On a cold, clear Saturday morning in the Cape suburb of Durbanville, readers joined the VISI team for a Great Spaces tour of Marlize and Cornel De Jongh’s highly personalised dream home.

Over endless pots of hot coffee and delicious eats Cornel and Marlize shared their vision for the home and the inspiration behind the many distinctive projects, which include a jaw-dropping wine display wall and a playful farm-dam inspired pool that takes pride of place on the deck. An added bonus was the attendance by original homeowners, Elmie and Jandre Venter, who shared the moving story of their relationship with the property.

The general consensus was that Cornel and Marlize’s home – a stylish study in raw textures and neutral tones – was an inspiration for creative homeowners everywhere.

Guests also took home a trendy goodie bag made by Helen Melon, which included the latest issue of VISI (VISI 84) and bottles of either Graham Beck Gorgeous or Graham Beck Brut.

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On a chilly Cape winter morning, readers joined us on the VISI Great Spaces tour of Lurien Rawson’s stunning home in the exclusive Pearl Valley Golf Estate in Paarl.

Joining us on tour were the project’s interior designers, Dawn Dickerson and Carmel Naudé from Hot Cocoa Designs, who offered extensive insights into the high level of planning and collaboration that went into this project with Lurien. They also explained to readers the value offered by engaging an architect or interior designer from start to finish when building your home.

After marvelling at the most beautiful children’s bedrooms as well as custom-made furniture and rugs, readers finished the tour with delicious cakes and refreshing Graham Beck MCC while taking in the beautiful views of the valley from the outside living area.

Guests also took home a trendy goodie bag made by Helen Melon, which included the latest issue of VISI (VISI 84) and bottles of either Graham Beck Gorgeous or Graham Beck Brut.

Want to join us on the next VISI Great Spaces tour? Find out more about how to book your tickets.

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Between the Two Oceans Aquarium and an impressive food market at the V&A Waterfront you’ll find the Watershed, a craft and design market that provides a space for more than 150 tenants to exhibit their wares, curated by the inimitable Trevyn McGowan.

Trevyn and her husband-cum-business-partner Julian McGowan have been key players in the promotion of South African design on international platforms through their agency Source.

There’s so much to see at the Watershed we’ll keep going back, but these five must-visit stalls are some of our favourites…

The Cape Craft and Design Institute

The CCDI stall works on a quarterly rotation, so every three months four new entrepreneurs have the opportunity to get their products out into the market.

Michelle Ludek

This fashion designer’s stall is among the best designed. White fringing hangs from the roof in varying lengths, creating a dramatic and glamorous backdrop to the clothing.

African Image

This merchant has always been king of the Afro-kitsch aesthetic, and the stall is undoubtedly one the most colourful and impressive ones at the Watershed.

Odeon

Featuring a wide selection of tableware and homeware, the Odeon collection is curated by Source, giving it the benefit of Trevyn’s experience.

Helon Melon

This label is known for its exquisite bed linen, and we love the range of homeware and bags available at the Watershed stall.

For more information on traders, visit waterfront.co.za.

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The work of Wonderboy Nxumalo, one of Ardmore Ceramic Art’s most iconic ceramicists, has been translated into a vibrant African fabric and homeware range launching at Design Indaba Expo.

Among the variety of beautiful objects to look forward to at the Design Indaba Expo this weekend, be on the lookout for Halsted, a luxurious new collection by Ardmore Ceramic Art. The collection, named after internationally acclaimed company’s founder, Fée Halsted, takes Ardmore’s distinctive African imagery and often quirky styling into new homeware designs, from tablecloths, napkins through to cushions.

The debut collection is called The Ardmore Collection, and it features the work of Wonderboy Nxumalo, one of Ardmore’s most collectible artists. Wonderboy passed away in 2008 due to HIV-related complications. It was after he found out that he was HIV-positive that he began telling his story and educating people about HIV through a monkey metaphor in his artwork (see Ardmore’s tribute to Wonderboy here).

Working with homeware manufacturer Helon Melon, Hasted taken Wonderboy’s artwork from the ceramics, simplified them and printed them onto hand-woven cotton. In line with Halsted’s goal to “transform African art into global design”, the pieces have an undeniable African aesthetic and yet are not overpowering, nor curio-esque. The tablecloths come in a range of colours, from bright yellows, rusty reds, through to blues and whites. Along with monkeys, some of Wonderboy’s other icons like hares, skulls and flowers make an appearance on the designs. 

Ardmore has been creating highly collectible ceramics for close to three decades. Throughout this time Fée has trained numerous artists, some of whose creations have been shown at auction houses like Bonhams and Christies. We’re looking forward to their fabric debut in Halsted’s future collections.

Follow Halsted Design on Twitter @HalstedDesign to keep posted.
ardmoreceramics.co.za

Design Indaba Expo runs from Friday 28 February to Sunday 2 March, designindaba.com/expo. See VISI’s preview here.

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