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One of them would've been to be at the Future Talks programme that VISI partnered with; another, to witness the wealth of design talent we're so privileged to have here in South Africa. You could see it in the exhibitors whose locally designed and made furniture, ceramics and fabrics would live comfortably at any global design expo, and you could see it in the multitude of young designers attending the Future Talk presentations and panel discussions. It's VISI's mission to elevate that talent and, frankly, the only difficult part of that endeavour is deciding which designers and architects to feature in our magazine and on our digital channels. In this issue, Wiid Design's Laurie Wiid Van Heerden invites us inside his Observatory studio for a glimpse at the creative process…

HAVING TRAVELLED on PRASA's Premier Classe, the Blue Train, Rovos Rail and the epic Trans-Mongolian Express, I miss the simplicity of the now-defunct Shosholoza Meyl. Much as I love a luxurious caviar and Champagne rail experience, sometimes I just want the equivalent of slap chips from a corner café. Travelling on the cheap has its own charm – and affordable long-distance trains were one of the joys of domestic travel prior to the demise of the Shosholoza Meyl. Luxury trains dictate dress codes and, upon check-in, there's the treat of a pre-boarding reception, a butler service, the whole toot. For the Shosholoza, we could check in up to half an hour before departure, wearing whatever we liked, and simply proceed to the train. I miss the SIMPLICITY of the now-defunct…

As a visual merchandiser SANET COETZEE has honed her talent for creating captivating spaces with a single, well-placed item that sets the perfect mood. And this expertise became a personal passion when she transformed her home in Cape Town into a tranquil sanctuary. When Sanet first stumbled upon the charming Victorian house, she faced a challenge – it had previously functioned as a boarding house, and featured six cramped and unappealing bedrooms. However, she immediately saw the hidden potential within its walls. “Having experienced apartment living, I was overjoyed at the prospect of having a garden and being on the ground floor,” she says. “While I had no choice but to replace the deteriorating windows and doors, it presented an opportunity to invite in natural light.” The terrace house required…

VISI | SCARBOROUGH HOUSE “I thought I was a city girl – until I spent lockdown in Scarborough,” says South African film director Nicole Ackermann. That this small coastal village just outside Cape Point Nature Reserve in Cape Town is now her home was as much a surprise to her as it was to her family and friends. A place of wild winds and brutally cold water, its untamed beauty is not for everyone – yet it struck a chord with the globe-trotting Nicole the moment she arrived. “My time here changed my outlook and values significantly. Up until then, I was more outwardly seeking for inspiration; now I realise the value of looking inwards more.” When the world returned to “normal”, Nicole found herself back in Los Angeles for…

WALKING INTO LAURIE WIID VAN HEERDEN's Cape Town showroom, with its views of Table Mountain, is like stepping into a cabinet of curiosities, where the temptation to touch and feel is as critical as sight. As a self-taught furniture and product designer, Laurie has been reimagining wood, clay, glass, steel, terrazzo and, of course, cork for more than a decade under the auspices of Wiid Design. ✖ How he learnt his craft Prior to starting Wiid Design, Laurie was an apprentice to various artists and craftsmen, learning skills such as cutting and kiln-drying timber, and manufacturing furniture pieces. Assisting artist Wim Botha, he also worked on large-scale projects that involved steel, fine carpentry, joinery and prepping materials for carving. “As a designer, you have to understand all materials and software…

IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE CONCEPT of circularity, in a nutshell, it's based on the principles of the circular economy, which replaces the traditional, linear “take-make-dispose” model with a closed-loop system. More specifically, circular design considers the entire life cycle of a product, including its creation, use and end-of-life phases. It focuses on creating products that are durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable, aiming to eliminate waste and reduce resource consumption – but it also takes this one step further by joining the dots between makers of sustainable products with those who produce waste. It's about designing products in a way that allows their materials to be continually cycled back into the production process, rather than ending up in landfills or incinerators. It was also a concept at the heart of…

IF YOU'RE A COLLECTOR of Mid-century Modern furniture, chances are you have a piece by Frystark in your home. In the 1960s and ’70s, in their factory in Port Elizabeth, the brand made well-priced servers, dining chairs and tables, armchairs, room dividers and office furniture that were embraced by South Africans who were after that “modern” look. In the ensuing decades – particularly in the ’90s and again in the 2020s – when the Mid-century aesthetic was back in vogue, Frystark became a highly collectable brand. Fast-forward to 2023, and Frystark is once again available in South Africa – thanks to architect and designer Andy Goedhals, who has a special connection to the brand. Andy's dad worked for Frystark back in the day, originally as a rep, before taking an…

GINA DIONISIO VISI'S DIGITAL EDITOR Which piece of furniture have you had the longest, and why? I have an antique mirror made entirely from plaster of Paris and covered in gold leaf. It's quite delicate, and I'm terrified of damaging it because it's a family heirloom. My grandfather's uncle, Zio Bepi, hand-made the mirror for my grandparents in the late ’60s. Bepi was trained by his father in Bergamo, Italy as a stucco artisan. He began his apprenticeship when he was 11 years old; as a training exercise, his father would mould the mirrors on one side and make Bepi “mirror” the design on the other. I am the “temporary guardian” of this mirror as it still belongs to my mom… But I will say that it's pretty cool to…

FEW OF JOBURG'S SPIFFIER spaces are as hostile to humans as the noisy, nasty, gnarly bit of Atholl Oaklands Road between Corlett Drive and the M1. Pavements, where they exist, are humpbacked and cobbled, making them tedious to traverse and, in the wet, treacherous. The road rules. Pedestrian, you're on your own. Melrose Arch, snug behind its security and smug in its New Urbanism, skulks along one side of the street. The other is crowded with walled and guarded residential complexes, a rich row of rancorous resistance. The other month I walked from Melrose Arch to rancour row to hand back the keys to an Airbnb. The traffic light was working! Only two of the oncoming cars at the head of the three lanes growled to a halt over the…

IN HIS EARLY CHILDHOOD, Krineshen Reddy was “immersed in a traditional setting – a traditional family, traditional school systems, and even a traditional workplace when I accompanied my father to his manufacturing business.” Growing up with an entrepreneurial father exposed him to the inner workings of a business, and instilled in him the values and dedication required to build an empire. After completing his tertiary education, Krineshen ventured into the corporate world, gaining valuable experience in how a blue-chip company operates and the intricacies of global trade. However, his true calling lay in joining the family business, which embraced a culture of traditional leadership. “My father was pivotal in nurturing my understanding of the technical aspects of design and the manufacturing process. Our business thrived as an artisanal enterprise, catering…

FOR GILLIAN HOLL, owner of the award-winning Veld Architects, this must have been one of the more unusual briefs to receive from a client – or, in this case, clients. It was for twin sisters Ansi and Renette Buitendag who, after spending most of their adult lives apart, decided to build a home together. Not only would each have a wing to herself, converging on a shared kitchen, dining and living area, but each had distinct architectural tastes. Renette preferred a Modernist approach – a building with a “connection to the landscape”; while Ansi favoured a style that was “bold, strong and minimalist”. The location they had selected was on the Monaghan Farm eco-estate in Lanseria – a sunken, tranquil spot below the road, overlooking the Jukskei River. It was…

IF EVER YOU'RE ASKED TO ILLUSTRATE THE CHINESE CONCEPT of balanced dualism, you could do worse than to drop them a pin at 250 Buitengracht in Cape Town. Approach it from the front, and you're met with a textbook Victorian cottage facade, replete with wraparound veranda shaded by a sweeping corrugated-iron roof – but walk around the corner and up towards Signal Hill, and the house spills over into a set of contemporary sheds. To the left, it's flanked by the moneyed suburb of Tamboerskloof, with the historically Cape Malay area of the Bo-Kaap to the right. Inside, the house is split neatly down the middle into two almost identical, self-contained double-storey residences – one with a view of Table Mountain, which can be seen through a bespoke conservatory; the…

✖ 1. ZAHA HADID: COMPLETE WORKS 1979–TODAY By Philip Jodidio (Taschen, 2020) Zaha Hadid's unexpected passing in 2016, at the age of just 65, deprived the world too soon of one of the most remarkably talented architects of the first decades of the 21st century. So, viewing the spectacular projects showcased in this beautiful coffee-table volume, one feels a tinge of sadness as well as sheer awe for the visionary scale and boldness that she brought to her work. Authored by the highly regarded architecture critic Philip Jodidio – who has written many Taschen titles over the course of the past two decades – and exquisitely produced, this comprehensive book is a must-have for architecture fans, and in particular for those who admire the discipline's more futuristic and avant-garde aspects,…

MADE FROM THE BLUE WEBER AGAVE PLANT (Agave tequilana), and named after the Mexican town of Tequila, this lovely liquid has legions of devotees. If you're ready to jump on the bandwagon, a great place to start your journey is Braamfontein's hip Mexican eatery and tequila bar, LOCO, which offers an array of the distilled beverage. LOCO's creative force, Yakira Kellman, is a passionate fan of the drink. “At LOCO, we are trying to change the narrative,” she explains. “We want people to enjoy all the complex flavours of tequila and appreciate the artistry behind each brand, while taking a seat and stopping for a moment.” So whether you like yours straight, on ice or in a cocktail, here are Yakira's top tequila picks. playbraamfontein.co.za ✖ MIJENTA BLANCO Mijenta is…

MY HUSBAND CALLS ME his little firecracker. It's something he says he loves about me. I don't entirely believe that, considering that when I'm behind the wheel of a car, he constantly tells me to keep my cool. (He wouldn't dare use the terms “Calm down!” or “Relax” – he knows what's good for him.) How, though? How am I supposed to hold on to my Zen when it seems that every other driver on the road is personally trying to irritate me? Is it just me? Or are there others out there who turn into a raging bull with a lead foot and a thesaurus of creative expletives at their disposal? My ABSOLUTE WORST has to be a driver cruising in the fast lane at a speed that could…

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. In the last issue of VISI we spoke to the winner of the 2022 competition Ryan McCallum about the inspiration behind his winning entry; now, we hear from East London-based Patrick Vice, whose desk lamp was awarded the runner-up spot last year. ✖ What inspires you? I take much of my inspiration in life from great people – mostly hard-working individuals who put others above themselves. Endeavour is, to me, the meaning of life. ✖ Tell us about your lamp and its features. It's a multifunctional lamp, which can be programmed via a Wi-Fi-enabled ESP module…

VISI | MEXICAN VILLA ARRIVING AT VILLA PETRICOR IS LIKE DISCOVERING A MAYAN RUIN, settled in the ground, and covered by centuries of lush greenery. It is difficult to believe that this unique vacation villa was only completed in 2022. But while it may not have been built by an ancient civilisation, there is no doubt that it's a temple of design. Villa Petricor is named after the scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The moniker is a gentle reminder that we need to slow down and renew ourselves, and is fitting because the house is located in Tulum, a developing seaside town on the Yucatán Peninsula that gets a fair amount of rain. Built on a relatively small (about 300m2), angular and narrow lot, the three-bedroom home…

Locking eyes with a mountain gorilla in its natural habitat is an incomparable experience. In damp, humid surroundings, amid the greenery, time seems to stand still. Everything goes silent, apart from the soft rustle through the trees, the sharp inhale and exhale of breath, and the sound of your heart beating in your chest. And then, all too soon, you realise that it's over, as your guide signals that it's time to go… “That fleeting connection with these great primates was the inspiration for Bisate,” says architect Nick Plewman. His inimitable imagining of a luxury lodge deep in the Rwandan rainforest has won him plenty of praise – with good reason. Designed with an innate reverence for the environment, Wilderness Bisate seamlessly blends into the surrounding landscape, paying homage to…

ANANTA IS A DESIGN STUDIO founded by Cape Town-based sisters Viveka and Rucita Vassen. The name originates from the Sanskrit word for “endless” or “infinite”. With a mission to uplift communities through creativity and promote economic empowerment, Ananta works in close collaboration with craft communities. Viveka's background in fashion design and Rucita's expertise in graphic design sparked their mutual passion for creativity, crafts and collaboration, leading to the establishment of the design studio during the Covid lockdown in 2020. Their innovative approach to traditional techniques has earned them recognition as part of the Design Indaba Emerging Creatives 2023 cohort. Ananta's designs exude a delightful twist, and are characterised by vibrant colours, captivating patterns, and an atmosphere of joy, celebration and community. The sisters are committed to fostering a circular economy,…