COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied, Justin Patrick (Keiskamma Art Project), Loricia Short (David Krynauw Design)

While our feature on Pierre Frey’s latest textile collection looks to formal French gardens, here we explore local textile and wallpaper collections that celebrate South African flora and fauna.

Ardmore Design x Cole & Son

In 2025, Ardmore collaborated with Cole & Son, the renowned British wallpaper brand celebrated for its luxurious and artistic designs, to create the Baobab Collection. Consisting of nine designs illustrated with remarkable detail, the collection celebrates the diversity of life found among the branches of the Tree of Life. ardmore-design.com | cole-and-son.com

CoralBloom Studio x Robin Sprong Wallpaper

CoralBloom Studio is led by Dr. Michelle von Stein, a scientist-turned-designer with a PhD in botany and microbiology, who collaborates closely with her mother Ann, a botanical artist, and sister Megan, a conservation ecologist and scientific illustrator. Together, they create unique designs, such as Succulent Serenity, inspired by detailed scientific watercolours of South African plants. robinsprong.com | coralbloomstudio.com

Keiskamma Art Project × Clout/SA for Cara Saven

The magnificent tapestry-inspired wallpaper and fabric, Stitched, A Story of Our Home, is the result of a creative collaboration facilitated by Clout/SA for Cara Saven. Artists from the Keiskamma Art Project were challenged to create an embroidered piece that referenced what a scenic and quintessentially South African wallpaper might look like. keiskamma.org | clout-sadesign.co.za | carasaven.com

David Krynauw Design

David Krynauw Design’s latest collection of wallpaper and fabric designs, printed by Fabric Bank, comprises adapted historic prints from the Kleine Rijke collection dating back to the 1800s. David’s wife and fellow designer Jasmyn Krynauw, who heads up DKI – a division of David Krynauw Design – uses scale in creative ways and repurposes texture and colour to form new, locally inspired landscapes that carry a sense of whimsy and delight. | davidkrynauw.com

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The post Drawn from Nature appeared first on Visi.

The way South Africans live at home has changed dramatically over the past decade. Our homes have become more than places to eat and sleep – they’re where we entertain, work, unwind and reconnect with the people who matter most. It’s little wonder that contemporary homes are increasingly designed around shared experiences, with open-plan living, seamless indoor-outdoor flow and thoughtfully curated entertainment spaces taking centre stage.

As winter slowly gives way to spring and summer, many homeowners are thinking beyond seasonal updates and investing in design features that add lasting value throughout the year. Few elements achieve this quite like fire.

Whether it’s the comforting glow of a fireplace on a crisp evening or the unmistakable ritual of gathering around a braai with friends, fire has an enduring ability to transform a space. It creates atmosphere, encourages conversation and turns everyday moments into memorable ones.

Today, fireplaces and braais have evolved far beyond their practical purpose. They have increasingly become defining architectural features that shape the way we experience our homes.

Fire as a design statement

Rather than being added as an afterthought, modern fireplaces are now often considered from the earliest stages of a home’s design. They help anchor living spaces, introduce visual balance and create a natural focal point within a room.

Whether integrated into a striking feature wall, suspended as a sculptural centrepiece or used to subtly divide open-plan spaces, a well-designed fireplace contributes both warmth and architectural interest.

For those who appreciate the authenticity of a real wood fire, closed-combustion fireplaces offer an elegant balance between performance and aesthetics. Unlike traditional open fireplaces, these designs maximise heat efficiency while reducing emissions, making them a smarter solution for modern homes that value both comfort and sustainability.

Extending life outdoors

South Africans have always embraced outdoor living, and today’s homes increasingly blur the line between indoors and out.

A thoughtfully designed braai area has become a natural extension of the home – a place where cooking, conversation and connection happen simultaneously. Whether overlooking a garden, integrated into a covered patio or forming part of an outdoor kitchen, a premium braai area becomes both a functional appliance and a beautifully crafted design feature.

Much like a fireplace indoors, it anchors the space, encouraging people to gather long after the meal has been served

Investing in timeless living

The most successful design choices are those that remain relevant long after trends have passed. Fireplaces and braais offer exactly that: they combine everyday functionality with enduring visual appeal while adding value to the home.

Create a space that feels welcoming in winter, inviting in summer and effortlessly suited to every season in between.

After all, great design isn’t simply about how a home looks – it’s about how it makes people feel. And few features create warmth, connection and a sense of belonging quite like fire.

Whether you’re renovating, building from scratch or simply reimagining your living spaces, designing around the fire is an investment in a home that’s made for gathering, celebrating and creating memories all year round. | infinitifires.co.za 

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WORDS & PHOTOS Gina Dionisio

A new feature at this year’s Decorex Cape Town, FloodLight celebrated some of the best local lighting designs brought together within a showcase shaped by the 2026 theme ‘The Soft Life’.

At the heart of the immersive display – developed as a collaboration between Decorex and spatial lighting designer Martin Döller – was the idea of light as soft power: not simply as a function, but as atmosphere, emotion and a tool for wellbeing. Here’s a look at the pieces lighting the space:

Joe Paine

Brutalist in nature, the MAXIMA Standing Lamp contrasts hard edges with soft light. The lampshade fabric can be pushed in and out, augmenting the type and intensity of light. | joepaine.com

Luminaire d’Afrique

Originally launched at the Capitec handmadeAFRICA Pavilion during Decorex 2025, these Luminaire d’Afrique pendants are a collaboration between Handmade Africa, Ngwenya Glass, the Bambizulu team, master weaver Beauty Ngxongo and Johannesburg’s finest lighting manufacturers. Each light – made from hand-blown recycled glass, intricately woven palm, telephone wire textures and beads – blends centuries-old techniques with modern precision. | bambizulu.com

Mema Designs

Handmade using Mema Designs’ signature anodised woven aluminium mesh fabric, the surface-mounted Fan Lamp is inspired by intricate origami folds and classical tailored fabric detailing. | memadesigns.co.za

Ananta Design Studio

Ananta Design Studio is known for blurring the lines between craft, fashion and collectable design. The Misra Lamp – taking its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Misra’, meaning blended or combined – features steel, textile and beaded threads woven together to create a contemporary lighting object that speaks to heritage and the beauty of combining seemingly opposite worlds. | @studioananta_

Modern Gesture

Modern Gesture’s layered Woven Necklace Pendant embodies an African necklace shape through the use of wooden rings, which represent wholeness and timelessness. | moderngesture.co.za

TheUrbanative

The Ayanda Pendant Light casts captivating shadows when illuminated. This elegant homage to Zulu heritage draws inspiration from two iconic elements of a woman’s attire – the pleated skirt ‘isidwaba’ and the dignified silhouette of the traditional headpiece ‘isicholo’. | theurbanative.com

Bofred

The Martini Floor Lamp is from Bofred’s Villa Collection, an ode to languid, sun-drenched days. Featuring a sand-cast recycled aluminium frame with an oatmeal linen fabric lampshade, this version of the Martini Floor Lamp is finished in silver aluminium. | bofred.co.za

One to One by Martin Döller

Amphora is the physical embodiment of 20 years of thinking. Cast in solid bronze, the modular lighting system is hand-finished by South African artisans. Each piece is unique. | 1-to-1.world

MOS Products

MOS Products had two lights on display in the FloodLight showcase: the CATAWBA and the SINE.

The form of the CATAWBA, named after a grape varietal, was inspired by chain link lengths, using the form as the light itself, rather than as a suspension aid. The SINE, on the other hand, combines up and down light in a gentle ambient flow. The horizontal line from the hardwood forms the base on which the shapes flow, with the bulbs half hidden by the oval-esque shapes and swoops. The light illuminates the soft arch curves, adding another dimension to simple geometric shapes. | mosproducts.co.za

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Courtesy of Alejandro Cateto

Translating culturally specific references into an interior language that feels contemporary rather than purely decorative is no easy task. Casa Capirote, however, does so with considerable finesse, thanks to a light-filled interior that is a reflection of local history as much as it is an expression of modernity and sophistication.

Inspired by the essence of Seville, particularly Triana pottery, interior designer Alejandro Cateto wanted the apartment to feel connected to the city without becoming a recreation of a traditional Sevillian interior. “I was not interested in literally reproducing Triana pottery or using it solely as a decorative device,” he says. “Instead, I tried to understand the language behind it: its use of colour, rhythm, repetition, geometry and craftsmanship.”

These traditional ideas find expression in the composition of the space, the colour palette and the relationship between the different materials. “The references are recognisable, but they have been simplified and reinterpreted. For me, contemporary design does not require us to abandon tradition, but rather to learn how to view it from a new perspective,” says Alejandro.

Instead of conventional partitions, which would have made the compact apartment feel fragmented and boxed in, he uses strategically placed curtains to create a flexible divide between social and private areas. “Depending on how they are arranged, they can completely transform the apartment,” explains Alejandro. The diaphanous fabric hangs from rails set into the ceiling and shifts with the air moving through the apartment, catching the light differently throughout the day. “During the day, the spaces can remain open and visually connected, while they can be enclosed whenever greater intimacy is required,” he continues. “They also introduce softness, movement and a certain theatrical quality, which contrasts with the more solid architectural elements.”

Beyond their role in dividing the space, the curtains’ semi-sheer fabric helps diffuse natural light throughout the apartment, enhancing its colour scheme of earthy and green hues. “Seville has a particularly intense quality of light, and colour changes enormously depending on the time of day. I wanted the palette to respond to that light rather than remain visually static,” says Alejandro. “The greens, earthy tones and warmer accents become brighter and more energetic in direct daylight,” he continues, “while in the afternoon and evening they acquire greater depth and create a more enveloping atmosphere.”

The lime mortar surfaces throughout the apartment also contribute to the shifting daylight, absorbing and reflecting light in a softer and less uniform way than a conventionally painted wall.

Alejandro was drawn to using lime mortar not only because of its close relationship with Andalusian architecture, but also because of its honesty and sensory quality. “Rather than treating it as a historicist gesture, we used it as a quiet architectural backdrop. Its texture creates a dialogue with the smoother finishes, clean lines and more sculptural contemporary pieces in the apartment,“ he says. “The contrast between the irregularity of the lime mortar and the precision of the furniture allows both languages to become more visible.”

In Casa Capirote, local craftsmanship forms part of the architecture and the narrative of the project, while the more refined pieces introduce clarity and allow those details to breathe. It is a process of addition, but also of restraint. “The handcrafted elements should not appear as isolated decorative objects, while the contemporary pieces should not erase the identity or irregularity of the materials surrounding them,” says Alejandro. “A space reaches the right equilibrium when the different elements stop competing with one another and begin to feel as though they belong to the same world, even when they come from different periods or traditions.” catetocateto.com | @wearecatetocateto

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WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Supplied

It took a certain amount of bravery to accept the Alfa Romeo gig. The storied Italian brand hasn’t exactly had the best run over the past four decades, with underinvestment, identity tensions and reliability issues seeing it rarely get out of third gear. On the other hand, design has always been Alfa Romeo’s strength, and even in the worst years, even if the cars haven’t exactly done the business, they have always looked it.

Which means Spanish car designer Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos must have had a bit of a think before taking the wheel as Alfa Romeo’s head of design. Arriving via VW-owned Spanish brand Seat and Renault, where he was known for designs that blended Mediterranean emotion with German proportions, he would’ve felt just that smidgen of extra pressure: the Alfisti – Alfa’s die-hard fans – don’t merely expect, they demand crackingly beautiful sheet metal. And this tribe is particularly fussy about the brand’s legendary triangular grille – the Leggenda Scudetto (Little Shield). Get it wrong, and swarthy Sicilians will no doubt be knocking on your studio door.

That brings us to the Junior – the first car designed from the ground up by Alejandro and his team. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the Junior would be sharing a platform with other similar-sized EV/hybrid vehicles in the Stellantis group portfolio – the Opel Mokka Electric, Peugeot E-2008, Fiat 600e and Jeep Avenger. It meant limited parameters to produce something that was distinctly Alfa. Plus there was that crucial decision every designer of an EV faces: should it look like an EV (i.e. a bit sci-fi), or should it fit more naturally into the brand’s product lineup?

Alejandro clears up that last notion immediately. “I never thought that being electric or hybrid needs to be formalised or visible in the design of a car,” he says. “I’ve been designing cars for 30 years, and I was there at the start of electric-vehicle design. This was my philosophy, always: don’t do anything differently in the design just because it’s electric. All the customer wants is a beautiful car.”

That, however, is easier said than done when there are economic and technical realities to consider, and not just the art of design. “Aerodynamics, weight and the cost of materials are the three factors that most influence design and limit our work – but we adapt,” says Alejandro. “And we must also add the homologation and regulations imposed by Europe, which are increasingly strict and difficult. I’m used to these constraints. We’re designers, not artists.”

Cue gasps, raised eyebrows and pinched-finger gestures from the Alfisti. But I reckon they can return their hands to their espressos, and cut Alejandro some slack. The Junior is by no means a neutral design, and is easily the best-looking of its Stellantis siblings. It has a front-end with plenty of character – perhaps a little too fussy for some, but I love the reimagined Leggenda Scudetto with its large reproduction of the Alfa Romeo emblem (an echo of which also makes an appearance on the C-pillars). Overall, the body is simple and muscular, incorporating all the values of the Alfa Romeo brand. “It’s intended to democratise Alfa’s sporty Italian design and performance. One of the most important parts of the design was proportion. As with everything in nature, proportion is the first consideration for beauty. Then we applied a design that was a little loud, in order to be recognised on the street.”

In an Alfa, that street cred also demands engaging on-road dynamics and performance. With its purposeful stance, dark 20-inch alloys, and coda tronca (truncated tail), the Junior Elettrica 280 Veloce certainly talks the talk. It walks the walk too – perhaps not quite with John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever swagger, but confidently enough, thanks to its front-mounted 207kW/345Nm electric motor and, crucially, a Torsen mechanical limited-slip differential. The latter helps with traction out of the corners and, along with a wonderfully precise steering feel, makes for a fun little SUV crossover to drive.

All in all, I’d say job done, Alejandro. I’m looking forward to his versions of the next-gen Stelvio SUV and Giulia sedan, both scheduled for 2027/2028. | alfaromeo.co.za

The range

Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica 280 Veloce:207kW/345Nm; R999 900. Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica: 118kW/260Nm; R799 900.

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WORDS Bonolo Chepape PHOTOS Jan Ras

I chose these objects because they speak to a common thread. Each one carries a part of my life’s story, history and identity. From books that hold cultural memory to fabrics and garments that shaped my creative blueprint, these pieces reflect how history is preserved, inherited and lived. They represent rituals that deepen my understanding, objects that anchor my cultural connection, and design forms that hold the collective memory of a people. They’re objects and pieces I’ve collected and kept to remind me of the vastness of the world, the richness of culture, and a celebration of art and design.

The violin

More than 36 years old, it is a family heirloom passed down from father to daughter. It carries a quiet humour, and is a reminder of talents hoped for but not pursued. It speaks to play, possibility and the idea that not every discipline must become a profession – some exist purely for joy. More than anything, it remains a sentimental connection to a father who left it behind as an invitation for future dreams.

Ceramic piece by Anthony Shapiro

Gifted by a dear friend, this piece carries both artistic and personal meaning. I have long admired Anthony’s craftsmanship and his commitment to teaching others. When I see it, I think of our shared trade shows and the laughter between us; in these moments, I am left in stitches. It represents what creative practice should strive towards: generosity and the passing on of knowledge, friendship and joy.

Rothko by Jacob Baal-Teshuva

Acquired at an Anthropologie store in New York, this book is a masterclass in colour. Rothko’s work reminds me of the power of restraint and devotion to language; it reinforces my belief that everything is art, even the quiet discipline of balancing colour.

Traditional Pedi blanket

Passed down from my grandmother, this is one of my most sentimental pieces. It holds memories of womanhood within my cultural context; of her resting under a mango tree; of being wrapped around the waist by elders. I often sit on it when I design – a reminder of my grandmother’s presence in both spirit and object.

Patterned doek

An heirloom from my mother, this doek brings me joy through its patterned motifs, which reflect subtle Western influence alongside cultural significance across South African communities. It represents the intersection of the worlds I navigate: tradition and contemporary identity.

Calabash water vessel

An important object in my daily life, the calabash is part of a ritual passed down through my Pedi culture. Beyond its beauty, it is a tool for ancestral connection. It reminds me of the importance of knowing my background and honouring those who came before me, safeguarding the spiritual knowledge passed down through my lineage.

Henri Mattise print

Collected during my first visit to MoMA in New York; Matisse is one of my favourite artists. This print reminds me of the spirit of community and togetherness, and of the importance of collaboration and building supportive creative ecosystems. Its colour language and sense of play continue to influence my work.

Reflecting B(l)ack by The Manor

This book reveals the importance of documenting and archiving African history and culture. Through stories, imagery and representation, I find a point of connection as I shape my own understanding of how I would like to represent African culture in the future. It serves as a daily reminder of the responsibility of archiving.

Pink woven Cambodian throw

Discovered at Maison&Objet Paris, from a vintage Cambodian merchant, this textile embodies layered knowledge and craft . Made from offcut fabrics woven together, it champions silk thread, colour variation and the beauty of imperfection. It reminds me of resourcefulness, and the power of transforming remnants into something new, meaningful and environmentally conscious.

Boubou dress

A traditional Senegalese garment collected during a trip to Dakar, this piece reflects the cultural knowledge embedded in African textiles and print-making. I look to it not only to admire the natural dyeing techniques and inherited craftsmanship, but also as inspiration for my own practice, and where I hope it will evolve. | lulasclan.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

The concept for the Louis Vuitton S/S ’27 Men’s Collection and its hyper-sensorial setting was conceived by Men’s Creative Director Pharrell Williams, who wanted to draw on the parallels between the distinctive dress codes shaped by the coast and the dandy at the heart of the House.

For the show, the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris was transformed into a beach with a giant cascading wave at its centre – an emblem of the equilibrium that unites the surfing community and the world it navigates. The wave, which was roughly 8 metres high and over 37 metres wide, featured real water provided by Eau de Paris. Models emerged from the centre of the barrel to walk a runway covered in fine beach sand.

The garments featured hand-spun textures and sea-centric embellishments – all infused with the bohemian spirit of surf culture. Here, technical wetsuits enter into an exchange with performance-infused tailoring fabrics. With their timeworn, weathered and mended characteristics, the archetypes and materials of the surfer’s everyday wardrobe were conveyed through the artisanal alchemy of the House.

Louis Vuitton’s overarching sustainability strategy was also seamlessly woven into the narrative of the collection and its scenography. The water flowing over the tidal wave was released into the city’s sewer system post-show, while the sand used to immerse guests in the surf setting was repurposed for beach volleyball on the university campus. The wooden seating at the show was salvaged from previous Louis Vuitton show sets, including those from the A/W ’26 Drophaus Collection.

As a core component of its “Regeneration 2030” sustainability roadmap, Louis Vuitton has partnered with Coral Gardeners – a non-profit organisation dedicated to coral reef restoration. The collaboration focuses specifically on reef restoration efforts in French Polynesia. | eu.louisvuitton.com

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The launch of THIRTEENONUP marks another milestone for Blok, returning to Green Point for the first time in a decade and further expanding their portfolio across Green Point, Sea Point and the City Bowl.

Here life settles into a gentle rhythm between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain National Park. Each day unfolds in layers of calm, connection and simplicity.

Located at 13 Upper Portswood Road, Blok’s new five-storey building comprises 52 homes:

• 11 Studio apartments.
• 20 One-bedroom apartments.
• 2 One-bedroom Garden apartments.
• 10 Two-bedroom apartments.
• 3 Two-bedroom Garden apartments.
• 2 Three-bedroom apartments.
• 2 Three-bedroom Garden Villa apartments.
• 2 Penthouses.

THIRTEENONUP is a short walk from Green Point Park, Cape Town Stadium, the Sea Point Promenade and the V&A Waterfront – a location that reflects Blok’s focus on walkable, well-connected neighbourhoods.

Beyond the investment proof point, Green Point has matured into one of the Atlantic Seaboard’s more family-friendly addresses. Tree-lined streets, the green expanse of Green Point Park, a weekly parkrun, the urban park and biodiversity garden, and a genuinely walkable high street put schools, grocers, cafés and the coastline within easy reach – the kind of day-to-day convenience that increasingly draws permanent residents, not only holiday-home buyers and investors.

“Green Point is one of those neighbourhoods that works on every level, it’s a strong investment node, but it’s also somewhere people genuinely want to live and raise a family,” says CEO of Blok, Jacques van Embden. “THIRTEENONUP is our 22^nd development, and it reflects our years of building for that balance between everyday convenience and long-term value.”

Apartment living isn’t flat living.

Beyond an apartment’s four walls, THIRTEENONUP features an atrium and vertical garden that welcomes you as you enter the building, along with suspended walkways, sculpted stairs and shared garden spaces throughout. A decadent pool deck and engaging children’s play area add substance to the amenities.

Materiality and light shape the living experience. Warm wood, stone, textured walls, black metal and terracotta details, along with soft, integrated lighting, enhance atmosphere and flow. Homes are thoughtfully designed with functional joinery. Larger apartments feature gardens, and the living spaces are simple yet layered.

Other key features include:

• Air-conditioning included in all apartments.
• A parking bay is included in One-bedroom and Two-bedroom apartments, and two parking bays included with Three-bedroom apartments and the Penthouses.
• Elevated lifestyle pool deck and children’s play area.
• Pet-friendly apartments.
• Concierge, building manager and 24-hour on-site security.
• A walkable location with cafés, restaurants and convenience right on the doorstep.

Location. Life. Live. 

Here, morning light and the fresh Atlantic Ocean breeze filter through your window. Spaces are designed to feel calm, offering a sense of retreat while still living near day-to-day convenience.

Surrounded by parks, cafés, grocery stores and the coastline, everything is within walking distance – from morning coffee dates to evening strolls – and nothing feels rushed. It’s considered. Everything you need is just a few steps away.

With apartments starting from R2 895 000, THIRTEENONUP reflects a quieter evolution of urban living – ideal for those seeking a family-friendly lifestyle and those looking for permanence in the city.

More layers will be revealed on Wednesday, 8 July. For more information, visit thirteenonup.co.za.

If you would like to invest in a THIRTEENONUP apartment, get in touch – contact Blok via email at sales@blok.co.za or call +27 66 186 1658

About Blok

Blok is a Cape Town residential property developer, building award-winning and industry-leading, intuitively designed urban apartments along the Atlantic Seaboard and in Cape Town’s city centre.

With over a decade of experience and 21 successful developments to their name, Blok has built a reputation for design-led apartments and thoughtfully integrated spaces intended to enhance city life, creating not just a home, but a place to belong, connect and thrive.

Blok delivers urban living in a contemporary and innovative way – a chance to rediscover the neighbourhood, and yourself.

The post Welcome to Layered Living appeared first on Visi.

COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Jamie Navarro and Fabian Martínez, Adam Letch, Mads Morgensen, Paris Brummer, Jaime Navarro

Touching on the leafy theme in VISI issue #144 and our trends guru Chris Reid’s deep-dive into Eco-Brutalism on page 76, these spaces from the VISI archives all marry rampant greenery with raw concrete. The hard edges of these homes and hotels aren’t softened with paint or embellishments, but with plants.

Puerto Escondido Hotel

“Hotel Terrestre is embedded in the landscape, as if it has been there for hundreds of years,” says architect Alberto Kalach of his otherworldly masterpiece, 25 kilometres northwest of resort town Puerto Escondido in the state of Oaxaca. Alberto knows a thing or two about this area. It may be a half-day’s drive from his Mexico City studio, Taller de Arquitectura X, but the pristine coastline famed for its surf is already home to a handful of his projects. So when approached by Carlos Couturier, co-founder of Mexican boutique hotel group Grupo Habita, to design a multi-sensorial property that redefines sustainable tourism, he jumped at the opportunity.

His environmentally sensitive approach to architecture has shaped several structures in the area, including Hotel Escondido and the award-winning restaurant Kakurega Omakase. These buildings hold their own in a landscape populated by hotspots like Casa Wabi, a retreat by starchitect Tadao Ando, and a permanent outdoor installation by artist Bosco Sodi.

Read the full feature on this Puerto Escondido Hotel.

Lanseria Eco-estate Home

“The site, sun and climate were integral to the design process and we drew inspiration from these elements,” says Enrico Daffonchio, who together with Leigh Maurtin designed the home with extensive input from the owners Lukas and Wendy van Niekerk.

The team were very familiar with the ecological guidelines of the estate as Daffonchio Architects had helped draft them. All of the properties are single storey, cut into the ground to minimise the impact on the horizon: The house is sunk to account for the natural ground level and slope of the estate, so each property has a view over the one in front of them.

This home, which is designed as a set of pavilions with deep overhangs, separated by a series of courtyards and green fingers that act as sheltered outdoor living spaces, is further camouflaged from its neighbours thanks to its roof gardens. The entire footprint is covered in native vegetation so that the boundary between the house and surrounding grasslands is almost indiscernible from above.

Read the full feature on this Lanseria Eco-estate Home.

Chilean House

It’s a house, but only in the broadest definition of the term, says co-owner Sofia von Ellrichshausen of this structure in the foothills of the Andes mountains in central Chile. She and fellow architect and artist Mauricio Pezo have been sharing their academic and artistic lives for the past two decades, and together head up the internationally renowned art and architecture studio Pezo von Ellrichshausen.

The couple built their new home in a secluded area surrounded by forest and freshwater channelled through small streams that come down from the mountains. Impressively big, it manages not to impose on its surroundings. “We call it a house, and it is our private home – but we also consider it a cultural centre, as it is meant for more than domestic use. It is a place for our creative expression, and ideally, it will live on beyond our lifetime to become a creative space for other humanist and creative people,” says Sofia.

Read the full feature on this Chilean House.

Waterkloof Ridge House

“A friend once said to us, ‘You don’t ever choose the easy way, do you?’” say Ryk and Irma Coetzee, the owners of this hillside home in Waterkloof Ridge in Pretoria. But then, as the saying goes, nothing good comes easy.

Ryk and Irma bought their house – built in the late 1970s and empty for some time, “with no kitchen, horrific plumbing and uncertain electrical wiring” – with the intention to renovate it. What captured their imagination was the spectacular view, say their architects, Grete Van As and Johan Wentzel of W Design Architecture Studio. The house is perched on the steep, rocky slopes of a ridge, with the ground dropping away dramatically below it; and despite its suburban setting, it felt wild and untouched.

“We semi-renovated it just enough to make it liveable,” say Ryk and Irma. Then, they lived there for five years before deciding on a more substantial renovation that would ultimately transform the entire hillside site. They wanted to make the most of the view while preserving the original flow of the house. They were anxious that it should “retain the magic”, but they were also drawn to the notion of a suburban farmhouse. They were already halfway there, having arrived with a menagerie of cats, dogs, rabbits and geese. Their wish list included vegetable gardens, an olive grove and a greenhouse.

Read the full feature on this Waterkloof Ridge house.

Casa TO in Mexico

The port of Puerto Escondido is an escape. Travellers from all over the world retreat to its golden beaches and waves, to walk, meditate and help release turtles in local sanctuaries.

On the southern tip of town, Casa TO has added an element of thoughtful luxury to this tiny utopia. Completed in August 2022, the hotel was designed by renowned architect Ludwig Godefroy. Working to a very succinct brief of “nine rooms, and lots of freedom”, he and his team have married tradition and the avant-garde in a unique structure, surrounded by a tranquil natural setting.

Made largely of concrete, the materiality of the build was of the utmost importance to Ludwig. “My search for simplicity has led me to create clean and abstract architecture, composed exclusively of mass materials such as concrete, wood and stone. All these materials look better under the action of time,” he says.

Casa TO takes inspiration from myriad sources, including Oaxacan temples, where enclosed spaces create a sensory experience. There’s also a nod to the reticulated pattern of two historical hydraulic works: the 6th-century Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, and the Hornsey Wood Reservoir in Finsbury Park, London, built in the late 1800s. In relation to these references, Ludwig says that his “architecture is willing to get rid of the unnecessary, to concentrate on the very essence of the structure of the building, offering a contemporary reinterpretation”.

Read the full feature on Casa TO.

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WORDS Graham Wood PRODUCTION Klara van Wyngaard PHOTOS Sarah de Pina

This weekend getaway, a short drive from Dullstroom in Mpumalanga’s eastern highlands, is an exercise in the alchemy of subtraction. If you get it right, you reach a magical point at which taking away unnecessary design elements results in something greater than the sum of its parts. Less becomes more.

In Walkersons Estate, Chris and Cáreli Leach’s cottage overlooks one of the trout dams, peeping through a row of oak trees as the grassland slopes gently to the water’s edge. Houses in the estate are tightly clustered into small “villages”, each with a distinct architectural theme. This one follows a local vernacular veranda-style design, which specifies a combination of stone, pitched corrugated iron roofing, face brick and plaster.

The Leaches called on Johan Wentzel and Grete van As of W Design Architecture Studio (WDAS), who had renovated a previous home of theirs, and had designed another house on the estate. “They already know us, and what we like,” says Cáreli.

The historical references in the architectural guidelines were not unwelcome to Johan and Grete. In their work, they often aim to harness a quality they refer to as “the familiarity of the new” – where they reach back and reprise often- forgotten but successful aspects of traditional architecture even in their forward-looking designs. The result is a comforting and reassuring quality, and a sense that the designs belong – in the lives of their inhabitants, and in their architectural context.

For Mpumalanga, Johan notes, simple industrial materials like corrugated iron and whatever came to hand – such as the local stone from the rocky hills around Dullstroom – work as well now as they did during the gold rush 150 years ago. In this case, they’re put into the service of an escape from the everyday; something refreshing and restorative.

Given the countryside setting, Grete and Johan’s inspiration came from a traditional farmstead or werf, where buildings are clustered around yards, creating outdoor areas that are almost like rooms themselves. If there are walls, they are low. The werf dissolves into the landscape around it. “Remember those art-class exercises where you had to draw the negative spaces? This design is all about the negative spaces, the in-betweens,” says Grete.

Rather than a house surrounded by an apron of land, Johan and Grete’s design “takes the buildings to the edge” and creates an open central space, where the Leaches have an outdoor dining table. The main section facing the dam – housing the kitchen, dining and living areas, plus two bedrooms and a loft – is a light, linear design. Glass doors on either side make it possible to see from the courtyard right through the living areas to a framed view of the oak trees and dam beyond.

Separate, symmetrically placed solid-stone guest rooms and a barn-style corrugated-iron-clad garage hug the central courtyard, making it feel secure and well-defined, but not contained. “It doesn’t really feel like it has neighbours,” says Cáreli. “Yet it has its own special, uninterrupted views.”

Usually, explains Grete, the kitchen is considered “the heart” of the home. “In this case, the courtyard with the table is the heart,” she says. With the house in effect becoming the stoep or veranda, the Leaches even placed the braai in the kitchen (which is smart, given the rainy spells in Mpumalanga). “When I’m in the kitchen and Chris is next to me at the braai, we can actually have a conversation!” says Cáreli.

Chris and the boys have taken to tying fl ies, which they do here, too, creating another communal space – just as a stoep should. It’s the kind of space where “You put your feet up, and watch TV or the fire or the rain outside,” says Cáreli. A little boma area in front has become one of her favourite spots, from which she can watch the others fishing down at the dam.

While Chris managed the project with precision and attention to detail, Cáreli was responsible for the interiors, bringing the outdoors in just as the architecture takes the indoors out. “We wanted to do something warm,” she says. Textured terracotta-concrete tiles add a sense of the handcrafted and imperfect. “But they bring warmth to the space,” she adds. “We just wanted furnishings that are comfortable and easy; a space that’s easy to be around.”

The couple mention the word “freedom” often. The simplicity, openness and ease of the space is a release and an “escape” (another word that comes up often). “That’s what you expect when you take a break,” says Johan. | wdas.co.za

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