicles, and is positioning hybrids as performance- and technology-rich vehicles. DESIGN FOCUS The IS re-imagines the sports-sedan concept with a low and wide stance, the sleek proportions of a four-door coupé, slimmer headlights, and a lower and sharper side character line, which all combine to express a centre of gravity that’s closer to the ground. Gently sloped rear-quarter pillars, which help to form a sleek cabin silhouette, wrap around from the sides, contrasting with muscular rear fenders to create an aggressive look. IMAGINATIVE TECH The new Lexus IS matches and exceeds the active safety…

RICH MNISI The man behind the multidisciplinary brand is taking his designs into the world of international fashion. Having recently exhibited the skirt-like Nyoka wall-hung console (above), whose traditional beaded fringing conceals a snake head, at Southern Guild, he’s since launched the adidas X Rich Mnisi collection (opposite). Available online now, the collab celebrates the designer’s Tsongan heritage with bright animal prints, bold colours and abstract patterns. Even Rich’s iconic Nwa-Mulamula chaise was decked out in tiger stripes for the campaign photos… richmnisi.com | southernguild.co.za | adidas.co.za DIÉBÉDO FRANCIS KÉRÉ This Burkinabe architect has just been announced as the winner of the prestigious 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel”, it’s the profession’s highest honour, and is awarded to a living architect whose work has produced a consistent and…

THERE WAS A WONDERFUL FEELING OF GLAMOROUS DECAY TO HER,” says interior designer Etienne Hanekom of the grand old Victorian home he is lovingly restoring in Malmesbury. Languishing elegantly on a ridge overlooking the historic farming town an hour west of Cape Town, the generously proportioned four-bedroom house was built in 1850, when Malmesbury was still a popular destination for its revered hot springs. Recent history, however, has not been kind. Rapid industrialisation of the town, as well as the ignominious positioning of a busy arterial road right in front of the house, threatened a fate of idle deterioration. Until Etienne stepped in. “I’d been keeping an eye on her, as I frequently used to drive past on my way to visit my parents,” he says. On an impulse, he…

THE WINCHESTER HOTEL DIDN’T start out as a hotel. This landmark on the Sea Point beachfront was built in 1922 as an apartment block – and back then it was actually on the beach, too, rather than situated across Beach Road from the Sea Point Promenade as it is today. What’s more, at the time, the building’s inner courtyard was used as parking space for vehicles, which drove through the current front door to access it. In 1958, the building was purchased by Mr and Mrs Harvey, who converted the apartments into a hotel. Their descendants, the Wainford family, still own The Winchester Hotel today – and it was Mrs Wainford, the Harveys’ daughter, who briefed Cape Town architecture practice GAPP a few years back about the need to explore…

THERE ARE MANY WORDS YOU COULD USE TO DESCRIBE the design of BMW’s new all-electric iX – but “safe” is not one of them. It’s an approach lead quite literally by the big and bold interpretation of the famous kidney grille, which leaves absolutely zero doubt as to what brand of car has silently appeared in your rearview mirror. “Polarising” is one of the words you could use, though – and it’s one of the kinder ones, given some of the fruitier phrases that have been thumbed on social media since the iX’s unveiling in late 2020. Much has been said about the EV’s exterior, with said nose and the large rear overhang receiving the majority of the righteous indignation sent in from around the globe via free coffee-shop WiFi.…

YOU KNOW THE FEELING: THE LIGHTS DIM, the big screen illuminates, and you settle in for a couple of hours of popcorn-fuelled escapism. If, like us, you really missed the thrill of going to the movies during Covid, the notion of a home cinema must be deeply appealing. And while it may seem like the exclusive terrain of billionaires, it turns out that having your own film-watching lair, in your own house, is seriously doable. Creating a place where you can unwind and enjoy the latest movie release or game - without an annoying stranger blocking your view as they sneak in late - is what Cinema Architects have mastered over 40 years. Whether customers are starting from scratch or are converting a room, the team handles every aspect of…

WEDGWOOD FINE CHINA AND POTTERY has been synonymous with British creativity since 1759 – so much so that its founder, Josiah Wedgwood, is remembered as the “father of English potters”. The brand is best known for highly collectable and intricate old “Fairyland Lustre” pieces and cameo-adorned unglazed blue Jasperware, so it may surprise that these ceramics aren’t only for antiquarians. In recent years, modern design greats such as Jasper Conran and Vera Wang have worked with the company. Now Wedgwood has teamed up with Sheila Bridges. Named one of America’s best designers by Time magazine and CNN, Sheila’s work is influenced by her neighbourhood of Harlem, architecture, historical references, and the creatives and activists who came before her. Most famously, her Harlem Toile offers a unique take on traditional toile…