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It’s probably because I’m developing one of my own as I navigate through my 50s, but I’m also finding it more and more of a factor in the design choices I’m making. Obviously — like my own patinated provenance — these choices indicate a preference for vintage, and if you know me,you’ll know that I do lean towards pre-loved classics. In the past, I’ve been inclined to remove patina and restore these objects to as-close-to-new condition as I could. Whether it’s my ’68 Mercedes or a Facebook Marketplace bargain-find ’70s lamp, I’ve preferred to clean, sand and respray. But I’ve changed. The change has mostly been in the aesthetics department, though I guess one could argue an existential element that links my advancing years to an appreciation of the marks…

BOTH MY MOM AND I have been owners of brown sofas — albeit hers brought more wonderful memories than mine has (so far). I grew up in a township called Zola, in Soweto. I was born in 1980 — when hair was as big as shoulder pads, and eyeshadow sparkled on eyelids during the day the way disco balls did on the ceilings of nightclubs at night. For my generation, Plastic Off The Sofa was not just a song by Beyoncé. On hot Highveld summers, we would visit neighbours or family, and find our posteriors firmly glued to the sofa as we awkwardly tried to extricate our sweaty selves after sitting for way too long on plastic-covered seats. While the thought still tickles me, it was a trend my mother…

ACDC Express is always searching for fresh talent and innovative design concepts, and the Switch Design Competition provides a platform for local designers - professionals and students alike - to gain recognition and experience. The winner of the 2022 competition was aspiring young Joburgbased designer Ryan McCallum, who not only designed his entry, but actually made it up too. ✖ Tell us about your desk lamp. It was inspired by nature. The Honey Dipper combines the natural beauty and sustainability of wood with modern LED technology. Individually addressable LEDs allow the user to select any out of a range of preset colour combinations - from the colours of a relaxing sunset to a vibrant ocean-inspired palette, and everything in between - allowing the lighting in a room to be tailored…

THE PURPOSE OF ESTATE PLANNING The main idea behind estate planning is to structure your affairs in such a way that you achieve the following objectives: • Protection of assets against a forced sale by providing sufficient liquidity during the winding up of the estate • Protection of business interests • Facilitation of the administration of the estate • Flexibility to ensure that future adjustments can be made • Harmony in the family • Tax efficiency. FACTORS TO CONSIDER The following factors must be taken into account when you draw up your estate plan: Your will: A will is the cornerstone of any estate plan. It helps to ensure that your wishes are clearly stated and makes provision for who will inherit your assets after you die. Marriage regime: Your…

VISI | PRINCE ALBERT GUESTHOUSE DE KLEINE PRINCE is not easily defined. Situated in the little Karoo town of Prince Albert, it offers both a space to stay and to play; to create and to ponder; to discover and to be amazed — and it’s all set against a showroom backdrop that celebrates South African art, design and decor. Owned by Adrian Lombard, founder and creative director of Essential Earth Global, this reimagined village homestead comprises three separate sections — the Victorian House, the Barn and the Poolhouse — and can be booked out in its entirety or individually, as accommodation or as a creative retreat. DKP, as Adrian calls it, is a conceptual design space layered with stories. “It is powered by essential curiosity, through curious design, which to…

VISI | LOS ANGELES HOUSE “NO HOMES. JUST TREES, LANDSCAPE AND WILDLIFE WITH HUNDREDS OF BIRD SPECIES, including hummingbirds and hawks that guard over the ridge” is how architect Chris McCullough describes the view from the “back yard” of the home he shares with partner and architect Peggy Hsu. When asked what the primary inspiration for their striking new build was, the Los Angeles couple are quick to answer: the plot of land itself. “Our property frames an uninterrupted view of Fossil Ridge Park, a protected parkland that can never be developed.” Perched hillside above Sherman Oaks on the northern side of the Santa Monica Mountains, the palaeontological park is bordered by a community that dates back to the 1960s, “Many of the homes along the ridge were developed in…

✖ THIS BRUTAL WORLD by Peter Chadwick About seven years ago, new books began popping up, re-evaluating one of the most divisive architectural movements of the 20th century: Brutalism. Leading the charge was 2016’s This Brutal World - a global survey that featured a collection of buildings from all around the world, representing just how widespread the movement was. But also, perhaps fuelled by Instagrammers posting dramatic black-and-white images of forgotten masterpieces of the movement, it had the effect of stopping us in our tracks. Was that what Brutalism really was? Beautiful? Brutalism is usually associated with the hulking grey concrete monoliths of failed social housing projects in the UK, and totalitarian regimes looking for a way to portray themselves as both powerful and progressive. (The fact that a lot…

× MIGLIARINA SYRAH 2018 Stellenbosch, South Africa On the nose, this wine displays notes of coriander, lavender and violet. On the palate, expect soft yet firm tannins, chocolate cream and a lasting fresh blackberry finish. For less than R200 a bottle, this is a fantastic buy. You can enjoy a glass on its own, or pair it with light meat dishes and rich sauces - perfect for winter. R165 | thegreatcape.co.za × BODEGAS GODELIA MENCIA 2016 El Bierzo, Spain On the nose, this wine showcases notes of ripe cherries, jasmine and cinnamon. On the palate it is playful, classy and velvety, with an interesting vibrant red fruit character on the mid-palate and a rose-petal finish. If you like to sip a light and elegant red wine while winding down on…

A GOOD WATCH IS A STATUS SYMBOL, and on par with, if not more important than, designer heels ora handbag. A well-chosen timepiece can add pure luxury, a bold pop of colour ora whole lot of bling to any outfit. And whether you favour a simple, pared-down “lewk” or OTT is more your style, with so many exquisitely designed watches on the market, you’ll find an option to adore. Let our spread of the best bewitch you!…

BOGOSI MAKHENE WRITER, URBAN DESIGNER AND POST-GRAD STUDENT What do you look forward to most in winter? For me, winter represents all things luxe and enchanting. I look forward to winter dressing, fires, staying in, and a good coffee-table design book. I can’t wait to tuck into a great documentary and a cosy, hot-chocolate-filled movie marathon, or catching up on a must-read. This will be preceded by candlelit soirées with loved ones, complete with Asian-inspired soups and curries. Essentially, what I’m looking forward to is the opportunity to centre myself, in the most divine way possible, while creating unforgettable memories. Bogosi is the author of one of our Voices essays on page 32, as well as a story about a David Adjayedesigned creative hub in Nigeria on page 170. BRENDAN…

THE DAY BEFORE MY sister’s wedding, I bought a couch. I cannot tell you why, in between all the fussing that comes with that kind of festivity, we (me, bride and groom) found ourselves in a furniture store at the local mall, in front of a khaki-brown corner unit. Nor can I explain why my credit card was handed over, and a couple of weeks later, that same unit was manoeuvred, in bits and pieces, through my flat’s front door. The entire thing is a perplexing, hazy episode. It gets even murkier when you consider that we didn’t go to the shops to buy a sofa. Add in the fact that I loathe corner couches and dislike brown, and there is a strong argument to be made that I was…

FOR ALL THE FUN André Krige and Theo Kruger so obviously have with their projects, they’re pragmatists at heart. Take Uxolo as an example. Since its completion in 2021, the building’s unique tapestry-inspired brickwork and bubblegum-pink balconies have been catnip to content creators, yet Andre says their goal wasn’t to create Instagrammable architecture. “One of the worst things about our job is that we demolish a hell of a lot of buildings, and we hate it,” he explains. “Our fundamental principle is to design buildings intended to stand for more than a 100 years. That sometimes means not looking at the most environmentally friendly materials - but if the same site is repurposed every 10 or 15 years. the environmental impact is drastically larger. We say, let’s rather create architecture…

It was six years ago, while exploring a “potential art project” in the small Western Cape town of Tulbagh, that Abigail Rands stumbled on this remarkable building. Her family owns a wine farm nearby, so she feels a strong connection to the area; and besides, she says, “I like beautiful architecture, raw materials and good art.” And this house had all three in bucketloads. It is one of the oldest buildings in the town — the first monastery and mission school established in 1797 — and its distinctive gables, thick whitewashed walls, wooden rafters and thatched roof were the very embodiment of traditional Cape Winelands architecture. More recently, however, the artist Christo Coetzee lived there from the 1970s until his death at the turn of the century. For a time…

WEST AFRICA’S FIRST FASHION, luxury and lifestyle concept store has everyone talking and not just because the eye-catching box of a structure was fashioned by Ghanaian-British starchitect Sir David Adjaye. Located in Lagos’s Victoria Island and conceived by Reni Folawiyo, a lawyer-turnedfashion entrepreneur, Alára - which means “wondrous performer” in Yoruba - is a celebration of contemporary African craft. The space is a nine-metre-tall rectangle, with a series of suspended platforms, staircases and landings that ingeniously frame the display areas and create all kinds of interest. As Reni explains, “We champion what African creativity is and can be. Every piece on display, created or sourced in collaboration with its respective creator, is an objet d’art: a piece of fashion, furniture or design that is a concise distillation of the rich…

OLD RED-AND-WHITE CHECKED TABLECLOTHS, clunky wooden tables and chairs, Italian flags hanging from the eaves… Fuggedaboutit! Eighties-style mom-and-pop Italian restaurants have a place in our heart (as do pitchers of sangria filled with fruit) - but these two new joints are dishing up as much style as they are modern, Italian-inspired meals. ✖ FUGAZZI The vibe in short New York Italian meets New York diner, but in Jozi. The concept is… Based on a US military slang word that is used to describe something fake. This playful, tongue-in-cheek brand pays homage to the ’Italian” food developed in New York City and its surrounding boroughs. Imagine Mafia dons sitting around a table eating spaghetti and meatballs or chicken parmigiana, and you get the deal. Luckily, Fugazzi is less “crime family in…

A SENSE OF LETTING GO. Isn’t that what sofas induce in all of us? They allow us to detach from the world around us and be one with our almost forgotten selves. And they have as many personal functions, uses and styles as they have names. The word couch, for example, comes from the French coucher, which means “to lie”. Sofas are indeed a symbol of relaxation; they are even notoriously synonymous with the art of probing the psyche. Psychology and psychoanalysis ascribe potent meaning to the act (or non-act, as the case may be) of lying down on a therapist’s sofa and immediately relenting to their probing questions as they delve deep into the recesses of your mind. Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung’s success, among others, rested on them…

STELLAR NEBULA CELEBRATES THE ARTISTIC FREEDOM OF THE GLASS-BLOWER. THE ILLUSION OF CHOPSTICKS HOLDING SOMETHING DELICIOUS WILL PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE.…

CAPE TOWN DUO OF JARRAD AND LISE NELSON - founders of the Dark Horse brand - have a reputation for creating modern classics that are locally made and crafted from high-end materials. Five pieces of their signature range have now joined the @home furniture catalogue - and two lucky VISI readers can each win one of their future heirloom Boss armchairs. Typical of the brand’s design approach, the Boss armchair features clean, classic lines and refined detailing, with high-quality locally sourced bovine leather cushions on a modern industrial form crafted from mild steel. We chatted to Jarrad about the Dark Horse philosophy. “To be a Dark Horse is to be a little rebellious or a little alternative, or to have something special that no-one else knows about,” he says. “It’s…

ICELANDIC INTERIOR DESIGNER RUT KÁRADÓTTIR IS A DREAMER. For five years, she collected items from her favourite Scandinavian homeware brands and treasures from her travels, storing them in her garage. She’s patient, too: for years, Rut and her husband, marketing consultant Kristinn Arnarson, had been taking the 45-minute drive from Reykjavik to Stokkseyri whenever they wanted to indulge in a bucket of fresh lobster tails at their favourite restaurant, Fjörubordid. On one of their visits to this sleepy village on the Great Thjórsá Lava shoreline in the southwest of Iceland, the couple spotted a new barn being built. They fell in love with it, and it might be no coincidence that Rut began her beach-house collection around the same time as they first saw the barn. Suddenly, each visit to…

“I THINK THE SUNSET SOLD IT,” says architect Vedhant Maharaj. The outlook from this house on the crest of the Parkview ridge stretches across 270 degrees of the city’s urban forest — and the sunsets are spectacular. The character of this unexpected Modernist gem was buried beneath various additions and alterations, not least a steel mono-pitched roof that had been plonked on top. “But it had good bones. You could see that,” says Vedhant, who founded Rebel Base Collective, the multidisciplinary architecture and design studio, in 2017. A little investigation revealed the home had been designed in 1935 by a firm called Small and Schaerer, who created several well-known Joburg buildings, including Central Fire Station. By the 1930s, they were known for “an eclectic Modernistic style, with balconies jutting out…

TONGUE-IN-CHEEK, TENNIS-INSPIRED outdoor furniture. A tiled server channelling a Bauhaus sensibility in a fynbos palette. A pendant light that marries Afrofuturism and traditional African beadwork. The design vernacular that emerged at a recent exhibition by creative agency Clout/SA and restaurant chain Nando’s was as unmistakably South African as it was effortlessly international. “It’s a collection of work from furniture, lighting and pattern designers who are defining the present as well as charting the future of South African design,” says Clout/SA creative director Tracy Lee Lynch, who curated the exhibition as part of a conference hosted by Nando’s for invited guests from the brand’s global business. For the exhibition, Tracy, who is also the curator of Nando’s Design Programme, brought together the works of both established and emerging talent, including alumni…

1. WES LEAL Originally from Johannesburg, now living in Cape Town, Wes likes to create playful work that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with lots of bright primary colours. Inspired by Flat illustrations and children’s book illustrations. Known for Playing with unexpected perspectives, colourful characters and an overall queer approach towards creating scenes and worlds within illustrations. Dream project “I’d love to work alongside a cool children’s-book author, creating a happy, inclusive, educational book about gender expression, and touching on sexuality in a light, playful and easily palatable way that both kids and parents can enjoy and learn from.” Alter ego “It would probably be a fiddle leaf fig tree. I’m a fast grower under the right conditions, and if I’m happy, I’m thriving in life. Ultimately, I’d love to…

The modular aluminium shelf has a central groove, created to double up as a towel rail and water drainage. It can be equipped with an integrated LED light in the lower part to illuminate underlying surfaces, or in the upper part for more diffused upwards lighting, antoniolupi.it “A bathroom design brand’s fresh take on a construction item as a bathroom storage solution can inspire us all and make us think out of the box, be more adventurous and bring excitement to the way we live and redesign our personal spaces.” -ANNEMARIE MEINTJES Be inspired - and share your results with us on Instagram by tagging @visi_mag and @am_visi…