From stylish locally made cat furniture to collages made from dried flowers and sustainable cork glasses frames, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 361.

1. Sustainable Cat Furniture by Georgette Black

Durban-based interior and furniture design brand Georgette Black is also behind the Georgette Black Pets brand and its Scratch Bowl design. “After rigorous trials at our home testing laboratory with our own feline furniture specialists (Geoffrey and Panda), we’re confident that not only does the Scratch Bowl meet their high standards but is also a stylish addition to any contemporary home,” explain the brand owners. “And because we believe in solving problems through effective design, we’ve made the Scratch Bowl to be robust and long-lasting, while making use of sustainable and recycled components.” The Scratch Bowl is made from CNC-routered birch plywood and felt that’s made from 100% recycled PET plastic bottles.

Image credit: Michelle Reynolds, courtesy of Georgette Black Pets

2. CoralBloom Studio’s Hemp Tote Bag

Family-run brand CoralBloom Studio’s Hemp Tote Bags feature watercolour works by botanical artist Ann C. Jooste and daughters Michelle, a botanist, and Megan, a conservation ecologist, with support from dad Nico. Each bag is hand made from hemp greige and feature a large pocket digitally printed with eco-friendly water-based inks. The unlined bags have neatly overlocked seams for a secure and durable finish.

Images courtesy of CoralBloom

3. Ballo Cork Glasses

These stylish Barn Owl / Cork / Blue Light Blocker UV420 glasses by local ethical brand Ballo, are light-weight, durable, flexible and sustainable – and they float on water! These unisex carbon neutral frames are made from cork, recycled poly-cotton canvas and bio-resin.

Images courtesy of Ballo

4. Ocean Sole Ambassador: Romario Valentine

Nine-year-old Durban-based environmentalist Romario Valentine spends his free time cleaning beaches. With over 134 clean-ups under his belt, Romario has become the youngest Ocean Sole ambassador, a Kenyan project that recycles flip-flops washed up onto the coast into bright works of art depicting marine life. The turtle below is made from 30 flip-flops that washed up on shore.

Images courtesy of Delsha Moodley

5. Floral Collage Dry Flower Art

Polish mixed-media botanical artist Anastesz, aka @floralcollage on Instagram, uses foliage, pressed flowers and other natural materials found on outdoor excursions to create her delicate nature-inspired artworks.

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Image credit: @floralcollage on Instagram 

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 361 on picks of the week 149.

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Durban beauty salon Annaesthetic schools us in colour-blocking while harking back to a luxe 1940s Miami Beach, echoing the city’s Art Deco accents and penchant for tropical kitsch.

It’s not often Carmen Kelly and Susie Hart of Durban design house Georgette Black get such a brief brief. “Make it pink!” was the call from beauty salon owner Annie Ludick. “Her brief was even in capital letters on the WhatsApp message!” says Carmen, who has been curating spaces in Durban for 15 years.

Annie and her partner, former ad executive-turned eventing guru Kgolo Mthembu, are creatives themselves. The salon, Annaesthetic, is an addition to their existing hub, where Annie also owns a sassy dance studio and Kgolo runs the popular rooftop bar Views at Twenty5, overlooking Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Annaesthetic’s design is the ultimate colour-block experiment, and Carmen layered multiple textures and soft hues to best showcase Annie’s favourite colour. “We also thought about what pink means,” says Carmen. “It’s a healing colour, in addition to suggesting love and self-love. Annie and Kgolo have a baby girl, so at the time we were all feeling the pink! We also looked to a bygone era of the beauty salon, when women would spend the entire day getting their hair set and their nails done.”

The location, with its views of Durban’s beachfront, prompted Carmen to use a glam, 1940s Miami, tropical aesthetic, bringing in the Art Deco landscape with subtle accents of gold and pockets of green. All furniture and fittings were custom-designed and built, utilising soft contours and comforting fabrics that invite you to stay a while. Oversized, shell-shaped velvet chairs at the pedicure stations evoke Alice In Wonderland awe, and tell the story of the pristine pearl that will inevitably emerge post-pamper…

For more information, visit facebook.com/annaestheticsa.

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