Table of contents for VISI 113 in Visi

Pure functionality is its reason for being. Nothing wrong with that. But with some creative thought, the addition of considered aesthetics to basic useability transforms a thing into something more. That’s essentially what design is all about – and this issue is packed with examples. Micro-apartments… We’re seeing many of those sprouting up in cities here and around the globe, most with the generic look of the moment that usually involves plenty of 90º angles, along with swathes of glass and steel frontage. Now have a look at our Uxolo Apartments feature on page 134. Same basic concept;totally different approach. It’s bold and unlikely to be to everyone’s taste, but its designers have brought a unique and thoroughly modern Afro-futurist aesthetic to it that sets Uxolo apart. It’s also a…

This year, VISI’s visit to Maison&Objet was sadly not in Paris – our very own trends wizard Annemarie Meintjes’ favourite city in the world – but the editor-at-large was delighted to have been able to see more brands virtually than she usually does in person. “This is a visual tour of the favourite movements that will shape our lifestyle in 2021, an introduction to new brands to follow, and products to order online if you fall seriously in love,” says Annemarie. “But all in all, it’s about nature.” mom.maison-objet.com SEA THE MEDUSA RUG FEATURES THE MOST MYSTERIOUS LIVING BEINGS OF THE OCEAN. 1. Ethereal yet substantial, mouth-blown Eternal Snow glasses by Bela Silva for Serax have a genuinely magical appeal. serax.com 2. A hymn to the beauty of the marine world,…

I OFTEN THINK OF THAT COCOON BEING TURNED INSIDE OUT, VIOLENTLY SO. I regularly rearrange my furniture. Just like my mother. The pandemic forced us all indoors and inwards, increasing the need to find peace in my space. Sometimes this is as simple as singing Joy’s Paradise Road alone in my flat at the top of my lungs while doing my laundry in a huisrok with a Scotch. Sometimes it’s not, and my need to escape my own mind leads me six benzos and two bottles deep into the unconscious. “We had 24 hours in which to vacate our home,” reads my grandmother’s account of her family’s forced removal in 1964. “My husband was compelled as a result of the Group Areas Act to sell our property in 80 Church…

DAWN BREAKS AT XIGERA, IN THE HEART OF THE OKAVANGO DELTA. The velvety-black night sky fades to midnight blue, and the first bird calls – a laughing dove. It’s closely followed by the liquid notes of a coucal, in turn interrupted by the raucous alarm call of a francolin, as the heavens rapidly lighten. Soon the upper part of the sky has bleached from royal to cobalt blue, and a peachy-pink glow beneath heralds the arrival of the sun. Moments later, the fiery orange-red ball pops above the horizon, and as if to greet it, two fish eagles call in chorus, far away. I’m observing all this right from my bed, in the heart of my suite. From here, there’s a full 180-degree view of the floodplain that one side…

ON a blustery stretch of coastline three hours south of Melbourne, you’ll find this exquisitely crafted holiday home sitting pretty on the dunes. Both the property’s owner, Fiona Leahy, and her architect cousin, Patrick Kennedy of Melbourne-based firm Kennedy Nolan, share a deep connection with Sandy Point, having spent their youth holidaying in the seaside hamlet. And so, with visions of a coastal retreat reminiscent of her childhood, Fiona bought a vacant plot in the area. There needed to be room for the whole family – including her and husband Tony’s three teenagers – with places to both meet or retreat, and it had to be robust enough to be used in all seasons. And with his nuanced understanding of her style and connection to this place, Patrick was the…

AS FAR AS GRAND DEBUTS GO, ARCHITECT JAMES MITCHELL’S FIRST SOLO VENTURE under the banner of his newly minted firm Abon Studio is a corker. Set against a backdrop of Llandudno’s beachfront, the show-stopping three-level residence’s façade is fragmented into rectilinear configurations of off-shutter concrete, timber and zinc cladding, artfully Tetris-ed around the negative space of a glazed rectangle that lets you see all the way through to the ocean. “Some areas of the beach are surrounded by enormous boulders that position themselves as if they had been strategically placed there,” says James. “The large off-shutter concrete wall has a primary function of forming a privacy boundary from the neighbouring properties, but it’s also a representation of the boulders in its size and colour, with the windows around it representing…

What might a Roger Ballen building look like? The legendary photographer’s work is known for its psychologically dark, surreal and disturbing qualities. He first found fame nearly four decades ago, documenting outsiders in small South African towns and on the platteland, and caused controversy with his unflinchingly grotesque, often freakish representations of the people he encountered. Moving away from documentary photography, he then took the medium on a journey inwards, combining mysterious tableaux, stark theatrical sets and props with elements of performance and art brut. In the process, he developed what can now only be described as a “Ballenesque” aesthetic, and found international renown. But short of a stripped-out, derelict rural cottage or an abandoned asylum – the kind of architecture his work tends to haunt – it’s difficult to…

Luke Radloff’s stylish home studio is located in Oxford Road – which also happens to be a key element in the Joburg-inspired debut campaign for his recently launched experimental label Public Forum. “The noise and the energy definitely influenced some of the collection,” he says. Public Forum was conceived during lockdown, and its aesthetic is a clear contrast to Luke’s luxury brand Uní Form. “With Uní Form, my methods and the way I work are more strict in terms of the styling, the processes and the design,” he explains. “Public Forum was my opportunity to see what would happen if I let my guard down with the ways I work. So Public Forum is an experiment – it grew organically out of the pandemic. I was really worried at one…

You’re going to find this difficult to believe, but Joburgers finally have a spot to head to in the country that is beautiful, and that serves exceptional food too: And Then There Was Fire, sensationally situated at Nirox Sculpture Park. While our Cape compatriots have had their pick of vineyard and orchard-ensconced restaurants since the beginning of time, things on the Highveld have been dire by comparison. Our base scenario? Bad boma setups serving limp toasted sarmies, improved marginally by a hotchpotch of views. So to find yourself, suddenly, in a low-slung, contemporary wooden pavilion hemmed in by trees, emerald grass, walls of rosemary and some of the finest art around, can be a bit discombobulating. Is this a parallel universe? No – it’s just a 40-minute drive from the…

KLARA VAN WYNGAARDEN, INTERIOR STYLIST AND ART DIRECTOR Once it’s possible to travel internationally again, post-Covid, where is the first place you’ll be going? Iceland, to bask in the beauty of the Northern Lights in a glass hut, then dance at a music festival in Reykjavík. An experienced stylist who has contributed to VISI – and many other South African magazines – for years, Klara can dream up and create sets and experimental interiors for just about anything, from shoots to music events to property developers. She says she especially likes “hopping on planes, shooting lodges and being chased by elephants”. For this issue, she styled our shoot of the eye-catching building that houses the new Roger Ballen Centre for Photographic Arts (page 156). NAFISA AKABOR, FREELANCE TECHNOLOGY JOURNALIST Once…

Thanks to home-automation and AV specialists Cinema Architects, we have this state-of-the-art system to give away. Listen to your favourite streaming service and get immersed in whatever you’re watching courtesy of the NAD C338 digital integrated amplifier and PSB Alpha P3 speakers, which can be controlled via the NAD Remote app. All cables and shipping are included. Go to VISI.co.za/win to enter. cinemaarchitects.co.za | nadelectronics.com psbspeakers.com VISI COMPETITION RULES • This competition closes at midnight on 27 May 2021. • The winner will be the first correct entry drawn after the closing date. • If a selected winner cannot be reached at the contact details supplied, an alternative winner will be selected. • The prize will be delivered to the winner, unless otherwise specified. • The winner will be required to provide…

IT AMAZES ME THAT BIRDS CAN SHAPE TWIGS AND GRASS AND MUD INTO HOMES. I tend to build nests of words to comfort me. Magpie-like, I have an eye for shiny words – luminous creatures that I can weave into shimmery, decorative sentences. Sometimes, though, I turn away from the sparkly trinket words, and find comfort in the bare simplicity of a sentence: its plain-faced beauty. Nests are such curious things. It amazes me that birds can shape twigs and grass and mud into homes where they shelter from predators and the long dark nights. The dawn always comes, the Earth rolling smoothly on its axis as it makes its way around the sun, and there is something bewitching about the first exuberant birdsong breaking through the murky half-light of…

Both inspiring and timely, given the recent need for well-designed outdoor public spaces, a series of buildings and landscape design are the latest additions to the long-term development plan for the acclaimed Bosjes estate. The new pantry and farm shop join the award-winning chapel (featured on the cover of VISI 89), restaurant and accommodation as well as the Botha’s Halte Primary School, and form the anchor point amid large-scale landscaping changes that include a garden of endangered indigenous Cape renosterveld, an array of water-related elements, and multiple outdoor leisure spaces. Conceptualised by London-based lead design architect Coetzee Steyn of Steyn Studio (who also designed the Bosjes chapel) and realised by project architect Tiaan Meyer of Meyer & Associates, the two built elements are similar in style. Their aesthetic and form…

SINCE HIS FIRST TRIP TO BUENOS AIRES 20 YEARS AGO, David Bell has returned to the Latin American city 65 times – mainly to source products (architectural artefacts, furniture and decorative items) that he sells in his Cape Town store Onsite Gallery, for which he imports unique pieces from around the world. Buenos Aires has, therefore, become a major inspiration for the retailer, influencing his personal take on style. David’s home on the water’s edge of Marina Da Gama – designed in the 1970s by architect Revel Fox – is furnished and decorated with some of the international treasures that he became too attached to and just could not sell, mostly picked up in San Telmo, the oldest barrio in Buenos Aires, which is known for its antique stores and…

UXOLO’S BEAUTIFUL tapestry-inspired exterior has been drawing admiring glances from design-savvy denizens of the Mother City for some months now. Its clever combination of materials and colours is meticulously executed, making this one of those new builds that feels a bit like a work of street art from the get-go. And inside, it only gets better. We spent some time with architect Theo Kruger – who, together with André Krige, is TwoFiveFive Architects, the creators of the building – to find out more about the project’s ins and outs. This is the first local development we’ve seen to really make the most of the concept of living in a genuinely small apartment. To put it in perspective, the majority of the apartments in Uxolo are about 24m2 – which, to…

Artclub and Friends is synonymous with making ethical fashion look effortlessly cool. So what’s in a name? VISI asked creative director and founder Robyn Keyser about how her love of fashion manifested itself as a brand that’s youthful yet timeless and accessible. How did the name Artclub and Friends come about? The name Artclub and Friends has become more and more suited to us as we grow – it’s a constant reminder of why we exist. The truth is, I wasn’t one of those fashion kids growing up with my nose buried in fashion magazines. I’ve always found home and peace surrounded by the dreamers, the innovators and oftentimes, the artists, who do what they do because it’s their life force. My inspiration has always had surprisingly little to do…

Since Cape Town’s Tjing Tjing opened Torii in 2015, head of pastry Adri Morel has been focusing on Japanese treats and baked goods to complement the eatery’s menu. After extensive research and several trips to Japan, Adri developed her own style and adaptations that pay homage to and draw inspiration from that country’s varied confections. Customers were thrilled with the sweet offerings, showing an especially keen interest in mochi: handmade gelatinous colourful truffles available in an extensive range of flavours. “We realised that we had an opportunity to take this to a wider audience,” says Tjing Tjing owner Ilze Koekemoer. And when space became available in collaboration with Molten Toffee next door, it seemed the obvious place for a pop-up confectionery spot – and Mochi Mochi was born. The pre-existing…

“The client loves colour. And he hates blue pools. So the alternative was to not do a blue pool,” says Etienne Hanekom of the unusual brief and creative design of this exceptional Higgovale pool. He teamed up with Ilaria Louw of Paintiques, and the duo went through a series of images to decide what would best suit the pool and the home, and how it would connect to the rest of the space. “After some initial drawings in more pastel hues, it was decided that I should rather go bright and colourful, combining elements from the initial reference images,” says Ilaria of the concept. “With Etienne, we decided to add some patterns: tropical leaves and bold shapes.” In the end, the painting project took seven days from start to finish,…

BELMOND MOUNT NELSON, CAPE TOWN She first went pink to celebrate the end of World War I in 1918 – but these days, “The Nellie” has her own unique shade, fine-tuned to fade to an exact hue between paint jobs. In fact, there’s a lot about the old gal that’s one-of-a-kind. This includes the private, two-roomed Honeysuckle Cottage and the Planet Bar terrace – surely the most genteel spot in Cape Town for a discreet glass of bubbly. Make like John Lennon and Winston Churchill did, and bask in her rosy glow on a special SADC resident rate of R3 100 per room per night (including breakfast) until 20 December 2021. belmond.com | belmondmountnelsonhotel THE SAXON HOTEL, VILLAS & SPA, JOHANNESBURG It’s fitting that Joburg’s most iconic hotel only opened in…

MY PASSPORT TAKES ME INWARDS. In this time of our plague, movement circumscribed, domestic stasis no longer voluntary, I invent ways of flying while nesting. My passport takes me inwards; I recall roads of my past, forever in transit – flight in amber. In Bloemfontein, on the sidewalk in Winter Street on the way to school, there are tiny beige thorns that look like grass and grow flat against the ground. In winter the frost covers them, and cracks beneath your shoes as you walk. Near the top of that road my first girlfriend, aged seven, gave me a grown-up kiss, which tasted like oranges and sherbet. Next to the main national road heading into the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, there is a large tree with leaves a shade…

2000 DESERT ROSE LOCKER This is the piece that started it all, and it remains part of our catalogue. We’ve always approached our designs with a narrative, combined with process and materiality. At the time, laser technology was reasonably new, expensive and not readily available. It certainly wasn’t being used for designing furniture. We wanted to use it in a feminine and decorative way, where you forget about the material and only see the delicate lace of the structure. The Desert Rose motif was developed with Claire Clarke. We collaborate with other designers who are specialists in their field – not only do they inspire us, they also bring a unique dynamic to our work. 2006 ROSETTE SERIES We have produced many pieces for our Rosette collection, such as servers,…

Shaun Gaylard’s love affair with architecture and drawing has been ticking on for many years. “As a child I was deeply interested in architecture. I’d wait for the monthly editions of magazines on architecture and interiors – although the fact that I lived in a small town meant my choice was limited,” he says. And this ever-evolving passion “stayed with me through six years of university and far too many sunrises spent in the architecture studio”, he jokingly adds. Alongside his architectural career, Shaun has always been drawing, illustrating and documenting both local and international buildings. In 2013, he turned his hobby into a business and opened Blank Ink Design with the intention of merging his two great loves – architecture and drawing. “Chronological documentation of a city or country’s…

Now in its fifth incarnation, the Lady Dior Art project invites artists from around the world to create unique interpretations of the fashion brand’s iconic Lady Dior bag. And it was Chris Soal’s buzz-generating 2019 show in London that grabbed the attention of the Dior team, ultimately resulting in three very special bags. Using discarded objects to create work that blurs the line between painting and sculpture, Chris’s art redeploys materials with a short-lived usage period to challenge societal assumptions of value. “As much of my work utilises found objects that are ubiquitous with contemporary consumer culture, such as toothpicks and beer-bottle caps, I was quite excited to contrast these materials – which are mostly considered worthless beyond their fleeting functionality – with the high-end luxury of the Lady Dior…

1 CAPE ROCK WINES ASYLUM AND AMNESTY These two labels from Cape Rock Wines – a farm located between Vredendal and Klawer in the Western Cape – feature striking, moody coastal scenes that appear to connect when placed next to one another. The idea of the two separate visuals corresponding in this way is such a clever touch for a brand… caperockwines.co.za 2 SIMONSIG THE GARLAND The exquisitely detailed drawing on The Garland 2015 depicts the very special site on which this single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is grown. The wine is only released when the cellar deems it exceptional – this vintage, which is from the already-legendary wine year that was 2015, should be treasured. simonsig.co.za 3 SERIOUSLY OLD DIRT BY VILAFONTÉ The drawing on this label beautifully and subtly conveys…

1. NENDO: 2016-2020 by nendo Phaidon | R2 950 Known for the sheer volume of its output while producing numerous award-winning designs, nendo is a Tokyo-based multidisciplinary studio founded by Japanese designer Oki Sato. Expect work in every medium imaginable, from paperclips to watches, shoes, chocolates, glassware and furniture, all the way up to interior design and architecture. 2. MODERN FABRIC: TWENTY-FIVE DESIGNERS ON THEIR INSPIRATION AND CRAFT by Abby Gilchrist & Amelia Poole Princeton Architectural Press | R728 Step into the studios of a diverse international group of modern fabric designers via the pages of this book, which includes – as the presence of her design on the cover suggests – SA’s very own textile star Heather Moore of Skinny laMinx. Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs, the profiles of…

“Usually a library is a space for books,” says an enthusiastic Asher Marcus of Hubo Studio, “but we transformed the library into a space for readers.” He’s talking about the new Elements Library located at King David School in Sandton, Johannesburg – a space that also serves as a media centre and teaching space. “We were approached by a client with a long legacy around books,” says Asher. “As an avid reader, I wanted to understand how a space could facilitate reading.” Asher and his team have a keen interest in interior design, and a passion for moulding spaces within the corporate and NGO landscapes. With an inspired client, he and Alma Mpungwe worked to reinvent reading by creating a wonderland that, in these formative years for a young reader,…

“When selecting our top six projects – a ‘bone of contention’ in the studio because our designers all had different selections – what we love is that they are so vastly different in style and vision. We know that, just as each client has their own personality, so does each building, site or home,” says Bone Studio co-founder Nicola Orpen. Co-founder Hayley Turner agrees. “We do not have one consistent ‘Bone’ stamp that blankets our projects,” she says. “We spend time and attention ensuring that each client’s project is one of a kind, and the common threads are devotion to detail and focus on the implementation of the client’s vision.” HOUSE FRIARS Selected by Hayley Turner “A curated display of both local and international design pieces: in this house, we…