Robust and powerful as the mother continent herself, versatile grains and pulses may be transformed into gently flavoured dishes that reflect the creativity and beauty of Africa. Combine them with splashes of red for a chic visual display.

Linseed baskets with vino-cotto sago and preserved hibiscus flowers

Serves 6

180g sago, soaked for 30 mins

21/2 cups water

1 cup vino cotto

200g sugar

50g linseeds

6 preserved hibiscus flowers

Place the soaked sago and 2 cups of water in a medium pot and cook for 15-20 minutes until the sago is translucent. Allow to cool and then fold in the vino cotto. To make the basket, combine the sugar and water. Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and cook over a high heat until a dark caramel forms. Add the linseeds and mix through. Spread circles of the hot caramel onto a silicone mat. Let the sugar mixture set without hardening. Working quickly, mould the caramel around the base of a cup or any suitable mould and allow it to set. Serve the baskets filled with vino-cotto sago topped with preserved hibiscus flowers.

Cook’s note: Hibiscus flowers are available at speciality food shops.

Samp and pea risotto with redcurrants

Serves 6

2t butter

2 leeks, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

400g samp, soaked

4 cups hot chicken stock

2 cups cream

170g frozen peas

1 cup milk

freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

1 x 180g punnet redcurrants

Melt the butter in a large pot over a low heat. Sauté  the onions and garlic until fragrant. Drain the samp and add it to the onion mixture. Cook for 5 minutes and then add half the hot chicken stock. Cook over a low heat until the stock has been absorbed by the samp. Now add the rest of the stock and, once the samp is cooked, add the cream and stir until a creamy consistency is reached. Remove from the heat. Cook the peas in a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain. Puré the peas with the milk in a blender until smooth. Combine the samp and pea puré  and season with black pepper and sea salt. Serve bowls of the risotto with redcurrants on the side.

Lentil terrine wrapped in candied beetroot

Serves 6

200g sugar

1 cup water

4 beetroot, washed and thinly sliced

2 sheets gelatine, soaked in ice water

1 cup fresh chicken stock

1 x 480g can lentils, drained and rinsed

Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

Combine the sugar and water in a medium-sized pot and allow to simmer over a high heat until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and add the sliced beetroot. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the beetroot is soft and translucent. Remove the beetroot from the syrup and let it cool. Line 6 individual moulds (or 1 large loaf pan) with cling film, followed by a lining of the candied beetroot. Add the softened gelatine to the hot chicken stock and stir until dissolved. Add the lentils and mix thoroughly. Season with black pepper and sea salt. Divide this mixture between the lined moulds and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Once set, line the base of each terrine with the remaining beetroot. Remove from the moulds and use a hot knife to slice the terrine into portions. Serve chilled.

Black rice pudding with pomegranate sorbet

Serves 6

2 x 80g punnets pomegranate rubies

200g white sugar

2 cups water

200g black rice, washed and soaked

2 x 400g cans coconut milk

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1cm freshly grated ginger

2T palm sugar

Using a blender, puré  the pomegranate rubies to a fine pulp. Combine 150g of sugar and the water and bring to a slow simmer until the sugar dissolves. Combine the pomegranate pulp with the sugar syrup. Allow the mixture to cool and churn it in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Combine the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining sugar, in a medium-sized pot. Let the mixture cook slowly over a low heat for approximately 35 minutes, stirring every 5-8 minutes, until the rice is soft and takes on a smooth, thick texture. Serve bowls of the rice pudding with small scoops of pomegranate sorbet on the side.

The post Grainy days appeared first on Visi.

The 2009 Flux Trend Review By Dion Chang (MacMillan, R175)

Trends analyst Dion Chang has pulled together an impressive list of contributors for his new book, which provides a fascinating insight into our lives today by drawing on global trends and putting them into a South African perspective.

So whether it’s politics, decor, advertising, the media, technology, education or parenting that interests you, there’s an observation for you to read. And read you will, because this book offers intelligent commentary for informed thinkers who will enjoy its tight edit of the glut of information we receive daily.

Dion Chang is known as an innovator, creative thinker and visionary, and he has a particularly interesting insight into South African and international trends.

10 Years 100 Buildings: The Architecture of Democratic South Africa Convened and edited by Prpfessor ‘Ora Joubert (Bell-Roberts, R450)

A landmark work that highlights the development of our architecture since 1994, this compendium has been a labour of love to put together. Edited by ’Ora Joubert, Professor of Architecture at the University of Pretoria, and with works selected by a team of 32 specialists, it will no doubt increase awareness of the highly original contributions of South African architects.

Interestingly, the featured works are split up into six geographic regions, each one refl ecting the infl uence of bio-climatic factors on the architectural expression. Look out for the first copies to be released at stand C5 at the Design Indaba Expo in Cape Town.

Africanismo by Craig Fraser (Quivertree, R363)

We bet this good-looking book (it’ll either be the striking yellow that intrigues you or the tempting peep-hole in the cover) will make its way into many homes around the world. Over the years, photographer Craig Fraser has captured the changing face of southern Africa’s interiors and the inspiration behind them, and this book showcases the complete collection of unique elements and styles recorded over time.

We have no doubt that this celebration of “creativity and ingenious resourcefulness born out of a continent that is both beautiful and harsh” is only just beginning.

The Interior World of Tom dixon by Tom Dixon (Conran Octopus, R554)

 The moment you pick up this cloth-bound tome, you realise that Tom Dixon’s world is different. His opening words are printed on the cover, for starters, with a modest declaration of what the book is about. “I’m not really claiming to be a proper designer,” he says, “so please don’t expect a whizzy design publication full of tips on how to get the look, or a serious tome outlining what real design is as opposed to other types”.

Like many designers, his inspiration comes from somewhat unexpected sources and it’s possible to fi nd yourself taking a step out of your comfort zone and into his, which is full of challenging, sometimes chaotic ideas. But we all know that some kind of distilled order always emerges from his creative genius and once you close the book, you feel like you’ve been on a creative journey with him.

Cool Hotels: The Best of Europe (Te Neues, R360)

Following the success of Cool Restaurants, this equally large and beautifully presented volume highlights 94 of Europe’s sexiest hotels selected for their excellent service and style. This is the illustrated bible on where to stay for sophisticated travellers looking for an extra-special experience, whether on business or a well-deserved holiday.

The post Architecture, design and trend books appeared first on Visi.

If 48 hours is all the gods will allow you in Rome, head for the historic heart of the Eternal City. The chaotic cobbled streets filled with divine food, coffee and gelati will provide ample consolation.

On the Vatican side of the Tiber River stands a beautiful nun, a melting ice cream in one hand, a cellphone in the other. She looks a picture of bliss.

Outside the Zara boutique in the Via del Corso, below a poster of Kate Moss in impassive mid-stride down a city street, a gypsy woman sits begging. Her face is lit with a smile.

Three bent widows shuffle past the Trevi Fountain with their shopping bags. They bestow a benign glance on the hordes of tourists tossing coins in the water, and plod contentedly on.

In the Via Condotti a swarthy youth, jacketed and Italian-shod, dismounts from his Vespa, orders an espresso and knocks it back, standing.Women, slim, dark-haired, mysterious, watch him from the café tables. He flashes a sparkling white smile at each of them, leaps onto his metal steed and zooms away.

Excuse me, but what is going on with the people in this place? Alessandro Arsi, Business Development Manager at Lavazza’s headquarters in Turin, sits next to me on the way to the launch of this cult coffee company’s calendar.

He nods in agreement: “Well I’m also a happy guy … I just don’t look as happy as the real Romans do! We in the north are more focused on business and everything there happens faster – and more punctually.

Rome is a relaxed, cosmopolitan capital, almost like Cape Town in comparison with Johannesburg. But unfortunately, with Johannesburg’s traffic,” he adds.

The drivers of Rome are also officially the most dangerous in Europe, but then the city’s ancient patchwork of narrow cobbled streets and piazzas – plus an urban symphony of hooters, gestures and pealing church bells – is enough to test even the patience of a saint.

Enjoying life to the full

The Romans, says Alessandro, tend perhaps to the theatrical, but they enjoy life; they have style, patience and a sense of humour. They are proud of their traditions and culture, their food and wine and their fashion and design.

The bus finally stops at the Villa Miani on Monte Mario, one of the seven hills of the capital. The view is breathtaking, the city a never-ending monument below us. For the multitude of ancient ruins, churches and museums you would need an eternity, but even the most insupportable of fates – a meagre 48 hours – is a gift from the gods that you cannot refuse.

The post The Roman way appeared first on Visi.

Colour and lighting is all it took to turn a 20-year-old Chinese restaurant into a modern classic.

When you choose to name your restaurant The Red Chamber, you pretty much know what you’re in for in terms of the place’s colour scheme for the rest of its days. Or do you?

Anything is possible if your design consultant is Charles Storr of The Kiteworks. Before you know it, you may find a strong shade of green highlighting the red and even the subtlest shade of blue on the pillars to create some light relief. And it works.

Following a makeover by Charles and his team, The Red Chamber in the Hyde Park Corner shopping centre remains one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in Johannesburg, only now, business is better than ever before.

The same, but better

Patrons who have been ordering the famed Peking duck, crab and specialities such as spicy Sezchuan cuisine for the past 20 years, say it is still the same restaurant, only better.

Charles Storr adores The Red Chamber. More specifically, he adores its owner. “Once you come under the spell of Emma Chen, you’re lost. Because Emma is from heaven,” he says.

The admiration is mutual, as Emma says the renovation of her beloved Red Chamber was quite painless under Charles’s stewardship. Since her restaurant is like her second home, she found she was no longer able to see what it needed in terms of a redesign and that’s why she called in Charles for some advice.

All she knew was that she wanted it to have a classic Chinese feel – no “fusion” elements and no confusing touches that could make the restaurant appear Japanese.

The result is a strong design statement where black wooden floor and ceiling screens break up the restaurant into natural spaces.

A great believer in the “form follows function” design philosophy, Charles said he simply created what Emma needed to make her restaurant work better. The Shanghai Café Bar now stands where previously there had been a rather chaotic kitchen entrance. The bar anchors the restaurant, lending a moody feel that encourages diners to linger.

The next step was to perfect the lighting. Lighting is everything, according to Charles. It’s the theatrical part of design and he made it the focus of much of his work at The Red Chamber.

Lightening it up

Light boxes in the wall display classical Chinese objects, at the same time casting a subtle glow into the dining area. Gigantic light boxes on the ceiling are black wooden frames covered in off-white cotton. This kite-like effect diffuses the light and adds to the new mood.

Generally, the restaurant is darker than before, giving it an intimacy seldom found in Chinese restaurants. There’s a private dining area that can be closed off with red curtains and Emma says they are working on lightening one corner of the restaurant for her Chinese clientele who prefer bright lights.

Whether he’s working in an office, a home or a restaurant, Charles says he has two simple rules when it comes to lighting: Lights should either wash the walls or be at sitting head height.

The colour on the walls was the next step, with green the perfect foil for the classic Chinese red. “People need colour,” says Charles. “It makes them feel good and has an amazing effect.”

He also worked on the restaurant signage, enlisting the services of Glenne Meldrum at Gee Design, who’s described by Charles as a genius in the world of signs. Charles insists his work at The Red Chamber is not finished, though.

As with most of his clients, Emma is now a friend and together they regard the further reinvention of the restaurant as a collaborative work in progress.  

• The Kite Works: 011 646 5090, www.thekiteworks.co.za

• The Red Chamber: 011 325 6048 

The post Seeing red appeared first on Visi.

Tough as well as bountiful, our indigenous pelargoniums are among the most popular garden and pot plants in the world. Seductive, late-night clouds of perfume are a bonus.

We stood on Saptoukop and looked east. Unexplored, unmarked by footpaths, the Kouga lay spread out below. Our plan was to hike across this wilderness, from the Langkloof to the Baviaanskloof, from Misgund to Patensie.

I had bought a light sleeping bag especially for the trip, filled with real eiderdown and covered in Egyptian cotton. Late on the first day we made camp at the foot of a honeybee krantz beside a dark pool.

In the gathering dusk I collected plant material for bedding and unrolled my new sleeping bag. Today, 35 years later, when I take my worn old bag out of the cupboard, I can smell the Kouga.

Fleeting, somewhere between citrus and peppermint, the scent of that bedding still lingers: pelargonium. Were there flowers on the plants? Yes – I remember small mauve flowers, neither blue nor violet but Victorian mauve, a pelargonium purple so intense that it burned in the mountain light.

Colour wheel

Some of the most saturated colours in the veld belong to our wild pelargoniums, which can be divided into four colour groups: purple, red, pink, and the pale yellows and whites.

Purple seems to dominate in the pelargonium palette. Go and have a look at the coastal road to Hangklip after a fire. Burning stimulates pelargoniums to exuberant growth: when the flowers appear they dominate the entire landscape – purple, mauve, heliotrope.

The colour is unchanging, motionless in the wind, in contrast to the surging, rippling sheets of Watsonia, Ixia and Wachendorfia.

Then there are the reds, which are usually matt, without the crystalline sparkle of the nerines or the gladioli. Pelargonium red makes me think of iron oxide, especially hematite, or the red of kabuki make-up, dense and impenetrable.

A feast of fragrances

The pinks and the pale yellow and white species are the Cinderellas of the group, washed out, usually in small bunches on long stems. Yet it is among these that the crown jewel of the species hides: the cinnamon-scented Pelargonium triste.

This little plant is a low-growing species with leaves exactly like those of a carrot top. In late spring the first flower stems appear, displaying their pale, star-shaped flowers in modest little crowns.

Pick a stem or two, drop them into a long-necked vase and leave them in your bedroom. Somewhere around ten o’clock in the evening, when you’ve forgotten all about them, a perfume will drift out from the darkened rooms of the house.

You begin to search for it, drawing closer and closer to the fragrance: clean, spicy, metallic with a note of fresh grass, perhaps vetiver? No, the night-scented pelargonium! The pale flowers gleam in the darkness, together with their divine scent – surely heaven for that mysterious longtongued pollinator, the hawk moth.

Pelargonium triste was the first species to be cultivated, as early as the 16th century. Ships that called in at the Cape took a few plants to the botanic gardens at Leiden and from there they reached Kew.

Later it was discovered that many species possessed powerfully scented leaves and a whole industry sprang up around them. Mint, rose geranium, peppermint and citrus fragrances continue to be distilled from these plants today.

Because they are so tough and rewarding, pelargoniums are among the most widely grown container and garden plants in the world. Stroll past the mansions on the Rhine in Bern or Basel; cruise by the old castle of Meersburg; peer through a grille into a courtyard in medieval Trujillo or the sludge-green trellis of a stoep in Vrededorp and I guarantee that you will see a pelargonium.

Choose yours with care; opt for one with leaves that will anoint you with their fragrance, brighten your view with their electric hue and perhaps, just perhaps, seduce you with a cloud of cinnamon.

Did you know?

– Pelargoniums belong to the great plant family of Geraniaceae, hence their common (and confusing) name, geranium.

– There are  approximately 220 species, most of them in southern Africa, plus – a few in the Gondwanalands of Madagascar, St Helena, Australia – and Tristan de Cunha. The vast majority occur in the south-western – Cape, with the highest concentration around Worcester.

-Pelargoniums are universally loved and have crossed every divide, thanks to their cheerful beauty and their readiness to grow from cuttings.

– They have been hybridised over centuries from about 20 key species to produce a wide range of flower forms and growth habits and thousands of cultivars. 

– Most popular are the zonals, upright bushy types with dazzling – mopheads of flowers. The ivy-leaved trailing beauties that cascade in – summer from window boxes worldwide come a close second.

– Other types include the quill-petalled stellars, the rosebud fl wered noisettes, – the dainty but showy angels and uniques and the opulent regals.

– Wild Pelargoniums have largely remained the preserve – of collectors, perhaps because they are less showy. They more  than make up for this in the sheer fascination of their variety and delicate beauty.

-Evergreen or deciduous, shrubby perennials, groundcovers, succulents or geophytes, they are adapted to habitats that range from fynbos to the deserts of Namibia.

– Flowers range from pale yellow to tiger-striped to shocking pink  and velvet near-black. Then there are the night-scented species, – of which Dave Pepler’s Pelargonium triste is the queen.

– Botanists have divided the species into 16 sections according to growth habit, but  for amateur collectors and growers they can be divided into three main groups:

Herbaceous evergreens, mostly native to the Western Cape and southern Cape,  are easily propagated from cuttings. Perfect in pots or the garden, they need  regular but restrained watering and feeding. Prune by two thirds in late summer and pinch out new growth to create bushy plants and encourage flowering.

Succulent and woody species, native to the drier regions, are usually dormant in summer. They may also be grown from cuttings. Excellent as sculptural container plants or in gravel or succulent gardens, they must not be overwatered or they will rot. Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings.

Geophytic species occur in both summer and winter rainfall regions. Underground storage organs sustain them through a harsh dormant season a cold, dry winter or a hot, dry summer, during which they must be kept completely dry. In the growing season they should be watered regularly but not excessively.

The daintier species are best enjoyed in pots. Tubers that multiply may be divided during repotting to create new plants.

Growing tips for all types

• Soil must be free draining: the Kirstenbosch mix is I part loam, 2 parts sand and 2 parts compost plus light feeding with a balanced organic fertiliser.

• Underwatering is better than overwatering.

• Part shade is better than full sun; in the wild most pelargoniums grow where – they are shaded for at least part of the day.

Grow South African Plants, compiled by Fiona Powrie (NBI, ISBN 1-919684-15-8)
www.plantzafrica.com, www.geraniaceae.com and www.penroc.co.za 

The post Four seasons of fragrance appeared first on Visi.

UPDATE: Trevyn sent us some pictures of the house since the 2011 renovation and, well, we’re gobsmacked. Drool over the gallery above!

JUNE 2014: With design curators Trevyn and Julian McGowan’s exquisite Wilderness house recently put on the market for R25-million, we take a nostalgic look back at our first visit in 2009.

If this was simply a tale about a house, we would tell you of a threestorey black beach house with floating concrete slabs and lofty glass volumes perched high on a dune above Wilderness beach.

We would tell you of the well-proportioned spaces, clean lines and inside-outside connection that flows from the contained garden on one side through to the endless horizon on the other.

The interconnectedness of spaces both horizontally and vertically, the sleek epoxy floors and innovative spatial solutions, such as the scullery and pantry that are hidden away in large bleached saligna cupboards, would most certainly also be discussed.

But this is not only a story about architecture, design and decor. It is also the story of a dynamic couple who are putting many of South Africa’s top design talents on the international map.

South African-born Trevyn McGowan moved to London at 16 to pursue her acting career. However, after gaining experience renovating her own flats and buildings, she eventually started Site Specific, an interior-design company that specialised in converting warehouses and office buildings, as well as retro-fitting the spaces for high-profile clients.

During Trevyn’s almost 20 years in London she also met and married theatre designer, Julian McGowan, and they had two children.

New life 

On an annual trip to South Africa to visit Trevyn’s family in 2003, the couple spotted a thatched bungalow on a Wilderness beachfront property that was for sale and decided to buy it.

They initially considered extending the bungalow into a more organic Uruguay-inspired house but, after taking the family’s needs into account, they made the decision to demolish and start from scratch.

So, the McGowans closed down Site Specific, gave up big city living in London and moved to Wilderness to build their dream house. Julian and Trevyn designed the house together and had a draughtsman draw up the working drawings from Julian’s schematics and models.

“When we initially decided to move back to South Africa, I didn’t know what I was going to do,” says Trevyn. “I had visions of raising my kids and doing the family album. But, on one of our trips here, I came across Wonki Ware in George and bought several pieces to take back to London. I really thought that it could do well at The Conran Shop so I contacted creative director Polly Dickens,” Trevyn explains.

“I literally had five minutes in the foyer to show her the few pieces I had and the rest is history.” SoonTrevyn had more than 360 artists and designers on her database with 65 being regular suppliers to international shops such as The Conran Shop, Anthropologie, Bergdorf Goodman, ABC Carpet and Home, Mint and Terrain to name a few.

Since then, the couple have launched Southern Guild (read more here) to promote high-end collectible local design, as well as staged South Africa’s first international design fair, Guild (read more here).

Touching treasures seal the deal

When sourcing new products, Trevyn always looks for something that touches her personally, a philosophy also evident in the couple’s home, which embodies their passion for South African design.

The house is littered with South African designer pieces and works by Mila, Gregor Jenkin, Ronel Jordaan, Hylton Nel, Conrad Botes and Ceramic Matters, to name but a few.

Yet this is no austere art museum but rather a home that emanates warmth and comfort. Although the interior is for the most part kept neutral to ensure that designer pieces and art works come into their own, bold splashes of colour and texture add further visual interest.

Natural materials such as linen, suede and wood are offset by a multi-coloured Heath Nash lamp shade, a shaggy cushion by Mielie and various works of art.

The middle floor is an open-plan living space with a minimalist kitchen flowing over into a lounge-dining room and theatre room.

Trevyn’s office is located on the lower level while the more private spaces, including the bedrooms and another lounge, are situated upstairs. The children have their own section complete with bathroom and playroom.

More space

Since VISI’s visit in 2009, a western wing was added in 2011. Sheathed entirely in glass, the views from the top-storey lounge are a sight to behold. The wing also has a roof garden, rim-flow pool deck, an office floor, and a gym and guest suite on the groundfloor. 

On working together

The couple find working together satisfying, although they say it can be exhausting since they both have strong opinions. “It can become fiery but if one of us feels more strongly about a specific point, this normally means that person is right and it results in an extremely resolved design or concept,” says Trevyn.

The introduction to The Way We Live, one of the many books that line the shelves of their home, reads as follows: “When it comes to interior lifestyle decisions, there are more ways than ever to find inspiration. People around the world now seek ideas from other places, other cultures and other times.”

It seems that the McGowans have found their inspiration in South Africa and are exporting it to the rest of the world.

southernguild.co.za, source-sa.com, guilddesignfair.com

To view this R25-millon Garden Route property, contact Lorraine Campbell on lorraine.campell@pamgolding.co.za.

The post Wonder in Wilderness appeared first on Visi.

For architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, the breathtaking backdrop of the Lowveld’s Garden of Eden made designing this contemporary farmhouse a study in space, simplicity and sophistication.

Thousands of years from now, when archaeologists are excavating the flood plains around the rivers of the South African Lowveld, they will unearth a remarkable treasure – a pile of bones belonging to the most unusual beast that ever lived.

They will wonder what manner of mammal this could have been, as they examine what appears to be hippo, elephant, giraffe and lion limbs, all slung together in a creatively orthopaedic construction of chrome brackets and stainless-steel cables.

They will find traces of sand-blasted glass balls lying among the bones and, while eerily beautiful, the provenance of this structure will be puzzling indeed.

Surrounding this bone collection, the archaeologists will find the traces of a traditional Lowveld farmhouse. There’ll be the signature-wide verandah that would have been perfect for watching game across the nearby river, a combined pitched and flat roof in traditional thatch, as well as a hospitable bar where, no doubt, the Homo sapiens of the day had enjoyed many a fine evening under the stars.

But the excavators will unearth evidence of something else here – a contemporary interpretation of the Lowveld farmhouse style where curio chic has been replaced with a tranquil elegance and low-key sophistication not seen in other farmhouses of this type.

A new design style

In all likelihood, these archaeologists will be opening an entirely new category in their files for a design style that is unlike anything they have seen before.

Such is the style of Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens that, wherever they go, whatever they do, their work creates new categories of design. Often imitated, they never want to remain static in their style and are constantly seeking a new aesthetic while remaining true to the African signature their clients are after.

The design duo form a unique team: Both trained architects, theirs is a seamless collaboration to create original structures as well as interiors for their clients. They see architecture and interior design as one and relish delivering a complete product in which they have also designed and selected the objects, furniture and art.

Much of the furniture and decor objects in the homes and hotels designed by Silvio and Lesley are custom-made for that job and are usually not available for sale. Ideas are rarely repeated, possibly adapted – that is the nature of the exclusive, one-stop design service they offer.

Silvio and Lesley are best known for their cutting-edge African lodges such as Ngorongoro Crater Lodge built for Conservation Corporation in Tanzania and the award-winning North Island luxury lodge in the Seychelles created for Wilderness Safaris. Not to mention the Leobo Lodge in the Waterberg, named the “Best Safari House in Africa” in 2014 (see it here).

In this Lowveld farmhouse, Silvio and Lesley have retained their trademark affection for African materials and organic lines, but they have moved into a more sophisticated, pared down space.

They were also assisted by George Boorsma and Lisebo Mokhesi from INK Design Studio in whom they found the perfect collaborators.

Quest for space and tranquility

For Silvio, this design became as much about what wasn’t there, as it was about the structure and objects. In his quest for space and tranquillity, he used the landscape as his source of inspiration and created a house which would frame this piece of big-sky country.

Of course there are several dramatic design elements, such as the bone chandeliers and the giant coffee table made from the polished roots of a leadwood tree. But it is in the Armani-like shades of the cool and unstructured linen sofas, in the organic and watery shapes of the glass vases, carafes and glasses that a new design language has emerged.

Where much of Silvio and Lesley’s previous work was filled with broad and bold brush strokes, the new look is elegant and refined, using only the finest craftsmanship and settling only for a perfect finish. There are always quirky touches. In this case, one of the owners requested that they incorporate some of the springbok skins from animals he had hunted himself.

The result is a designer wooden dining chair, complete with a moulded seat and covered with a springbok hide with the tail dangling on the floor.

Modest sophistication

The genius of this house is that it has all the modesty of a farmhouse, but the dramatic spaces of a sophisticated New York apartment and the tranquillity of a Zen temple rolled seamlessly into one. From the low-key entrance, interior lounge, courtyard, dining area and bar to the outside living area – the sense of space is intoxicating. With all the doors open, the home is literally a vast and elegant shelter overlooking some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world.

For the first time, Silvio made a point of creating corner to corner windows and glass doors that connected the house to its environment. Thus living areas open up to create an entertainment area that could comfortably accommodate two or three hundred guests.

With the spectacular Lowveld sky as the ultimate landscape painting looming over each bed and into the bedrooms, why would you want to leave?

But it is in the effortless combination of African organic, contemporary and seriously sophisticated, that Silvio has moved his signature up a notch. Wherever you look, he has created a still life incorporating each design aesthetic: For example, the bathrooms have a crude leadwood top and a floor-to-ceiling mirrored wall adds the contemporary touch, finished off with seriously chic French-designed basins and taps.

The inside lounge boasts a massive leadwood coffee table, an ultra-modern pebble gas fireplace topped with a black steel chimney, and a gleamingly elegant chrome Arco lamp from Italy.

Contemporary touch

Outside, it’s hard not to tumble into those linen couches which are soft, simple and oh-so inviting – the contemporary touch.

Drinks are served on coffee tables inspired by the shapes of tree roots (there’s Africa) and from dramatically chic coral coloured glassware – the sophisticated element again. It’s a winning formula that Silvio and Lesley have used so effectively throughout this Lowveld farmhouse with a difference.

Look carefully and learn, because Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens are already dreaming up a new language for their next design.

Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, 011 486 1525, adventarch@mweb.co.za
INK Design Studio, 011 726 6661/3, INKdesignlab.co.za

The post Big sky country appeared first on Visi.

Just like their famous Big Blue and Kitsch+Kool shops the home of Phillip Cronje and James Robertson is anything but serious.

It’s hard not to start smiling when you walk into a Kitsch+Kool shop. From the laugh-out-loud selection of books to the satirical T-shirts, the kitchen goddess aprons to the politically incorrect greeting cards, nothing is serious and everything hits the funny bone dead on target.

Yet, while the colourful array of gifts and clothes may seem like an accidental assortment of child-like fun, there’s evidence of a finely tuned sense of style and design in everything.

You have the same experience when arriving at the home of Kitsch+Kool owners Philip Cronjé and James Robertson.

Midrand is where you’ll find the craziest compound in Gauteng with some of the most exquisite attention to detail – if you look carefully.

Crazy and coloufrul

At the entrance, a series of termite-mound-like cement towers greet me and I assume I’m in for a North-African design experience of sorts. No such luck. James and Philip’s home is a crazy, colourful collection of design and decor styles that make it impossible to categorise – a little like their approach to fashion and gifting ideas.

Kitsch+Kool started life about seven years ago, at a time much like the present, when South Africans were not feeling overly cheerful about their country and the economy. “We decided to do something silly,” says James – and it worked.

Kitsch+Kool instantly developed a following for its irreverent look at life: Gifts were unusual, often risqué, but always in good taste. Whether it was silly bubblegum that promised no ugly children, or retro kitchen implements, you were almost always guaranteed to walk away with something unusual.

The two describe Big Blue as a clothing business – they don’t see themselves as being involved in South Africa’s extremely complex fashion industry. “We’re certainly not in it for the ego,” James stresses. As we enjoy tea on the stoep overlooking the dam on their eight-acre property, a supplier bursts in.

Her new summer pants had virtually sold out over the weekend and James and Philip had asked her to come up with more. She’s done the new prints and will turn the delivery around in two weeks.

I witness another side, the business end, of the apparently quirky shopkeepers who sleep beneath an original Tretchikoff, collect coloured glass and are in the process of constructing a massive glass conservatory in their front garden.

It’s an enviable lifestyle, this seamless integration of business and pleasure that James and Philip have chosen. Their home, office and warehouse are all on the same property. There’s even a guest house, decorated almost entirely with Philip’s collection of Afrikaner collectables, where suppliers who have spent all day brainstorming ideas with them can stay overnight.

We climb up the stairs onto the roof of the guest house and survey the plot with its crinkle-cut “Great Wall” surrounding the property. James crushes pink peppercorns from a tree between his palms and we all breathe in the spicy aroma while enjoying the chattering birdlife from the nearby dam.

The hustle of neon-lit shopping malls seems a million miles away and that’s probably why James and Philip are able to remain original in a world populated with “wannabes” and “me-toos”.

Trusting the gut, not the trends

Not for them the latest in modern decor and design; they simply don’t watch international trends or call on the experts. They prefer instead to trust their gut, collect the old and the eclectic, and to buy those pieces that tickle their fancy but which may mean nothing to someone else.

Philip is the collector-in-chief. His pride is the glass display case packed to the brim with Madonnas, dolls, ceramic bokkies – all exquisite specimens, since these guys don’t settle for second best.

James’ folly is ceramic bulls. He wouldn’t like his friends to start giving him bulls as gifts, though, because he, too, has quite specific ideas of what type he likes. “If the house burns down, I’ll grab my passport and this one,” he jokes, pointing to a 1970s-style turquoise blue bull.

Philip is also the retro furniture fiend and spends weekends at auctions and flea markets picking up pieces for home, as well as for their decor shop called The Blue Room in Linden.

James and Philip thrive on the richness of South African society, saying it is the virtual anarchy of our lives that inspires them. It’s also what makes their business work. “A place like Europe is too organised and comfortable, Here, if you keep your eyes and ears open, there is so much happening around us in terms of cross-cultural icons,” says Philip.

It is this clash of cultures that has presented James and Philip with much of the humour and all of the soul that fills their lives. You can see it throughout their home and, fortunately, we can all share a little bit through the fun and energy in their shops.  

• Kitsch+Kool and Big Blue Head Office (Midrand): 079 894 5039/59, www.bigblue.co.za, www.kitsch-kool.co.za

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Bloemfontein’s Jan Smit Architects is renowned for its site-responsive approach to architecture. The result is a house that honours its environment by incorporating all the trees on the stand into the design.

Schalk and Elgru Burger love trees, so much so that when they engaged Bloemfontein’s Smit Architects to design their home on a residential estate on the outskirts of The City of Roses, they stipulated that it had to be built around all the indigenous trees on the site.

“The trees were marked and the plan was adapted by Jan and Petria Smit to form ‘bubbles’ around them,” smiles Elgru. Yet this wasn’t too much of a tall order for the architectural practice, which is known for adhering to the principle of site-specific design determined by environment, landscape and climate, as Jan and Petria’s students at the University of the Free State will attest. (Jan heads the institution’s highly regarded Department of Architecture where Petria is a senior lecturer.)

Tree house

As a result of the couple’s collaboration with the Burgers, the oversized, copper-clad front door hides a wonderland of views in this house of glass. But rather than expansive vistas, you’ll find close-up views of karee, wild olive, white stinkwood and sweet thorn trees.

The house is both surrounded by, and contains, nature’s works of art, each floor-to-ceiling window framing a tree-top or gnarled trunk as a focal point.

Seclusion and privacy might seem like a pipe dream on a residential estate but this home is indeed inconspicuous and hidden, not only by virtue of its position at the edge of the estate, but also thanks to the conserved trees and a towering, earthen-coloured wall on the west side.

The site, nestled deep in the bush between two koppies, has a stream running through it. Schalk, a retired civil engineer, says he and Elgru dreamed of living here out of sight, free to observe and enjoy the beauty around them.

He explains what he and his wife discussed with Jan and Petria: “No airs and graces. No extra frills. A contemporary, open living space. Close to nature but disturbing as little as possible.”

Enhancing nature

While initially it might seem that their needs have come second to those of the environment, the Burgers are quick to point out that this isn’t the case and, if it can be argued that it’s possible for a structure to enhance a natural site, this house has certainly achieved it.

The Burgers fell for the first plan the Smits presented to them and theirs was also the first house on the estate to be approved within the existing guidelines. As with other Smit houses, the service area to the south is characteristically separated from the served or living areas – in this case by a dividing passage running through the middle of the open-plan layout.

The served areas face north with glass doors opening onto the bush. The public and private spaces are also clearly defined in two tubes running north to south: the western tube, with bathrooms on both levels, houses Schalk and Elgru’s separate workrooms downstairs – her room doubles up as a bedroom for the grandchildren, with bunk beds cleverly suspended from the roof above the desk.

The master bedroom is upstairs in this tube, while the eastern tube sleeps guests and has its own bathroom. Downstairs, the two tubes are linked by the living room, kitchen and Schalk’s bar area with its custom-built, air-conditioned wine cellar. Schalk can often be found perched on a bar stool here, binoculars in hand, “I have spotted 37 different bird species from this very spot,” he says with pride.

Floating within the foliage

The ground floor – best described as “organic” – appears to meander through the trees, while the upstairs sections are geometric and light, seeming to float within the foliage.

Two white stinkwoods form a canopy overhead, creating a tree-house effect in the main bedroom. The plunge pool, sunken into the deck between Elgru’s workroom and the living room, offers a welcome, cool oasis.

The Burgers love camping so are thrilled with the permanent outdoor effect. The living room ends in a surprising sharp corner to accommodate the trees. Schalk insists this space is good “for listening to jazz” and he puts some on to demonstrate.

The rich notes are contained within the bush cocoon, making the house resonate with sound. He and Elgru take the opportunity to praise the Smits, “They have a special gift for interpreting a feeling, an emotion and a client’s lifestyle into a place of concrete, glass and brick.”

An indefinable, almost rejuvenating, energy moves through this refuge in the bush. As Jan remarks, “People feel good here but they don’t always know why!”  

• Smit Architects: 051 436 4169, smitjd.sci@ufs.ac.za 

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A new boutique hotel in Pretoria is modern, South African and stylish in equal measure. Why wouldn’t you want to stay there?

When you turn off the N1 highway onto Atterbury Road and the hustle and bustle of eastern Pretoria’s busy arterial, the last thing you expect to see right in front of your eyes is the hippest hotel in Gauteng.

But it’s there and it’s unmissable.

A cluster of Eduardo Villastyle white steel “trees” welcome you and line the watery path to the entrance of this thoroughly modern establishment, where you’ll literally disappear into the coolest spot in Pretoria.

The concept of the Alpine Attitude Hotel was dreamed up by owner Charmaine Freyer. With a love for art, local design and everything African, she wanted to create a boutique hotel that was a little piece of Africa but revisited through intensely modern lines and contemporary art and design.

The team that helped her to realise these dreams came from Earthworld Architects in Pretoria and its chief architect, André Eksteen, who was responsible for those striking white trees at the entrance. However it was in Earthworld’s interior designer, Sandra Bodard, that Charmaine found a kindred spirit and together the two women set about creating the uniquely cool and chic South African mood of the Alpine Attitude Hotel.

Charmaine’s only brief to Sandra was that the hotel should be fun and South African. Sandra took a tour of Charmaine’s existing business, a self-catering hotel next door, and soon realised that her client had a fair amount of style and design experience herself. However Charmaine insisted that two heads were better than one and the two have formed a charming bond that is likely to lead to bigger things.

Originality sells

From the outset, it was part of Charmaine’s plan to create a hotel that was totally different to anything that she had ever seen before. The idea was also a marketing strategy. She correctly believed that if she spent her money on creating something original, the hotel would sell itself and she wouldn’t have to spend on advertising.

The basic design palette is extremely neutral. Working with Rudolph and Van Vuuren tiles, Sandra and Charmaine started by selecting a large tile, almost the colour of concrete, for the reception and entertainment areas. Elsewhere, everything from leather to glass and wood-like tiles have been used.

Both Sandra and Charmaine were intent on creating a strong foundation to the design of the hotel, thereby ensuring that it would be uncomplicated to remove and update the trimmings should they tire of the current colour and objets. When it came to choosing a colour, both loved the edginess of acid yellow.

The tone for the lounge and bar area was set by the gigantic cut-out picture of a street scene that Charmaine bought at the University of Pretoria year-end exhibition. Young artist, Audrey Anderson, had already contributed two large artworks and was then commissioned to cut out a design on the light bar.

Petite Designs provided all the soft furnishings apart from Ronel Jordaan’s trademark pebble cushions, which lend an organic feel. Adriaan Hugo standing lamps are modern yet timeless in this environment.

The cut-out theme continues in the outdoor dining area, where you’ll find funky yellow laser-cut steel furniture from Alsalvador in Johannesburg. In the conference centre, guests are invited to store their valuables in a wall of smart laser-cut steel lockers created by Vera Cruz, also in Johannesburg.

Fun touches throughout

But undoubtedly the star of the show in the main area of the hotel has to be the dramatic reception table – a massive silver-grey pebble created out of fibreglass by Johannesburg sculptor Nicholas Smith of De Stijl. It’s this touch of fun that sets the tone for the rest of your Alpine Attitude experience.

Upstairs, seven bedrooms have been individually decorated to take the visitor on a tour of great as well as quirky South African art and design. Charmaine took her original inspiration from Sol Kerzner’s renowned Le Touessrok Hotel in Mauritius, where the beds stand proudly in the centre of the rooms, with the bathrooms discreetly in the background.

Various themes such as leather, nature, glass and pebbles lend the hotel a distinctly natural and organic air. Yet, the extremely modern design shows that green need never be dull and brilliant touches of art and design throughout lift the hotel into the extraordinary category.

The Transparent Room (yes, everything in this bedroom, apart from the bedding, is clear!) is dominated by a dramatic photograph taken by ABSA L’Atelier Art Competition winner Retha Ferguson.

In the Nature Room, Ronel Jordaan surprises with a colourful floral pillow on each bed. Here, a Mud Studio clay chandelier is the perfect foil for the oversized green grass blades painted onto the wall.

Guests in the Leather Room will find a wall entirely clad in leather and, in the Black and White Room, a dramatic wall mural of Pretoria has been painted by Audrey Anderson.

The Alpine Attitude Hotel is very much a work in progress. Although it may appear perfect and complete upon first glance, Sandra and Charmaine still have many plans indeed to expand on this concept of a South African designer hotel.  

• Earthworld Architects: 012 346 5400, www.earthworldarchitects.co.za

• Alpine Attitude Hotel: 012 348 6504, 082 579 1628, www.alpineattitude.co.za, 522 Atterbury Road, Menlo Park, Pretoria

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