A gas or wood-burning stove is an excellent investment, considering the soaring electricity prices and constant load shedding. We asked two experts for advice on choosing one.

The most obvious difference between gas and wood is that a gas fire is lit with the click of a switch whereas a wood fire requires matches and firelighters. There is, however, new technology that may influence your choice. We quizzed Tony Jones of Fireplace Warehouse and Malcolm Sims of Infiniti Fires about stoves.

Which is the most efficient choice in terms of running costs and environmental impact?

Tony: Wood stoves account for 80% of our sales, because although gas is convenient it’s also expensive. It costs about R20 an hour to run a gas stove, whereas you can keep a wood-burning stove running for about R2 000 for the whole winter. Achieving upwards of 70% fuel efficiency, wood stoves are acceptable environmentally and meet European standards for acceptable air pollution.

What are the latest technological advances in fireplaces?

Malcolm: The two big growth areas in South Africa over the past few years are flueless gas and closed-combustion wood stoves. They both get you off the Eskom grid and provide economical heat.

Which do you choose if you live in a 60 m² flat, a 200 m² house or a 600 m² mansion?

Malcolm: For a 60 m² flat you want a flueless gas unit, as it’s a small space to heat. Plus you don’t want to lug wood upstairs and you probably won’t be allowed to install a chimney.

For a 200 m² home a closed-combustion wood stove is suitable. The best of these peak in excess of 80% efficiency and a good unit can provide enough heat for a house of that size.

For a 600 m² mansion I’d recommend a closed-combustion wood stove in the living area and a balanced-flue gas fire in the main bedroom.

Is gas a safe choice for the bedroom?

Tony: The law does not allow vent-free fireplaces in the bathroom or bedroom.

Malcolm: Only gas fires with balanced-flue units or flued gas fires are safe to use. My choice is the balanced-flue unit because of its lower running costs.

For more information, visit infinitifires.co.za or fireplacewarehouse.co.za.

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In their individual capacity, timber design experts Zander van Niekerk and Herman Malherbe are renowned for their imaginative use of traditional woodturning and joinery techniques in the creation of innovative furniture. The two have now joined forces, bringing their combined years of experience to Create, a bespoke furniture, kitchen and cabinetry design company.

Create specialises in manufacturing a range of pieces for retail stores and developments – it is the preferred supplier for Waterfall Equestrian Estate, an upmarket housing development  in Sunninghill, Johannesburg.

From its base of operations in Johannesburg – alongside which a showroom that showcases the latest in kitchen design – the Create team also designs stand-alone furniture. Its Malburgh Parquet Table, with a top made of old flooring reclaimed from a building in Joburg’s CBD and a powder-coated steel base, is simply gorgeous.

Together with the Create team of expert crafters and artisans, Zander and Herman design dream kitchens, making the best possible use of available space and filling it with innovative built-in cupboards and cabinets. The team’s creative range and quality of workmanship are second to none.

Visit createluxury.co.za for more information.

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Downsizing doesn’t have to mean shedding the lifestyle you love. Francois Swart and Albie Niemandt let their passion for art and entertainment shape their space.

When deciding to downsize from their spacious Northcliff home to the lock-up-and-go convenience of an apartment, architect and design consultancy owner, Francois Swart, and finance and fine-art specialist, Albie Niemandt, had two main considerations. 

The space they chose needed to provide a comfortable entertainment area and enough wall space to showcase their impressive art collection. 

To the untrained eye, their choice – a double-storey apartment in Craighall Park – might not have appeared to meet those criteria, but they knew better. “I believe any house with good bones can successfully be transformed into a personal space with a few cosmetic changes,” says Francois. 

The Rothesay Avenue apartment may still have been decked in dowdy tiles, dated sliding doors and embellishments, but she had beautiful bones. Designed by Michael Sutton – key in the development of domestic architecture in South Africa during the building boom of the 1960s – the apartment already had a sense of grace, balance and material integrity, with a consideration for South Africa’s warm climate. 

“We were still faced with the challenge that we needed space for entertainment,” says Francois. “To create space in a small area, you generally knock down walls, but we needed the walls for our art, so what to do?”

Knocking out the walls enclosing the kitchen and turning the downstairs into a large open-plan area also proved to be a problem in terms of storage. The solution, however, was surprisingly simple. By creating an enclosed utility space for the “noisy” washing machine, and allowing the mostly floor-to-ceiling kitchen units to flow into the dining area, they successfully merged the two, while providing ergonomic work surfaces for cooking and serving.

“There’s a trick to downscaling,” says Francois. “It forces you to organise and sort out your life. Once you pare it down, life becomes simpler and easier.”

Reflection is used to create space, both in the floor tiles (to add depth), and the less fussy furnishings (to add dimension). “Another architectural element I like to use is light as a mood enhancer – sun during the day and candles or dimmers at night,” says Francois. 

“[When working with a space] I like to start with a blank canvas. In this case we wanted our paintings to feature more than a wall colour.”The dominant light-grey palette for the sweeping “canvas” came from the Angus Taylor sculpture gracing the centre of the room. The idea was that they wanted the sculpture “to melt into the space”. The bronze work – comprising what appears to be two rock-and-concrete cast figures reaching out to one another – divides the dining and sitting areas without disturbing the flow from the entrance to the folding doors opening on to the garden. 

Francois says the interplay of the characters in this piece, entitled Ek Het Wat Jy Nie Het Nie, Jy Het Wat Ek Nie Het Nie, tells a story that speaks to him directly. It is this emotional and intellectual resonance that
has proved key to the curation of Albie and Francois’ impressive collection of fine South African art, which started in the late 1990s and got serious when they bought their first Judith Mason painting Man Under A Bridge. The piece takes pride of place beneath the sweeping curve of the staircase. On the other side of the room Diane Victor’s large-scale etching and digital print, Baited, takes up a broad sweep of the wall. Both pieces are powerful and add drama, but they do, admits Francois, strike fear in the hearts of some of their guests. “I believe art should push you, broaden your horizons. You can only grow if you are uncomfortable.”

Says Albie: “Art is wonderfully addictive! It’s living with a glimpse into the world of a creative human being on your wall. It not only provides a focal point in a room, but stirs emotions on a personal level and stimulates conversation – especially after a glass of good wine! Then there is the added satisfaction that it is money well spent… or at least should be. Try it… Soon you will be hungry for more!”

That said, the collection – which includes works by Gerhard Marx, Rossouw van der Walt, Norman Catherine, Robert Hodgins, Jacobus Kloppers, Frikkie Eksteen, John Meyer and Willem Boshoff, among others – does include some “easier” pieces. 

Proof of humour in art and life can be found when climbing the stairs and rounding the corner to the upper level. Albie and Francois had the perfect spot at the top of the stairs to complement their recent purchase of Francois van Reenen’s Very Bored Girl. But when it arrived they “couldn’t believe its size”. Instead of popping neatly into the curve of the balustrade, the sculpture had to be placed where she wanted to stand – demanding a strong presence on the landing. An indication, perhaps, that art imitates life, and nothing should be taken too seriously.  

francois@padia.co.za, 082 784 7630 
albie@padia.co.za, 082 562 7625 

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As Africa’s largest decor, design and lifestyle exhibition, Decorex never fails to offer visitors anything and everything they might need for a full home revamp, from wallpaper and floor cladding to fridges and kitchen sinks.

The ever-popular Johannesburg segment of the trade show took place at Gallagher Estate Convention Centre from 6 to 10 August 2014.

By far the most impressive aspect of Decorex was this year’s inclusion of 100% Design South Africa, a showcase of inspiring local designers. Just about every stand in this section offered quality design and excellent craftsmanship, but if we have to pick, here are few of our favourites: 

• Street design darling Atang Tshikare demonstrated his disciplined line drawings live, between chatting to visitors and selling some of his smaller prints. The self-styled surface designer and graffiti artist has sky-rocketed into the public eye with his customised sneakers, furniture collaborations and public murals. His work at 100% Design was part of a series for Robin Sprong Wallpaper, a stand that turned out to be a fantastic place to meet other impressive talent.
• It’s here that we came across the work of Debby van der Veer, whose soon-to-be-launched brand Blandat pushes the parameters of drawing and textile design by fusing disparate imagery, such as foliage, flowers and hand grenades, with sensuous textures.
• Long-time favourites Dokter + Misses (in association with VISI) collaborated with Swazi-based Gone Rural and Dauphin HumanDesign Group to create a contemporary workspace design that contrasted sleek, urban lines with organic shapes and textures. RAW also offered interesting design solutions for a fresh and clean office space.
• Bronze Age, meanwhile brought in a strong masculine elements with its brutish figurines and studded bronze bowls.
• Other notables were Meyer von Wielligh with their nature-inspired furniture pieces (which won best furniture design), MUD Studio with its amazing take on texture and surface design and Vogel for its minimalist, flowing organic pieces.

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By having separate entrances to her home and shop, Des Armstrong successfully juggles her personal and professional spaces – something she’s managed to do in different incarnations for more than 20 years.

As you walk into the multicoloured courtyard of Des Armstrong’s retail space, Hadeda, there’s an inscription above the enclosed patio section with the words “mi casa es su casa” (my house is your house) – a phrase that is echoed in metal scrolls dotted around the space. While it might not be the shop-owner’s intention to invite people into her personal cocoon, the phrase takes on particular relevance when visitors become aware that this property in Parkwood, Johannesburg, is both a place of work and home to Des.

Making the shift between the personal and professional can prove challenging for people who run businesses from home, either because household chores take on a nagging priority, or because the over-dedicated worker finds themself unable to step away from their desk and therefore never actually leaves work. The secret to successfully negotiating these territories, Des believes, lies in clearly delineating her work and personal spaces.

“My work is divorced from home. The one has nothing to do with the other,” she says. “The secret is division – having separate entrances to two buildings allows me to make the shift. I also keep strict office hours and very seldom deviate from them. I prepare for my day as I would if I were going to any other office job.”

It’s a juggling act that Des has had plenty of experience with. When she left the corporate world more than 20 years ago to start importing art, craft and decor items from Central and South America, she started the business from her dining-room table in Dunkeld. As the business expanded she moved into her garage, until eventually she built a customised retail space on the property. It was almost unheard of in Joburg suburbia at the time, but she was able to capitalise on the novelty factor for a number of years before moving the business to a bustling section of Jan Smuts Avenue, close to the famed Goodman Gallery and bristling with other smaller art spaces.

Her unusual decision to move her home into her workspace a year ago was once again based on practicality. “When my husband fell ill we moved into an apartment, but it seemed senseless to pay rent to someone else,” Des says. The solution was to put fewer of the same stock items out and move the surplus into storage to make space at Hadeda for a small but comfortable apartment. “The saving on petrol has been fantastic,” she says. “And I don’t have to contend with rush-hour traffic and aggressive drivers.”

Although the entrances are separate, Des’s signature style acts as a thread running through her home and the shop. So much so that she has had to tape a printed page with the word “private” on the red door to her home to prevent customers from wandering in.

Adorned with ornate mirrors, bright motifs, heavy pewter lights, dangling hearts, candles, Day of the Dead skulls and ornaments, as well as large antique bureaus showcasing various decor items, Hadeda has a beautifully landscaped garden and a comfortable, homely feel ­– in spite, or possibly because, of the cheerful collusion of colours and patterns. Pink, blue, green, yellow and red statement walls live side by side and form the backdrop to a multitude of art and craft items imported from Mexico, Peru and Guatemala. Yet, there is a sense of order that keeps items in check and prevents the clutter from becoming overwhelming. The key, Des insists, lies in proportion. With a background in marketing and advertising, Des treats the space like a kind of enlarged layout, balancing the colours and elements against one another.

Bright colours and bold patterns are also prevalent in her home across the corridor, but are more subdued, with some of the walls painted in cooler colours and a more deliberate and quieter placement of objects. The decor and artworks collected over years of travel and living are more eclectic and cosmopolitan than what appears in Hadeda, yet still clearly demonstrate how this brand of decor can be incorporated into a lifestyle.

Although it isn’t the norm, Des does occasionally “cheat” and allow certain customers into her home, to give them ideas on paint effects or other solutions that they could try in their own homes. “Many people are curious about how I live,” says Des. “Customers often wonder how to live this lifestyle, they wonder if my home is as garish. I offer them ideas about preparation and colour and give advice on proportions to create harmony.”

So what does Des do to escape the property? “I go shopping,” she laughs. “Well, not just shopping. I visit friends or go out for a meal or a movie.” And with her home and office based down the road from the restaurants and retail hub of Rosebank, she couldn’t be more perfectly situated.

011 788 5774, hadedashop.com, hadeda@iafrica.com

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It was a forced change that threw Fiona Pole and Didier Presse, the unsuspecting owners of The Atelier, into retail. Having relocated from Paris with their two young sons, the couple initially moved into a hidden upstairs studio at 44 Stanley, Johannesburg, where they set up their respective businesses as a fine-art printmaker and a framer.

But with no passing trade, business was slow and their anxiety increased when they were told that their workspace was to be bundled with others and rented to a hairdresser. Their only option was to move on or take a larger, more expensive shop downstairs. The couple took a leap of faith and decided to expand the business to include the sale of limited-edition prints and a selection of unusual books for adults and children.

“The space was conceived around wanting to use my working antique press as a focal point as well as the fact that we needed two workspaces – for printing and framing,” explains Fiona. “The aesthetic of the centre with its industrial fittings and pared-down look was an important consideration that we carried through into the interior of the shop.”

Now business is booming with an increased demand for art works by a range of popular local artists (most of which sell for less than R5 000) as well as Didier’s custom-made archival and
eco-friendly frames.

The Atelier has also found a niche among bibliophiles. “The books have been flying off the shelves, so much so that in the beginning I had to borrow my son Luka’s prized books for placeholders while I waited for orders,” says Fiona.

072 177 2555, theatelier@webmail.co.za

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Calvin Copeling’s exhibition ‘A Look Through The Lens’ takes an Instagram journey through Johannesburg to unearth the city’s frequently overlooked historic buildings. 

The exhibition speaks to the fabric and texture of the city – at times lost in decay, but also shifting and developing towards a new future. Copeling’s observations are mediated through his architectural background, as well as his experience of living in the city, and offers a keen insight into an ever-evolving, growing and decaying urban space.

What do you do for a living?

I work as an interior architect 

What drew you to live in the inner city?

I had always dreamt about living in the inner city, but it wasn’t until I was instructed by the non-profit organisation I was working for at the time to look for office space, that I visited the Ansteys building. I met Brian McKechnie and decided I’d like to live there myself, so I purchased a unit.

Inner city living definitely changes your perspective on things, but I never wanted to become complacent with my surroundings or with looking for inspiration. These days I set out walking through the city, with no final destination or location in mind, and just see where the city takes me.  

When did you start photographing the city?

After purchasing my apartment in the Ansteys. Being in the city more often I started noticing buildings that are often overlooked and undervalued, and decided to document them. 

Which is your favourite building, and why?

Ummmm…. difficult question. There are so many in Johannesburg that I am drawn to: Lorna Court, the legislature building, Johannesburg City Council, old Johannesburg General Hospital, Carlton Hotel, the old synagogue.  What draws me to most of them is the play of texture and form – as a result of both design and decay. 

What is it about a particular building that makes you want to photograph it?

I generally look for interesting texture and shapes, or the way the light plays on a building. But it’s often whatever draws my eye as I walk through the city.

Do you think its important to preserve the city’s old buildings?

Yes indeed. So much of our city’s architectural heritage has been lost, we have to preserve the historic buildings we have left and be sensitive when renewing them.

Does your background as an interior architect influence the way you look at the city, and the world?

I definitely think my architectural background has influenced the way I photograph and see the city. I think the way I photograph is how I experience the city – both the beautiful and the ugly side-by-side.

Tell us about your current exhibition A Look Through the Lens.

I set out trying to document Johannesburg’s often overlooked and undervalued architecture. I try to look past the dirt and grime and see the city as it was historically, while looking towards its future. The focus is on the use of concrete in the city; how it ages over time, transforms the city, and becomes a backdrop to the city’s history and transformation. The idea that concrete forms the historical and textural backdrop for the city is the focus of my photography. I show the city as I see it, not gentrified and sterile, not shying away from the dirt and grime that plays part of the city landscape. 

Where can people see more of your work?

I am in the process of setting up a website where the public can view my photos and purchase prints, but in the mean time they are welcome to follow me on Instagram @calvincopeling 

A Look Through The Lens runs until 3 August 2014 at the Gauteng Institute for Architecture (GIFA), 77 Juta Street, Braamfontein. 

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The offices of advertising agency Ogilvy in Johannesburg promote creative play through tongue-in cheek decor.

A mischievous element of play is not immediately apparent when you caste a glance around the grounds of Ogilvy & Mather in Bryanston, Johannesburg. Based around an original Cape Dutch farmhouse the complex spills out into neat gardens, a soothing duck pond and a large office complex, which on appearance could belong to any means of business from insurance to market research. From the outside there’s little to give away that the buildings are those of one of South Africa’s leading advertising agencies – responsible for promoting mainstream brands from Cell C and KFC to DStv and Audi.

It’s only when you look up to the rooftop that you get an inkling of the creative minds buzzing inside the office walls. Grafted to the roof tiles is a rainbow of brightly molded plastic lettering in the style of alphabet fridge magnets, which spell out the words “Dream Humungous”.   

It’s the first of a series of details that illustrate the company’s precepts of “playfulness” and “idealism”. Large-scale dreaming certainly worked for the company’s founder, David Ogilvy, who started out as an AGA salesman and went on to be dubbed the “father of advertising” in the 1950s and 60s, to the extent that in 1962 Time called him “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry”.

There is continued evidence of this idealism and joyful spirit as you wander through the buildings. Some sections have colour-coded beanbags for chilling in while others offer a nod to the founders of advertising with posters of ads from the 50s and 60s. From the tongue-in-cheek plastic ducks in the canteen, which reference the duck pond outside, to offices clad in bold photographic floral wallpaper.

In some ways the decor is disjointed but this is because sections are divided according to clients – so you’ll have the entire DStv team working in area and KFC in another. Their client-based loyalty is taken to its zenith with details such as a colour-coded guardhouse and decals on the entrance doors to promote DStv’s screening of the Brazil World Cup. The PR department is known internally as “the heart of the business” and is decorated accordingly with desk dividers upholstered in a textile print featuring a human figure with a bright red heart on its chest. 

Pulling it all together is an enormous Lego wall comprising 10 000 large-scale Lego blocks, which originally spelled out the word “play” in primary coloured glory. These days it features some brand names and meandering squiggles, obviously built by some creative dreamer on a coffee break. After all, if you’re going to spend your days at work, it might as well be as good as play.

jogilvy.co.za

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Cities are in constant flux and one of the most interesting recent developments is Cyrildene’s metamorphosis into Joburg’s new Chintown. Lisa Johnston explores a regular weekend walking tour that highlights the ever-evolving façade of the city of gold. 

“Did you notice anything unusual in that shop,” Ishvara Dhyan asks a crowd of about 30 people gathered around him. There’s a general murmur and people look to each other in confusion.

“The woman behind the counter … she’s a man,” he says conspiratorially referring to the Thai lady boy who has just spent the past 20 minutes selling tamarind and lime leaves, fish sauce and garangul to the group of oblivious South Africans.

The group isn’t assembled on Khoa San Road, Bangkok, as you might expect, but on the far end of Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene – Johannesburg’s new Chinatown, home to a number of immigrants from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and, increasingly, Thailand. (The old Chinatown was more towards downtown Joburg, on Commissioner Street.)

Dhyan runs a business called Ancient Secrets, offering cultural walking tours of Johannesburg’s continuously changing façade. For R100 he will help you explore Fordsburg’s Indian delights, Troyville’s West African delicacies or Cyrildene’s Asian fare, among others. That he can come up with an ever-evolving number of multi-cultural tours is testimony to the dynamic nature of the city and how its architecture adapts to serve changing cultural needs.

Take Cyrildene for example, it wasn’t that long ago that the suburb was populated with bagel shops, kosher delis and shuls. But politics and prosperity conspired and by the early to mid 90s, the one-time Jewish stronghold was becoming diluted and, eventually, consumed by Asian immigrants. Leading the pack was a Chinese noodle bar owner who saw potential in Cyrildene and decided to leave his premises on Rockey Street, Yeoville. At the same time South Africa and Beijing began feeling out potential diplomatic relations. By the mid 90s many of Cyrildene’s Jewish residents were moving to more prosperous neighbourhoods in Johannesburg, or “packing for Perth” in fear of the country’s changing political landscape.

These days you’d be hard pressed to find evidence of Cyrildene’s Jewish past – and on Chinese New Year to even find evidence that this is South Africa – with its plethora of tea shops, noodle bars, hairdressers, Asian supermarkets acupuncturists and massage parlors. This cultural identity has been proudly proclaimed and stamped on the area about two years ago when twin ornate Chinese arches were constructed on either end of Derrick Avenue.

Although the one still remains incomplete, the R2.4-million arches were paid for by the community and their relevance is probably best summed up by Ufreida Ho in an article she wrote for the Mail & Guardian: “[T]hey stand as two stakes in the ground — invitation and proclamation… This unequal state of completion is the perfect metaphor for Chinatown — always two faces, the hidden and the public, the legal and the less than legal, the big welcome and the middle finger. The duality is not too difficult to understand for those who constantly renegotiate identities.”

As the city constantly renegotiates its identity it will be interesting to note how its architecture will take on new facades and fashions.

For more information on Ancient Secrets visit ancientsecrets.co.za

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The decor of a new meat-free restaurant in Parktown North is inspired by the textures and colours of Turkey, India, Morocco and Hungary, resulting in an eclectic whirligig of style and flavour.

It took four years to grow The Pudding Shop – and by grow we mean allow the fig ivy to thread its path up the exposed brick walls and the vines to twist a stealthy path through the rafters. But four years was worth the wait to create the fresh, organic indoor-outdoor space the restaurants owners’ Zeus Gusson and Klara Molinaro had envisaged.

“The building was too clean and cold initially,” says Zeus, “It needed time to get that worn look.” The duo had decided that the space should lend an ambiance of love and comfort in a setting that resonates with the nature of their vegan and vegetarian menu. They used nature’s bounty as a backdrop to the restaurant, then added wrought iron chandeliers, rough wooden counters, wooden tables and a mix of brightly painted and antique display and storage cases. The floor was cast in smallish, individual concrete slabs to allow weeds or dandelions to creep through the cracks if that’s what they chose to do. 

The result is a gentle, quirky space that feels a bit like finding a nook in a secret garden where you can curl your legs under you and tuck into a good book. Like a garden, the decor also changes according to the seasons and temperature of the owners’ moods. The space might take on the clean austerity of a winter’s day with white linen tablecloths, white beaded bowls and white roses or the zest and earthiness of an African bazaar, with bright, patterned cloths, mismatched crockery and country flowers.

“Decor is just clothes for your furniture,” says Zeus. Although he adds: “With Klara’s vision, today it might be ‘let’s butternut everything’, but by tomorrow butternut could be the worst thing.”

Their menu is equally eclectic, changing with the seasons and what is fresh and available. Although the focus is on vegan and vegetarian food, they strive to bust the cliché’s of soggy tofu and wilting beansprouts. “We like to be cheeky with our food,” says Zeus. “We like to get away from the obvious and make flavourful, interesting food.”

It’s also not about alienating anyone based on dietary choices. Fish creeps its way onto the menu, as does the option to include bacon in your breakfasts – but these are cooked next door so as to keep the Pudding Shop kitchen strictly meat free. “Some people say we are eclectic, but it’s about respect,” says Zeus. “We don’t want to penalise anyone for their fish or dairy choices.”

The Pudding Shop, behind La Cucina Di Ciro on 43 Seventh Avenue, Parktown North, 061 444 3493, bookings@thepuddingshop.co.za, www.lacucinadiciro.co.za.

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