Join architect Joshua Montile as he heads to the land of sun, sea and sexy architecture, continuing our series on South Africa’s most iconic buildings. This time, Durban’s marvellous Mid-century Netherlands Bank is the focus.

Tucked away in the heart of the Durban CBD, a stone’s throw from City Hall and dwarfed by its imposing neighbours, rests an architectural masterpiece by one of South Africa’s most celebrated and revered architects. I first stumbled across the Netherlands Bank building as an architecture student in my second year of studies (the true puberty phase of architectural education). “Stumbled” is the correct word, as the four-storey building is easily lost among its soaring Smith Street surroundings. I stood across the street, watching people steal a moment from the hustle and bustle, at peace among the trees and bubbling fountains around its base. That moment left an indelible impression, and as I learnt more about the building and its legendary designer Norman Eaton, my fascination only grew.

Building Society

The Netherlands Bank building is simple to describe at first glance: a delicate rectangular glass box, draped in a gravity-defying screen of glazed ceramic bricks, and crowned by a lush roof garden. However, the seemingly straightforward appearance belies a level of detail and complexity made possible only by the most skilled and gifted of architects. Born in Pretoria in 1902, Norman Eaton was an architect of immense artistic talent, singular vision and intense idealism (picture the protagonist of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead). His work synthesised characteristics of modernism with regionalism, and as described by the late South African painter Alexis Preller, “Certain words were constantly on his lips… delicate, simple, sensitive and individual.” Evident throughout Eaton’s work was a deep appreciation for African design, and the inspiration contained in the architecture, objects and natural beauty to be found across the continent.

After the successful completion of the Netherlands Bank building in Pretoria in 1953, Eaton’s services were again called upon in 1961 to design a new building for the bank in Durban – “Something of great quality… A contribution to bank architecture.” The aim was to create an enduring symbol of prestige that would in time become synonymous with the identity of the bank. Initially conceptualised as a 15-storey office block, the scope was later reduced to a low cubic structure comprising a parking basement, the banking hall, two levels of offices and a roof garden. Raised upon a podium of off-white travertine and set back five metres from Smith Street, the trees and fountains around the entrance give welcome relief from the harsh surrounding environment. The respected architectural academic Barrie Biermann described it poetically as “a broad white plinth on which willows weep and fountains laugh, and the spirit of Omar Khayyam walks between the hot lung-cancer fumes of Smith Street and the icy gaze of tellers in their air-conditioned banking hall”.

Designing for Durbs and Birds

A key aspect of the brief was to create an open, flexible internal space uninterrupted by columns. To achieve this, Eaton created a “structural floor” of immense reinforced concrete beams spanning between a series of piers. The mezzanine and office levels were then suspended from the structural floor using high tensile steel, creating a hall below entirely free of any columns. In layman’s terms, the interior of the building quite literally hangs from the underside of the roof garden, and the resulting double- volume space is impressive and airy, filled with dappled light that filters in through the external solar screen.

The screen itself hangs like a curtain around the exterior and comprises specially manufactured hollow clay blocks, finished in an impervious ceramic glaze of mottled greens and browns typically associated with weathered copper. So great was his attention to detail that, when determining the size of the blocks, Eaton even consulted an ornithologist to ensure the openings were smaller than the turning circle of an Indian myna! Aesthetically, this delicate and graceful screen is without a doubt the defining element
of the building, but functionally it also represents Eaton’s consideration for regional factors such as climate. Shading the glazed facade from the direct intensity of the sun creates a naturally well-lit interior while simultaneously reducing the load on the building’s air-conditioning system, even on the hottest of Durban days.

In typical Norman Eaton fashion, the building is replete with gorgeous, singular details. From the patterns in the brick paving to the carved marble water features and coved travertine edge detail, every aspect has been considered and attentively crafted. As Professor AL Meiring wrote in Eaton’s obituary, “He stood head and shoulders above the body of architects in our country in two respects. The first was his ability to give each of his buildings its own distinctive character, painstakingly but beautifully developed. The second was his use of materials (which for him) were living things, to be dealt with as a composer does with the various instruments making up an orchestra.”

A Setback that Still Stands

At the time of the building’s completion in 1962, and among some public confusion regarding its setback from the street, the bank felt compelled to write the following in its publication: “As the bushes and trees mature… the success of the venture will be apparent. People will take pleasure in our ‘wasteful setback’, and will no longer ask, ‘What have fountains to do with banking?’ Those who do their banking with us will feel privileged to enter this oasis in Smith Street.” Although the depth of conviction regarding this at the time is unclear, the bank’s commitment to Eaton’s concept proved correct, and was an early step towards a more human-centred urban architecture in South Africa. While many of the surrounding buildings have decayed over the decades, the Netherlands Bank stands in stark contrast. Voted “Durban’s Best Building” in 2014 by the architects of KZN, it is considered by many to be Eaton’s finest work, and an invaluable contribution to South African architecture. It also proved to be Eaton’s final work of significance due to his sudden passing in a car accident four years after its completion.

Despite its age, it embodies characteristics of design that we consider critical to architecture today: the honest use of enduring materials, its response to the demanding Durban climate, the soft treatment of the street edge, and the uncompromising consideration for the comfort and enjoyment of the people that would inhabit it.

Perhaps the most important quality of great architecture is its ability to span time, allowing us to connect the past and the present, and thereby inspire an exhilaration and eagerness for the future. Beginning in 2020, the building became the home of the Durban Chambers Club, a prestigious members’ club in the heart of the professional quarter. By day, it provided dining, conference and meeting facilities for members, while at night and on weekends, it was open to the public. The revitalised roof garden of aloes and quinine trees played host to glamorously dressed people dining and sipping cocktails, while noise from the city below filtered upwards into the warm night sky. For a brief period, it felt as though Eaton’s final vision for the Netherlands Bank building had been realised, offering a beautiful glimpse of what a rejuvenated Durban can someday become. At the moment, the building is in good shape but only partially occupied and operational, which is a little sad. With any luck, a great new tenant who’ll love it as much as fans of good design do is just over the horizon.

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.

The post Building an Icon: Netherlands Bank appeared first on Visi.

With 2024 around the corner, we’ve decided to round up some of the most-read features on VISI this year. From luxe retreats to ultra modern beach houses, here’s a look at your top 15 favourite spaces of 2023 (and checkout our faves from 2022 and 2021, too).

Pringle Bay Home

As in most coastal locations, the ever-changing weather governs most activity here. When the VISI team visited to photograph this Pringle Bay house, our shoot began in peaceful sunshine at low tide, with the sea calm, and breathtakingly clear visibility right across False Bay. Then, as the tide came in and waves began crashing onto the rocks, a rainstorm crossed the bay, washing the crisp vista clean away and instead creating a dramatic, moody outlook.

Accordingly, this home is designed to suit all of these possibilities: it’s equipped with everything that might be required for indoor cocooning, as well as a glazed sea-facing facade that maximises the views no matter the weather conditions. The north-facing glass facade also opens up onto a generous deck, with a new all-natural swimming pool – built in a location-appropriate, raised “plaasdam” style – in the foreground.

Read the full story, here.

Yzerfontein Oceanfront Home

The barn was supposed to be a greenhouse. Located next to homeowners Jochem and Evi Elsner’s primary residence in Yzerfontein, the initial idea was to construct Evi’s dream of a next-door greenhouse, veggie garden and chicken coop alongside their home. “When the plot became available, we immediately thought, ‘Let’s buy it and build, before someone else does, and builds something ugly next door to us’,” says Evi.

Originally from Germany but having lived in South Africa for more than 20 years, Jochem and Evi’s prior address was in Somerset West. “We loved living there, but over the years it became too busy and built up,” Evi explains. “About seven years ago, we decided we wanted to move somewhere else, and Yzerfontein was the place to be. We had it on good authority from friends, and from the many photographers we know, that it was an idyllic location – beautiful and uncrowded. We visited the area and were sold immediately.”

Read the full story, here.

Scarborough Home

As the owners and founders of hope distillery, one of the first small-batch distillers of craft gin in South Africa, Leigh Lisk and Lucy Beard had grown tired of living on-site at their distillery in Cape Town, and wanted a bolthole to which they could escape every weekend. “Both Leigh and I are keen cyclists and runners who love the outdoors, and so the natural beauty of Scarborough and its proximity to the city made it an obvious choice for us,” says Lucy.

Initially, they had bought an old, abandoned tennis court in the coastal village with a view to building on that, but the prospect of a two-year brick-and-mortar build saw them buy an old one-bedroom, prefab home in the village as a stopgap. “We initially saw it as an interim house that would allow us to stay in Scarborough while overseeing the build – but we ended up loving the house so much that it has become our home.”

Read the full story, here.

Benoni House

Compact and low-maintenance were two keywords in the brief to architect Andrew Payne before design began on this project. The owners – a South African couple of Greek origin with two young children – were looking to downscale from the expansive home they’d been living in. “The owners were tired of being slaves to their home; it required a lot of upkeep, and they realised that they mostly only spent time in a third of it,” says Andrew, founder and managing director of Drew Architects. “They wanted something more suited to their needs as a family and, most importantly, a place they would not need to spend much time and money maintaining.”

Having found an acre of land in Greenfields, which they then sub-divided, the couple initially contacted Miguel Simoes of Vestim Construction, the contractor on their previous home, and asked him to be part of the project. Miguel’s only condition was that he got to handpick the architects, which is when he got in touch with Drew Architects.

Read the full story, here.

Sea Point Apartments

Situated in the middle of Fresnaye and the Sea Point Promenade, and wedged between a combination of dated flats, same- same modern apartment blocks and an excess of commercial entities, is The Flamingo. As with all structures designed by architects extraordinaire Robert Silke & Partners, nothing about this building is ordinary. Known for his love of Art Deco, Modernism and PoMo, Robert refers to The Flamingo’s aesthetic as “Bauhaus on heat”. Unlike the uninspired steel-and-glass high-rises infiltrating Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard and CBD, The Flamingo – similar to the architecture studio’s Tuynhuys apartments in the city centre and Anew Hotel in Green Point – is a breath of fresh air, with curved white walls, black accents and a spectacular glass-bricked eight-floor stairwell that makes you want to up your step count rather than take the soundless and speedy lift.

Commissioned by Signatura, with whom Robert has worked before, the brief was to create something compact and fun. “They came to us because they’re familiar with our work, and they knew we would give them something completely different from what is generally built in this area,” he says. “The development’s main goal was to be able to offer modern, exciting, fully self-catering micro-apartments, predominantly for holiday rentals and the Airbnb market.”

Read the full story, here.

Kenilworth House

You know, I counted every single brick in this house,” says architect Adèle Naudé Santos, smiling, as she stands looking around the main bedroom of the first house she ever designed – a solid Modernist four-bedroomer completed in 1967 and situated in a narrow, leafy avenue in Cape Town’s Kenilworth.

She may not actually be joking. Their modular layout, visible through the unplastered whitewashed walls, means you could conceivably measure the dimensions of the house brick by brick. US-based Adèle may now be a world-renowned architect, but back then she was just starting her career, and this was her first-ever build. And as if the stakes weren’t high enough, the client was her father, the late architect Hugo Naudé.

“My father didn’t want me to become an architect because he didn’t believe it was a woman’s profession,” says Adèle. “When I graduated top of my class in my third year at UCT, he told me it was time to move on – so I went to London to complete my degree at the Architectural Association.

Read the full story, here.

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 work, but regularly trawling property websites in the hopes of finding a home in Scarborough. “It was quite a revelation that, although living here wasn’t necessarily what I had envisaged for myself, it was what I desperately craved.” So when this house came up for sale, her family were sent to check it out. “I remember my sister sending me a video that she took outside the back kitchen door,” says Nicole with a smile. “Hearing the cicadas and the sound of the ocean made me incredibly emotional; it was like a homecoming. Just like that, it was a done deal – I literally bought it unseen.”

Read the full story, here.

Fish Hoek House

As many couples did during the pandemic, Lauren Shantall and her husband Derek Eyden re-evaluated their lifestyle. To beat the claustrophobia of their new work-from-home regimen, Lauren, who runs her own PR company, and musician Derek would regularly pile into the car with their 13-year-old son Daniel, and make the trek from Rosebank in the heart of Cape Town’s suburbia to the Deep South – the colloquial name used for the slack-paced string of suburbs that hug the Cape Peninsula’s coastline. “We were waking up three, four times a week to go for sunrise swims,” says Lauren. “Covid meant that I suddenly lost 40% of my business – but it also meant that I could work from anywhere. We realised we could minimise our petrol bill and just move to live next to the ocean!”

The Mid-century Prairie-style house the couple ended up buying in Fish Hoek wasn’t exactly their architectural dream, but its lofty location against the mountain, with a view of both the Atlantic and Indian oceans, was. “It was one of those 1960s box houses, where you open the front door and walk into a rectangle,” says Lauren. “Derek and I knew roughly what we wanted to do. We measured the space, made little scale drawings and cut out pieces of furniture that we’d move around, trying endless configurations.”

Read the full story, here.

Forest Town House

The Colemans are not your average suburbanites – although chatting to the humble Audrey Coleman, now 90, you wouldn’t guess it. She and her late husband, Max, were active human-rights advocates during the apartheid years, both working for the Detainees’ Parents Support Committee, with Audrey also a long-standing and celebrated member of the legendary human- rights organisation, Black Sash.

House Coleman has major cred too. Built in the early 1980s, it’s a masterpiece of clean lines and geometric shapes and, though tailor-made to be its owners’ retirement home, it’s also a piece of South African design history. “Our son Colin was a student at Wits University and insisted that Pancho Guedes was the only person for the job,” says Audrey of their choice of architect.

Amâncio d’Alpoim Miranda “Pancho” Guedes was a famed architect, artist and educator, and head of the school of architecture at Wits. Born in Portugal, he spent most of his life in Mozambique. It’s difficult to sum up such an important figure in African Modernist architecture, but there is no doubt he pushed boundaries. Known for his sculptural and well-thought-out buildings, Guedes was inspired by surrealism, African art and Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, whose work motivated him to experiment, as well as by pioneers of Modernism in Brazil, like Affonso Reidy and Oscar Niemeyer.

Read the full story, here.

Paarl House

You’d be forgiven for inferring that the domed column that punctuates Pine Concrete House pays poetic tribute to Paarl Rock, the gigantic granite outcrop looming in its background. “You’ll have to talk to my dad about the metaphors of this house,” says a smiling Johannes Berry, who co-founded Brussels-based architectural firm Sugiberry with his wife Mayu Takasugi in 2016.

Fortuitous as the architectural echo is, the concrete-and-wood residence’s design was informed by a set of logical principles that Johannes and Mayu work according to,rather than any visual reference.“We like to consider the potential in what already exists,” he explains. In the case of Pine Concrete House, what existed was the double-storey home of Johannes’s parents, Roland and Elmine. “The initial brief from them was to build a double garage – but like most projects, it grew,” says Johannes. “They’re getting older, and because of the size of their house, we proposed renovating it so it could ultimately be split into three self-contained parts – a top half, a bottom half and an extension – so they’d still be able to live there, but rent out the two other spaces.”

Read the full story, here.

Monaghan Farm House

This house in Monaghan Farm in Lanseria, on a beautiful spot overlooking a bend in the Jukskei River, began with a bold, Brutalist architectural idea – but the result is an incredibly subtle, sensitive response to its setting. The owners, Wendy and Lukas van Niekerk wanted a home made entirely of steel and raw, exposed concrete, and this spectacular plot of land offered them the chance to build from scratch. Lukas, an engineer, is a huge fan of the work of 20th-century Italian architect Carlo Scarpa, who is famous for his sensitive use of concrete as well as experiments with concrete and steel – and the Van Niekerks’ architect, Enrico Daffonchio, went to school in Scarpa’s hometown of Venice in Italy. The fates had aligned.

Despite what Enrico refers to as its “strong architectural language”, the house they designed together is nestled into the landscape and, when viewed from higher up the hill, is practically invisible (helped by the green roofs planted with endemic grasses to recreate the landscape it’s built on). It is, quite literally, sunken into the landscape to keep its presence unobtrusive.

Read the full story, here.

Parkview House

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 at irregular spacings” as one account on architectural heritage database Artefacts describes it. It also mentions that their designs “tend towards the picturesque” – an approach that emphasises not just formal beauty but also a sense of the sublime.

Read the full story, here.

Modernist Durban Home

On first encounter, House Shaw is brutally simple: a series of three-dimensional boxes, positioned beside and on top of one another on a long, triangular site cut into one of the steep slopes that characterise Durban’s forested university suburb. It is made of face brick, concrete, louvre windows, shutters and a bit of aluminium; no need for paint, wallpaper, air conditioning – not even curtains.

The house belongs to Colleen Wygers, who lived here with her late husband, fellow architect Paul Wygers. Sadly, Paul passed away shortly after we photographed the house; with Colleen’s permission, we’ve included his observations from that interview.

Paul liked to describe the home as Modernism morphing the heritage Durban veranda home – and, when it went onto the market in 2013, the couple bought it within hours of their first viewing. Designed by Hallen and Dibb Architects in the 1960s, it had been commissioned by legal luminary Douglas Shaw. “Douglas Shaw was sitting in an Eames chair in the lounge,” recalled Paul. “We chatted briefly about art and architecture. I don’t think he wanted to leave.”

Read the full story, here.

Bo-Kaap House

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 other looking out onto Carisbrook Street, and the Bo-Kaap and CBD beyond it.

“Our clients, Fred Durow and Ben Schoeman, are city planners, and bought the property with the idea of creating a double dwelling and work-from-home opportunity, as well as the option to generate rental income,” says Antony Abate, director at Team Architects. “We wanted to maximise the site’s potential, while being true to our ethics and beliefs in terms of urban design, contextual fit, scale and interaction with the streets,” adds Fred.

Read the full story, here.

Tulbagh House

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 afterwards, the house was a museum dedicated to his life and work.

“A friend of Christo’s took us around and told us stories about each artwork. Everything I took in that day stayed with me,” says Abigail – and it wasn’t long before she came back. This time, she’d had an idea: she wanted to turn the house into a retreat of sorts; a place where, as she puts it, “you can let go and connect with how you really feel”. Later, her vision came to include a yoga studio in the old monastery building (which had once served as Coetzee’s studio).

Red the full story, here.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

The post VISI’s Top Architectural Features of 2023 appeared first on Visi.

With purity of form, nude concrete and bald brickwork, this Hans Hallen masterpiece tempers the climate, requires minimal maintenance, and has gifted its owners with fuel for inventiveness.

On first encounter, House Shaw is brutally simple: a series of three-dimensional boxes, positioned beside and on top of one another on a long, triangular site cut into one of the steep slopes that characterise Durban’s forested university suburb. It is made of face brick, concrete, louvre windows, shutters and a bit of aluminium; no need for paint, wallpaper, air conditioning – not even curtains.

The house belongs to Colleen Wygers, who lived here with her late husband, fellow architect Paul Wygers. Sadly, Paul passed away shortly after we photographed the house; with Colleen’s permission, we’ve included his observations from that interview.

Paul liked to describe the home as Modernism morphing the heritage Durban veranda home – and, when it went onto the market in 2013, the couple bought it within hours of their first viewing. Designed by Hallen and Dibb Architects in the 1960s, it had been commissioned by legal luminary Douglas Shaw. “Douglas Shaw was sitting in an Eames chair in the lounge,” recalled Paul. “We chatted briefly about art and architecture. I don’t think he wanted to leave.”

“Along with minimal maintenance, the prevailing specification back then was definitely separation,” says Colleen. “The adults lived on the top level; the five kids on the bottom. Downstairs, the bunk beds were built into triangular dormitories; there was a playroom and an escape route up to the pool – so generations need not bother one another.” Now the levels nicely separate the workspace from leisure. Along with their careers in architecture, Paul and Colleen also started a design studio that recently launched an innovative flat-pack lighting collection (read about it here) exploring the colour theories of artist and Bauhaus luminary Josef Albers. Colleen continues to run Round Studios.

“For me, this place is Hans Hallen thinking about Modernism, thinking about the site and about how his friend Douglas needed to inhabit it,” said Paul. “He is thinking about the Greek village he had just visited, his experience working on the Ocean Terminal in the Durban harbour with Polish architect and artist Janusz

Warunkiewicz. Hallen’s Scandinavian design heritage comes through too. It is not just what he had been taught or what he had been practising over the years or his thoughts on Le Corbusier. This house has so many design influences, and it is a very apt response to a very particular setting.”

Like all great modern art, it is the attention paid to detail that allows the beauty of the form to shine through. Without plaster to hide imperfections, a house made of brick and concrete must be precise to the millimetre. Electric lights must be cast in (not a cord or a pipe in sight) and skylights must be positioned to light up dark places from the start – there is even one above the built-in shoe cupboard.

“It took us years to understand the artistry of this house,” recalled Paul. “Details go unnoticed – despite us architects always looking for them – until perhaps the hundredth time you open a window, and then you understand what Hallen was trying to do. No line is perchance. Everything is thoughtful and careful. There isn’t a chunky doorframe in sight. The handles are handmade, as are the gates and the windows. What inspires me most is the way Hallen took ordinary off-the-shelf materials, experimented with them, and then made them into something bespoke and beautiful.”

On a practical level, using standard materials means not only that the building was cost-effective to build, and low-maintenance, but that the weightiness of the brick and concrete tempers the climate. “To live here is to live in complete comfort,” says Colleen. “In summer it is cool because the mass of the building acts as a heat sink, and its central positioning on the plot integrates the shady forest outside, which grows over us.”

For Paul, who spent his career working on large-scale architecture and urban design projects, being back in Durban was coming full circle. “It is like a 25-year round trip back to where I first began learning about architecture,” he said. “My work is influenced by all the places I’ve visited and lived in. Sharing this building with Colleen inspires us to continue pursuing our passion for creating and making things.”

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

The post Modernist Durban Home appeared first on Visi.

The award-winning Dukkah Restaurant & Bar on Florida Road in Durban, designed by Koop Design, is a play on the relationship between street and restaurant, and public and private space.

In South Africa, our cities don’t offer the experience of walking through narrow, cobbled streets of the “old city”, and suddenly finding yourself in a little square surrounded by restaurants and overlooked by balconies – that perfect intersection where commercial and public spaces meet. Nevertheless, that was the idea architect Richard Stretton of Koop Design had in mind when he designed Dukkah Restaurant & Bar on a corner of Florida Road in Durban. His task involved converting an old house into an upmarket restaurant, and he received a 2021 SAIA- KZN Award for Architecture for the project.

Given Dukkah’s location just south of the vibrant “Bohemian quarter”, as Richard calls it, the architectural interventions had to create something of a landmark and activate its section of the street, uplifting the area around it.

In the absence of a town square, Richard also had another kind of “civic structure” in mind that might work similarly: something more like old opera houses with grand internal spaces. They were as much theatre venues as spaces for a kind of public theatre of life to play out, activity spilling out onto the streets around them.

On a much more modest scale, he decided to try to fold this old-fashioned idea of the relationship between public and private areas into a modern restaurant, and his solution is more about clever and insightful use of space, scale and proportion than faux finishes. He took the 12-metre-wide stretch between the existing house and the pavement, where there was once a garden and a swimming pool, and turned it into a fantastic in-between space. His idea was to get the extension as close to the street as he could while creating an internal courtyard lined with a timber colonnade. It’s as if the street “flows into” an enclosed garden.

This courtyard, planted with trees, is in effect an extension of the street, and has a retractable roof that opens to the sky. It is bordered by a double-volume bar on one side and restaurant seating on the other. On the restaurant side, a mezzanine level looks down over the courtyard, a bit like one of the old balconies on the square Richard had in mind when he started. The formality of the colonnade and impact of the double volume give it the “civic scale” he refers to, even though its proportions respect the old buildings around it.

For the interiors, Richard has worked in a multitude of experiences – layers of “fully exposed, semi-exposed, slightly private and private” space, from the sidewalk and the double-volume bar to recessed booths and a private lounge upstairs. Other details that add to the richness of the experience include the polished slate flooring that leads inside, almost an extension of the sidewalk. And then there’s one of Richard’s favourite touches: the way the perforated Corten-steel screen that shades the courtyard from the morning sun doubles as signage for the restaurant. As he explains, by doubling up the screening and branding, by Michael Viljoen of Millhouse Design, it wasn’t necessary to “tack signage onto the building”. It’s a device with a “physical purpose” that gives the restaurant a strong presence and identity, but is also respectful of the experience of people on the street.

The approach to that screen neatly encapsulates the success of the whole design: economical and functional, but effective and even grand, inviting you in. It shows you that creating a successful “going out” venue has more to do with scale, proportion and the manipulation of space, and the relationship between public and private areas, than fancy finishes. It adds to the life of the city.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

The post Living Theatre: Dukkah Restaurant & Bar appeared first on Visi.

VISI chats to local artist Kylie Wentzel about her Angolan residency, plans for the future and her transition into colour use.

How did you get involved in art?

It was always just a part of life. My mom’s an artist and as children we were encouraged to busy ourselves with paint and paper… if we weren’t off trying to see how far into the neighbours’ house we could sneak without being caught.

What mediums do you use?

These days I mostly paint with acrylics on canvas.

I initially became really curious about lino when I discovered the works of some of the greats, like John Muafangejo and Azaria Mbatha, who were making powerful work at the Rorke’s Drift Art and Craft Centre in KZN throughout the 60s and so on. 

Lino has been a really strong and prolific method of communicating ideas and personal experiences in the history of South African art. I enjoy the contrast between this legacy and the fact that it can also be quite a humble art-making practice, with accessible and reusable materials, that it is often introduced to kids at school.

What is the process behind your pieces?

I’m not too bothered about sketches or prep work. As soon as something inspires me enough to make a new work, I need to get stuck into a canvas straight away. My work relies heavily on errors so it’s important that little is planned out beforehand. 

Where do you draw inspiration?

Passing faces, strangers’ stories, animals with a tale, love notes on public walls written with permanent marker, urban marks, undesirable objects – these are a few of the many things that stand out to me when I turn to the natural and constructed environments around me for inspiration. 

Colour or black and white?

For a long time I couldn’t touch colour. From the clothes I wore, to the photographs I took, to the other work I’d make – everything was totally void of colour. I think black and white will always feature somehow because it’s such a seductive combo, but my years of angsty expression are over and colour brings me much joy now.

Do you have a favourite piece and why?

I think the first proper painting I made when I transitioned from lino to painting is my favourite because of how pleasurable it was to see that influence morph into a loose, large-scale acrylic work. The painting is titled A LOVELY SETTING and it was made for a group show at the KZNSA Gallery in Durban. 

A LOVELY SETTING

Who do you admire locally in the art world?

I’m often singing fellow KZN artist Cameron Platter‘s praises because I think he’s an artistic genius. Another KZN artist who is killing it is Sphephelo Mnguni, his recent paintings are on another level. Also really enjoying JP Meyer‘s paintings, a lot!

Plans for the future?

Blessed to have an artist’s residency in Angola that I need to plan, and an upcoming solo show at Kalashnikovv Gallery in Joburg throughout the month of May. I’m also halfway through my pregnancy, which is going to make juggling everything ahead very interesting, but I have an incredibly hands-on and supportive partner and a beautiful community around me.

See more of Kylie’s work on Instagram, here.

The post Artists We Love: Kylie Wentzel appeared first on Visi.

New eatery 9th Avenue Waterside is housed in a redesigned A-frame building overlooking the Durban Yacht Mole.

The traditional tropes of maritime design are precisely what architect Kevin Boyd wanted to avoid when designing 9th Avenue Waterside. Originally built 25 years ago adjacent to the Royal Yacht Club, the building used to house a popular restaurant but has stood vacant for seven years, serving only as a shelter for the resident pigeons.

9th Avenue itself is not new to Durban, and owners Gina and Graham Neilson have built a solid following with their French-inspired menu and dedication to sustainability. Their location in Morningside meant their only view was of a parking lot, so when the opportunity to relocate came knocking, they didn’t hesitate.

The brief from the Neilsons centred on salvaging as much as possible. Kevin utilised the existing A-frame structure and painstakingly restored most of the aluminium, replacing the ceiling and changing the shape of the roof by adding a third pitch. The more time Kevin spent in the space, the more he realised that the bobbing of the yachts created a constant sense of motion, despite being on solid ground. This meant he had to maintain strong, linear frames to help keep things grounded.

Since the floor space is one long 50m strip, “We wanted this to feel like you were on board a superyacht,” says Kevin, who brought in a subtle, old-world maritime aesthetic, with brass railings and wine racks, plenty of timber and even a nostalgic brass tea trolley. And there is a stark functionality that one would expect from a yacht.

Undulating bathroom basins mimic the curvature of a sea vessel, and were fashioned by a carpenter who used to be in the business of building ships. Granite countertops mirror the hues of a moody sea, while rattan and teak furnishings commissioned in Bali, with Indonesian teak dining-room chairs, offer hints of island living – especially in the upstairs bar and coffee lounge, where oversized swings create a cocoon with a view. Timber ceiling fans were sourced from Knysna, Kevin’s “second home”. Distinctive disc-shaped brass lighting fixtures from Weylandts, hinting at secret treasure troves, complete the downstairs dining area.

“At least we now look onto a parking lot for yachts,” says Gina, laughing, of their new-look space, which could rival any French Riviera setting.

For more information, visit 9thavewaterside.co.za.

The post Cool Spaces: 9th Avenue Waterside appeared first on Visi.

A beachside home on Durban’s North Coast reinvents estate living, packing a visual punch with a new wave of coastal style and Malibu charm.

We’re all guilt of having done it. Invited into a seaside home, we bypass its entertainment areas, occasionally its hosts, making an immediate beeline for the outdoor spaces beyond, seeking the soul-soothing, sensory rewards they offer: sunshine glinting golden on the ocean’s surface, the chalky aroma of baked sand. So for the young Johannesburg family relocating to KwaZulu-Natal’s beachside Zimbali estate, largely occupied by holiday houses, a new home that broke with old coastal style conventions was essential.

Walls of glass fold open in the home’s bar and living spaces, encouraging seamless indoor-outdoor flow between the building’s seaside and courtyard garden, where striking repetition of timber screens adds drama.

Their house, through both its architecture and interior design, was to stand out and be as seductive as the ocean views it offered. Eager to upturn the architectural regulations imposed by the estate’s committee, the homeowners enlisted architect Sean Godfrey of Masterworx Architectural Design, insisting on a break from the pervasive Balinese resort-style. In search of an interior aesthetic more contemporary than their Bryanston home, the couple were inspired by their travels along America’s West Coast, and their appreciation of its relaxed yet tailored decorating. Recognising like minds, they appointed Durban design duo Kelsey Boyce and Bruce Fyfe of Fyfe Boyce.

“We are great admirers of American designer Jeffrey Alan Marks, who captures the same laid-back coastal feel that we like to inject into our projects, so we proposed to our client a Malibu feel with an African twist,” says Kelsey. Inviting the outdoors in was an obvious starting point. An edit of local and imported fabrics in natural tones and textures, richly layered for a luxurious effect, does just that, echoing the beach below. Throughout the house, the repetition of blues and whites mirrors views across the water, and metallic accents add Malibu glamour, while a combination of raw wood and tactile woven finishes firmly contextualises the home on African soil. A statement piece – and one of Kelsey’s favourite spaces – the custom-designed bar includes an oxidised copper base, the colours of which reference the lush vegetation. “Our interiors are intended to be lived in. We needed to create a home that is as comfortable as it is beautiful,” comments Bruce, adding, “We wanted the clients to feel like every day is a holiday.”

This emphasis on barefoot living is equally apparent in the architecture, a key requirement of which was sea views throughout the building. Consequently, expansive walls of glass fold away for seamless indoor-outdoor flow. “We insisted on a space that matched how we live and entertain,” says the owner. “We fill our home with family and friends and laze around the pool.”Appearing at first glance to disappear beneath the bar, the pool connects the seaside to the courtyard garden. Timber screens, sheltering the bedrooms above, add drama to this play space. “Designed to be automated, the screens allow in as much natural light and ventilation as desired, while always ensuring privacy,” comments Godfrey, the architect. Like many of the home’s other considered choices, such design creativity not only guarantees comfort but also packs a visual punch. Which, for a young family in search of something new, is nothing short of a sea change.

The post Contemporary North Coast Home appeared first on Visi.

Ignite Design is just one of the brands you’ll be able to view at the Discover Durban Design exhibition at the East Coast Radio House & Garden Show, running from 28 June to 7 July 2019.

Ignite Design stems from the Africa!Ignite initiative, an upskilling project that aims to economically and socially uplift women and young people in rural KwaZulu-Natal. It is the home of unique contemporary products that pay homage to and showcase the expert methods, vivid colours and bold designs associated with Zulu craft.

Back in 2012, Africa!Ignite ran a beading workshop in the hills of the Umzinyathi district in the heart of KwaZulu-Natal. The group’s leader, Bertinah Khumalo, started embroidering a maize bag with bright stitching while on a break. When the organisers saw it they thought it would make a great cushion cover. From there, Bertinah trained 20 women to make the covers, each of whom contributed their own individual style to their designs. This is how the Langazela collection came about.

Since then, the brand has expanded the Langazela collection, hand-made from recycled maize bags, to include purses, totes, planters and soft baskets. Through the expansion of the range, Africa!Ignite has been able to create more consistent work for a greater number of crafters.

Find out where you can buy items from the collection here, or catch Africa!Ignite at this year’s Discover Durban Design exhibition at the East Coast Radio House & Garden Show, taking place from 28 June to 7 July 2019 at the Durban Exhibition Centre. The exhibition will also showcase the work of more than artists and designers, including Houtlander, Bright Dimba, Ruth Samaai Designs, Minenhle Zazi Cira and Composite Decor.

Visit housegardenshow.co.za for more information.

The post Ignite Design at The Discover Durban Design Exhibition appeared first on Visi.

Durban-based artist, illustrator and graphic designer Wesley van Eeden, aka Resoborg, has completed a new mural in KwaMashu, just outside Durban.

Freedom Park, a community upliftment project, is the first in a potential series of projects planned for KwaMashu. The project has provided free sports facilities for the neighbourhood to use, including a basketball court, netball and tennis court, a soccer field, an outdoor gym, ablution facilities and a table tennis area.

Resoborg was commissioned to create a bright 3D mural on two containers that house ablution facilities. Each container was adorned with bold shapes inspired by Africa, sports themes and the figure of a female and male on each, indicating the respective bathrooms. Each ablution container was completed using spray paint and masking tape around each of the four sides.

We’ve previously featured Resoborg’s mural in Virginia, USA, his Taxi Dance mural, his RVCA collaboration in both NYC and SA and his piece at The Boiler Room.

To see more of Resoborg’s work, visit resoborg.com.

The post Resoborg’s New Mural in KwaMashu appeared first on Visi.

Step inside this SAOTA-designed beach house in La Lucia, Durban, with interiors designed by Cape Town-based studio ARRCC.

Seaside living at its most luxurious, this home was designed with summer entertaining in mind. Inspired by the dancing white horses that tip ocean waves and the expansive white sands on the property’s doorstep, the designers’ aim was to create a space that mirrors both the location and client.

Opulence and seaside splendour combine to offer a relaxing atmosphere dressed in bleached driftwood and a sandy colour palette. Gentle neutrals are brought to life with touches of teal, charcoal and azure. Honed sandstone, weathered iroko ceilings and decking slats, and glinting concrete floors meet bleached timber, muted leathers and grey linens to create a simplistic yet homely feel. The upper level boasts four bedrooms, all of which are ocean-facing and lead onto private terraces.

The master bathroom is a sight to behold, offering the height of tranquillity and relaxation. A bath you could get lost in sits next to a sandstone clad vertical wall while large glass windows frame the master terrace view where skylights offer up the perfect evening lighting.

See more projects by ARRCC, here.

The post La Lucia Home by ARRCC appeared first on Visi.