Kenyan-born photographer Thandiwe Muriu tells the story of African identity, beauty and individualism through her work – and her new book, Camo.

I wanted to celebrate everything that I had struggled with in my own beauty journey – my hair, my skin, my identity as a modern woman in a traditional culture,” says photographer Thandiwe Muriu about her debut photo book Camo.

Through saturated portraits that create a surreal illusion between the subject and the background, Thandiwe aims to confront issues surrounding identity and self-perception while unfolding a new perspective on the empowerment of women. “I didn’t plan for the series to be exclusively about women, but it was a natural starting point for me,” she says.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Thandiwe’s connection with photography started at a young age. By 23, she was working professionally, shooting campaigns for prominent companies in East Africa. The complexities of being a woman in a male-dominated industry led her to interrogate the role of women in society and the place of tradition, questioning her own self-perception. These experiences fuelled the Camo series, allowing her to explore a photographic language while interacting with her culture in new ways.

Camo began as a simple appreciation for African fabrics, but quickly led Thandiwe to explore and study in depth what connotes African beauty – particularly hair, clothing and accessories. It has resulted in a visual art book that pays homage to the techniques and mastery in African hairstyles while reconstructing everyday items as accessories. These include using hairpins and dish scrubs to create a pair of sunglasses, or Afro combs as hair accessories. “The objects I use are items I interact with every day as a Kenyan,” says Thandiwe. “They are an integral part of our daily lives, and often a big component of beauty culture.”

There is a systemic process to creating a Camo artwork. It starts with Ankara fabric, which is made using a wax-resist dye technique (similar to batik). The striking colours and patterns on the fabric are used for both the background and the outfit, creating a camouflage effect whereby the subject blends into the background. Thandiwe collaborates with dressmakers in Nairobi to stitch the outfits.

Designing (and creating) the accessories is the next step. “This is the most enjoyable part of the creative process – it requires me to see ordinary objects as the foundation for exciting fashion accessories,” Thandiwe says. She also collaborates with hairdressers to create hair artistry through braiding and weaving.

“When all the elements are finally ready, I bring them together on one subject, in one photograph, to become part of the mesmerising Camo series,” she says.

Thandiwe pairs each image with a proverb or words of wisdom that have been passed down through generations in African cultures. Her use of traditional proverbs creates interconnectedness between the old and the new. “It’s an opportunity for people to begin to think about and hear our proverbs in a new and exciting way,” she says.

Through this photo series, Thandiwe hopes that a younger generation will develop a fresh appreciation for the past – and that the traditional elements within the series will result in interactions and conversations about the history of African beauty and culture, and how they have evolved through time. | thandiwemuriu.com

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Li Edelkoort‘s new book is a vivid visual masterpiece that manages to do justice to the dynamism of the Southern Hemisphere’s creative talents.

Trend Forecaster, Creative Consultant, Publisher and all-around design aficionado Lidewij (Li) Edelkoort has long had a love for the southern hemisphere’s boundless creativity. Her talks were, for years, a highlight of Cape Town’s annual Design Indaba conference. In her latest book, Proud South, already in its second print run, Li – together with Lili Tedde and Mariola Lopez Mariño – celebrates the talent and diversity found in this part of the world, honing in on Latin America, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. The creativity of each of these regions is brought to life through vivid and detailed imagery that captivates as it educates.

Li believes that, “A southern generation of creatives is standing up, expressing local craft, embracing regional materials, recognising ancestral practices and cherishing indigenous values… with a sense of urgency.” This is what she showcases with aplomb in Proud South.

With more than 400 pages of inspiring content, the golden-clad tome includes essays, photographic essays, profiles and previously unpublished work from an eclectic array of southern talent, including contributors such as Indian textile and craft activist Kavita Parmar, Mexican fashion artist Carla Fernández, Moroccan-born photographer Mous Lamrabat, Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop, and a host of South Africans – among them journalist Modupe Oloruntoba, creative consultant Neville Trickett, and local brands such as MaXhosa Africa and Skinny laMinx.

A true object of desire, Proud South is not only a reminder of our own homegrown brilliance but also an ode to southern fashion, photography, styling and art from both emerging and established talents we all should know more about.

Proud South is published by Lecturis, and available to order online for R1 700.

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Creating Coromandel, a new book about a once-mythical, later almost forgotten house – an incredible modernist architectural wonder near Lydenburg – resurrects the legacy of the South African architecture world’s “best-kept secret”.

One time, Coromandel Manor, was the stuff of architectural legend – a multi-millionaire’s ’70s stone home on a farm between Dullstroom and Lydenburg. It was a long, low building, with narrow wings interlayered with planted courtyards, a series of bold buttresses and a planted roof; at once exotic – built by a foreign architect – and a high-water mark of “regional modernism”. It looked like nothing else on the architectural scene: unmistakably modern, but strangely timeless; alien, but somehow at one with its surroundings. Yet, for years, this remarkable project went under the radar, says Edna Peres, co-author of Creating Coromandel, a new book that finally attempts to give the house and its architect their due.

The house was commissioned by Sydney Press, founder of clothing retail giant Edgars, and his American fashion-designer wife, Victoria. In the 1960s, they bought the farm, partly as a getaway from the city. Sydney began transforming it into a forward-looking experimental agricultural enterprise, which included stables designed by the Bauhaus-trained local architectural luminary Steffen Ahrends, no less. For his house, however, Sydney turned to Italian architect Marco Zanuso. Sydney and Victoria had seen a pair of homes he had designed in Sardinia in an international magazine, and they were entranced. They contacted him in 1969, and brought him out to South Africa.

Despite its unusual and dazzling design, the house remained surprisingly obscure. This was partly because of Sydney’s “desire for discretion”, as the book puts it, and partly because of the strange place it occupied in the South African architectural landscape. South Africa’s isolation during the apartheid years meant the house was mostly ignored by the international community, and its place in Zanuso’s oeuvre was largely obscured. Besides, as Edna says, Zanuso was actually “much more famous for his product design than his architecture”.

Edna recalls first going to see the house as a young architect working for local architecture firm StudioMAS. One of its directors, Pierre Swanepoel, had grown up near Coromandel Farm, and had known about the house since his childhood. “His mom did some work for Coromandel Farm, and that’s how he discovered the house,” explains Edna. In the Noughties, she managed to see the house for herself. Since Sydney’s death in 1997, Coromandel Farm has been run by a Farm Workers’ Trust, which bought the farm with money borrowed from the Land Bank.

READ MORE: Building an Icon: The Carlton Centre

These days, Coromandel Manor is run as simple, hostel-type guest accommodation. She was stunned by what she saw. “I felt like an archaeologist discovering this ancient place,” she says. “It was so weird and wonderful and romantic and tragic… It looked like something alien that had grown out of the landscape.” Later, her attempts to find out more about the house uncovered little. “There was hardly anything in the archives,” she recalls.

Eventually, she began interviewing people who knew about “this house that … nobody was allowed to go to”. There were tales of gardens designed by legendary Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx that were never realised. (A young Patrick Watson designed them in the end; he went on to become one of South Africa’s foremost landscapers.)

Little did she know, but an Italian architect, Andrea Zamboni, was working to document Zanuso’s somewhat underrated architectural achievements at the same time, which he published in the architecture magazine Domus.

READ MORE: Building an Icon: Disa Park in Cape Town

Edna wrote a few papers for architecture journals, based on what she could find, and some years later moved to Portugal. After connecting with one of Sydney’s daughters overseas, she was alerted to Andrea’s work. They realised that they had been working on the same project from different ends, and decided to write a book to connect their lines of inquiry. After various false starts – including the inability to find a local publisher – the book has finally seen the light of day. Coromandel has at last been properly documented and its legacy secured – and its vision and influence are starting to be understood.

Edna sees the book as part of a broader initiative to safeguard the legacy of the house. Other private interests have been discussing various possibilities with the Farm Worker’s Trust. There has been talk of restoring Coromandel Manor, and an architectural collaboration between Frankie Pappas, Mayat Hart Architects and Thomashoff + Partner Architects has drawn up plans.

Keep an eye on @friendsofcoromandel on Instagram for news and updates.

Read more stories in our Building an Icon series. Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

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Now and always, books should both inspire and delight. We showcase 18 exceptional design and food tomes that will do exactly that.

WOMAN MADE: GREAT WOMEN DESIGNERS

As author Jane Hall says, “Woman Made attempts, as a reference point, to ensure that women designers have a better chance of visibility.” Her book profiles more than 200 female creatives – specifically within the field of product design – working from the early 20th century to the present, and includes icons and trailblazers such as Ray Eames, Eileen Gray, Florence Knoll, Ilse Crawford and Faye Toogood. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by surname, and each features a key product image as well as a brief biography of the designer. An essential reference for anyone interested in the history of design and the often under-the-radar work done by women in this particular creative field, Woman Made both informs and inspires.

R1116 | Phaidon

Buy

VIVID: STYLE IN COLOUR

Packed with eye candy, Vivid conveys the storied experience of renowned stylist Julia Green, showing how the application of colour in our homes and workplaces can create different atmospheres and outcomes. There are eight chapters divided by colour – orange, red, blue, green, pink, yellow, neutrals, and black – and full of inspiring imagery courtesy of photographer Armelle Habib, as well as interviews with colour mavens around the world, including designer Mariella Ienna (who is based in Sydney and Palermo), and Laurence Leenaert of LRNCE, in Marrakech. Short essays delve into topics such as the science of colour and colour psychology; the use of bold or clashing colour; and styling with colour in small spaces, and for the seasons. If you love colour, this book should be at the very top of your wish list.

R617 | Hardie Grant Books

Buy

LIVING BY THE OCEAN: CONTEMPORARY HOUSES BY THE SEA

Paleontologists have determined that human beings were living alongside the Indian Ocean at Pinnacle Point, near Mossel Bay, 170 000 years ago. And if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed much since then, it’s our ongoing delight at the prospect of living close to the sea. What has changed is the style in which we do so – which is what this gorgeous coffee-table tome presents. From awe-inspiring dwellings perched on clifftops to covetable houses built on white-sand beaches and even a home constructed underwater, Living By The Ocean covers architectural innovation and creativity on six continents, and features designs by 47 internationally renowned architects. Stunning exteriors and inspiring interiors of each home are showcased, with all 50 projects sharing a genuine sense of connection between the buildings and their surroundings.

R894 | Phaidon

Buy

ATLAS OF INTERIOR DESIGN

The most in-depth survey of contemporary residential interior design ever published, this remarkable book includes interiors from 50 countries in its survey of more than 400 of the most inspirational residential rooms from the past eight decades. As the publishers suggest, “No one style wins out in this book” – it covers an enormous range of designers, periods and looks. It includes iconic homes belonging to such luminaries as Luis Barragán and Dieter Rams, as well as less well-known – but no less exceptional – interiors. An essential resource for any design professional.

R1 579 | Phaidon

Buy

A ROOM OF HER OWN: INSIDE THE HOMES AND LIVES OF CREATIVE WOMEN

Featuring the homes of 20 prominent women designers, artists, jewellers, creators and makers around the world, this visual treat of a book is an inspiring showcase of what it means to live creatively today. With both photography and text by multitalented photographic artist Robyn Lea, it also succeeds in looking beyond the exquisite aesthetics of the spaces featured – which range from a castle in Liechtenstein to a sprawling compound in Mexico – to examine the personal ideals and everyday making practices of the women who have created these breathtaking homes.

R724 | Thames & Hudson

Buy

OTTOLENGHI TEST KITCHEN: SHELF LOVE

We’ve all – especially in the last year or so! – had the not-so-fun experience of standing in front of our kitchen cupboards or fridge, wondering what to cook with what we’ve got. Fortunately, help is at hand – because the latest book by celeb chef Yotam Ottolenghi and his team is all about relaxed, flexible home cooking, and is based on what the test-kitchen team like to cook for themselves. The key word is “flexible”: Shelf Love shows its readers how to create dishes that will feed the family while also packing all the “wow” factor of an Ottolenghi meal.

R472 | Ebury Press

Buy

NENDO: 2016-2020

Known for the sheer volume of its output while producing numerous award-winning designs, nendo is a Tokyo-based multidisciplinary studio 1 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.

R2 698 | Phaidon

Buy

MODERN FABRIC: TWENTY-FIVE DESIGNERS ON THEIR INSPIRATION AND CRAFT

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 Modern Fabric explore how the designers established and run their businesses, and reveal their inspiration and reflections on design.

R728 | Princeton Architectural Press

Buy

101 COLLECTING CONVERSATIONS:
SIGNATURE WORKS OF A CENTURY

Documenting the Pretoria gallery’s inaugural exhibition – in which 42 public and private local institutions collaborated with Javett Art Centre to showcase key works in their collections – this book is more than an exhibition catalogue. It provides an overview of a century of South African art (1920– 2020) using genuinely accessible, engaging text and large images.

R300 | Javett Art Centre-UP

Buy

SCANDI RUSTIC

Award-winning bloggers and instagrammers Reena Simon and Rebecca Lawson are renowned
for their love affair with all things Scandi. Their first book reveals how you can apply key elements of classic Scandinavian design in your home, then add rustic natural textures to create a Scandi-inspired interior that’s cosy, relaxed and inviting.

R530 | Simon & Schuster

Buy

MARRAKECH FLAIR

Marrakech has been captivating visitors for centuries – and in the past 100 years or so, the ancient Moroccan city’s colours, scents and sounds have inspired everyone from Yves Saint Laurent to Winston Churchill (yes, really). This book’s gorgeous imagery of the city’s storied museums, hotels and riads, with text by 1960s “It girl” Marisa Berenson – who now lives in Marrakech – is a fitting tribute to a place that should be on everyone’s travel wish list.

R1 985 | Assouline

Buy

TADAO ANDO: LIVING WITH NATURE

Prolific architecture and art author Philip Jodidio showcases recent residences by world-renowned Japanese minimalist architect Tadao Ando in this beautiful book, which offers unprecedented access to Ando’s thought process through more than 200 photographs, line drawings, sketches and plans. Many of the residences presented are previously unseen or seldom- published works.

R1 764 | Rizzoli

Buy

ARCHITIZER: THE WORLD’S BEST ARCHITECTURE 2020

Founded in 2009, the Architizer website showcases remarkable built-environment projects from around the world, and celebrates them via its annual A+Awards, which honour each year’s extraordinary architecture.

The winners are chosen by more than 400 international luminaries in fields such as publishing, product design and technology, and are also voted for by the public. The awards are then celebrated in a fully illustrated book – and this is the resulting compendium for 2020, which includes projects ranging from a huge airport to tiny weekend homes.

R1325 | Phaidon

Buy

DESIGN SECRETS

suggests ways to celebrate raw materials and curate collections that will add something unique to your space. Packed with practical tips on subjects such as “How to use art to tell a story” and “How to dress shelves”, Design Secrets is one of those books that does what it says on the cover. It’s a masterclass in interiors from someone at the top of her game.

R555 | Abrams

Buy

A CAPE TABLE

Well-known for the beauty of its Somerset West setting as well as its exceptional cuisine, Vergelegen is very much the star of this book of gorgeous photographs and food. Featuring recipes by chefs Michael Bridgeman and Roger Hindley (who head up the Stables family restaurant and produce the estate’s elegant summer picnic fare), and Michael Cooke (executive chef of the award-winning Camphors signature restaurant), this one will delight all fans of the estate.

R450 | Quivertree Publications

Buy

KAFFE FASSETT IN THE STUDIO

Craft design legend Kaffe Fassett is as much a master of colour as he is brilliant at needlework, quilting and knitting, and this beautifully photographed book is a window into his pattern-packed world. It features new quilting and knitting patterns and needlepoint projects, as well as a never previously seen behind-the-scenes look at Fassett’s private home in London. Pure inspiration for the crafter in your life, Kaffe Fassett In The Studio will make a wonderful gift.

R669 | Abrams

Buy

ZANZIBAR

Consisting of a cluster of Indian Ocean islands that have long been a place where cultures converge, collide and cross-pollinate, Zanzibar is a showcase of Omani architecture, Portuguese and British heritage, and Swahili tradition. The unique spirit of this special place has been captured in this colourful book of original photographs and text by Parisian photographer Aline Coquelle.

R1985 | Rizzoli

Buy

PATENTED: 1,000 DESIGN PATENTS

A remarkable collection of creativity, Patented is an essential reference guide to a century of design. Including original patent documents throughout, it features everything from everyday objects to instantly recognisable designer pieces, and celebrates the creative genius of inventors, innovators and dreamers around the world. Both a great reference book and fun to browse, it includes patents by many famous names alongside designs for tape dispensers, food processors, drink bottles and more.

R715 | Phaidon

Buy

Looking for more local buys? Here are more inspiring coffee table books to add to your collection.

The post 18 Good Reads to Add to Your 2022 Wishlist appeared first on Visi.

Architecture for pets is becoming serious business as design heavyweights turn their hand to pet furniture and products.

Phaidon has released a book entitled Pet-Tecture: Designs for Pets, which includes designs by the likes of Sou Fujimoto, Kengo Kuma and MAD Architects, is an irresistible read for design-conscious pet lovers.

Suite, Chiavari for FORMA Italia. Picture credit: Joe Kesrouani (page 62)

Pet House Series, Natural Slow (page 40)

Flip through it and you’ll find trees for cats, concrete dog homes, luxury fish tanks, chicken coops and even a dog-shaped cat scratcher. Birds, rabbits, horses, mice and guinea pigs are catered for, too.

Pet-Tecture: Designs for Pets retails for approximately R400.

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From a limited-edition Eames radio and a book featuring the most beautiful libraries from around the globe to a sculpture made of single-use plastic and a wearable notepad, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 246.

1. The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries by Massimo Listri

“I’m absolutely blown away by this incredible Taschen book, comprised of photographs of the most beautiful libraries in the world, taken by photographer Massimo Listri,” says Editor-in-Chief Sumien Brink. “My favourite is definitely the Biblioteca do Convento de Mafra in Mafra, Portugal, seen above.”

Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Image credit: Massimo Listri / sothebys.com

2. Wearable Memo by kenma

“This silicon band was designed with the medical field in mind, inspired by nurses who often need to jot down notes on their hands,” says Online Editor Lindi Brownell Meiring. “WEMO (Wearable Memo) is a wearable notepad, created by Japanese design studio kenma, that allows you to write things down while you’re on the go, and erase it later once you no longer need to remember it.”

Image credit: core77.com

3. Crystal Wagner’s Plastic Sculptures

“With the awareness of single-use plastic on the rise, I think artist Crystal Wagner’s striking plastic sculpture is a brilliant way to illustrate just how much waste there really is out there,” says Content Producer Michaela Stehr. “Although the piece is extremely beautiful, it is both saddening and worrying to think of how much waste we produce.”

Image credit: Crystal Wagner via designboom.com

4. Inga Atelier’s new Joburg Store

I’m very excited that Inga Gubeka of Inga Atelier recently opened a store at Hyde Park Corner in Joburg,” says Assistant Editor Tracy Greenwood. “A great spot to find luxurious, hand-crafted leather goods.”

Image credit: Inga Atelier

5. Limited-edition Eames Radio

“How stunning is this compact walnut Eames radio, recently launched by Swiss furniture company Vitra?” says Features Editor Amelia Brown. “Only 999 have been released, with five available locally at Design & Development LOGIK. “

Image credit: Design & Development LOGIK.

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 246 on picks of the week 160.

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The editors at Phaidon, together with design experts, have put together a 656-page book dedicated to showcasing the world’s most influential and iconic chair designs, from Thomas Heatherwick creations to elephant-inspired seats.

Spun Chair, 2010, Thomas Heatherwick; Magis (2010 to present). Image credit: Magis.

Chair: 500 Designs That Matter takes the reader on a journey through history, looking back at 500 chair designs by date of manufacture.

“This book contains 500 chairs that we consider really matter,” says the Phaidon team in the book’s introduction. “They may have achieved their place in our collection because of their innovative design, the groundbreaking material or technology used in their production, or for their unusual shape, colour or texture.”

Table, Bench, Chair, 2009, Industrial Facility, Kim Colin, Sam Hecht; Established & Sons (2009 to present). Image credit: Industrial Facility/ Peter Guenzel.

The book is available locally at selected bookstores nationwide, including Exclusive Books.

For more information, visit uk.phaidon.com.

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A coffee table book about the Ankole cattle breed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and photographer Daniel Naudé is a narrative and pictorial celebration of these majestic beasts. This is an extract from the book.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on his farm Ntaba Nyoni.

“Referred to as the ‘Cattle of Kings’ by the Banyankole people of Uganda, the Ankole have a special place in my heart. The photographic portraits of these splendid animals, taken by Daniel Naudé, allow us to experience their majesty and the awe they inspire.

“Once I had first set eyes on the Ankole in Uganda, I was determined – in some ways to the point of obsession – to ensure that this breed could find a new home in South Africa… I count the birth of the first Ankole calf on South African soil as one of my proudest achievements, and it is a privilege for me to tell the tale of how it happened. It is especially gratifying to have enabled the Ankole to be officially registered and recognised as one of the most recent cattle breeds in South Africa. I also take joy in being the largest Ankole breeder in the country.

“I am sure my late cattle-loving father would have been proud to see that I have become a cattle breeder. That I have become a breeder of three stud cattle – the Boran, a Kenyan breed; the Bonsmara, a South African breed developed by Prof Jan Bonsma; and, of course, the Ankole – would have amazed and pleased him no end. My hope is that the words and pictures in this book pay due tribute to the Ankole and will deepen our knowledge about them and other African cattle breeds.”

– Cyril Ramaphosa

Cattle of the Ages retails for R850. For more information, visit jacana.co.za.

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A collection of photos of surfers’ dwellings originally published on the surfing blog Indoek, Surf Shacks (Gestalten, approximately R850) is one of the coolest tomes we’ve come across for some time.

Surfers are not defined by their homes, but rather by the experiences they gather in the water and around the world. Those experiences are captured through art and photographs, mementos and artefacts – and homes that reflect both the places they’ve been and the lifestyle they choose to lead. The term “surf shack”, therefore, is not defined by a specific type of architecture or interior design style; it is each surfer’s unique definition of “home.”

1. Jess Bianchi and Malia Grace Mau, Hawaii

Located in a remote nook of the Hawaiian island chain is the dream home of filmmaker Jess and jewellery designer Malia Grace, built by San Francisco-based artist Jay Nelson. You can’t help but be in total awe of the artful craftsmanship, attention to detail and great taste in materials and decor. It’s like being in an adult fort – a modern Swiss Family Robinson compound that reflects the sophisticated taste of its free-spirited, creative owners.

2. Hiromi Matsubara, Japan

Hiromi, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation, is a free-spirited yoga instructor, macrobiotic vegan chef, environmentalist and all-round amazing human being who embodies the generosity and hospitality of the Japanese people. She lives in the woods in Chiba close to the beach, in an artist community, where she hosts many a wandering traveller, showing them the best that Japan has to offer.

3. Raimana Van Bastolaer, Tahiti

Known as the unofficial ambassador of Tahiti, Raimana lives in a beach house on the water in Papara on the south side of Tahiti. Every year, when that south swell starts to ramp up, this slice of paradise teems with pro surfers, photographers, industry folks and celebrities. And the one person whom everyone calls upon to show them a good time and tow them into monster slabs is Raimana.

The post 3 Surfer-Style Homes You’ll Want To Escape To appeared first on Visi.

South Africa’s architectural riches are painstakingly documented by Nini Bairnsfather Cloete and beautifully captured by photographer Craig Fraser in Remarkable Heritage Houses of South Africa, a new coffee-table book from Quivertree Press.

WHITEHALL COURT, JOHANNESBURG

An Edwardian wedding cake of a building, Whitehall Court is a sought after apartment address. The original main apartment is divided into three glamorous living spaces, one of which belongs to couturier Howard Green. “I collect very strange kinds of furniture,” admits Howard, who is passionate about new ideas and new fashions in every sphere.

PRYNNSBERG, FREE STATE

A grand and golden sandstone affair, Prynnsberg was designed in England as a Victorian take on the Elizabethan style and constructed in 1881. Then owner Charles Newberry’s daughter Winifred was responsible for the astonishing friezes painted in some of the rooms, including the sublime Nile Lilies painted in the music-cum-billiard room.

MEERLUST, STELLENBOSCH

In 1757, Meerlust was acquired by Johannes Albertus Mijburgh – and so started a dynasty of ownership by descent that continues to this day. Hannes Myburgh is the eighth generation of his family to be in command. An inveterate collector of fine decorative things, he continues to augment Meerlust’s collection with varied and intriguing pieces.

WATERHOF, CAPE TOWN

Whitewashed and thatched, this house – built around 1785 – is graced with several gables. A pale palette dresses the elegantly proportioned sitting room; white slip-covered wing chairs take centre stage alongside an Austrian day bed with horn legs and a pair of Italian Driade Flo chairs.

The book retails at R600. To get your copy visit Quivertree Publications here.

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