&Beyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge gets a chic modern redesign, celebrating colour, culture, art, design, natural materials and Serengeti charm.

It’s a tranquil setting that contradicts an annual drama. A short walk down a gravel path through a gap in the thick bush opens up to an extensive oxbow lake, seasonally fed by the Grumeti River. Here you’ll find &Beyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge’s expansive guest pavilion, and a deck that overlooks the large pods of resident hippos in the water below. It’s a beautiful, peaceful scene… for now: these waters also play host to one of the animal kingdom’s legendary spectacles – the great migration – as massive herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle begin their trek across the vast Serengeti plains towards Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The Grumeti is the first major river crossing. Tucked away in its riverine forest, the lodge’s pavilion and 10 luxury guest suites follow the natural curves and flow of the river. The circular form of the Maasai necklace and the vibrant colours of the region inspired Fox Browne Creative’s Chris Browne to meet the brief of creating an ambience of rustic, elegant, authentic luxury for the camp. Circular form is the dominant design theme, with banana fibre-clad discs in the pavilion’s dining and lounge area ceilings, the shape repeating itself to unite with the boma and spherical rim-flow pool at the other end of the communal space. Still in its original position, the traditional boma remains the hero of night-time dining under the stars.

The circular theme continues in the private guest areas,inspired by traditional Maasai Manyatta homesteads in which homes surround a cattle enclosure. With a directive to re-interpret the safari tent, lead architect Jack Alexander, in partnership with Fox Browne Creative, designed a contemporary lightweight steel frame for the rooms. Made off-site for easy transport and assembled on location, the structures were then clad in classic canvas and local hardwood to provide richness and texture.

READ MORE: Zambian Lodge by Fox Brown Creative

Thanks to the absence of concrete as a material, the buildings have a lightness, appearing to float over the landscape and blend into their surroundings. With a sustainable life cycle in mind, upcycling and repurposing were integral to the design process and construction approach, and included reusing the previous structures’ foundations and floor platforms, as well as their building materials, which were also recycled.

Decorated in soft African pastels, each suite is a sanctuary, fully immersed in the wilderness. Rather than employing glazing, canvas structures soften the barrier between the tent’s occupants and nature, connecting them directly with the Serengeti. It’s an impression accentuated by a bathtub elegantly nestled in a protective woven cradle, as well as the breeze that flows through the indoor/outdoor shower.

READ MORE: Gujarati Lodge

Fox Browne Creative’s vision was also to feature African artisans. As a result, delicate handblown recycled-glass basins by local social enterprise Shanga are complemented by wooden vanities courtesy of South Africa’s Umdabu, and oversized round mirrors by Arkivio that reflect views of the river, forest, and the abundant birds and animals. The profusion of wildlife is also on show from the spacious deck, with its plunge pool a luxurious respite on hot afternoons. Cocktail in hand and cooled by an afternoon swim, there’s no better place to witness the Great Migration gain momentum as thousands upon thousands of animals cross the Grumeti on their incredible journey.

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A recent refurb has breathed new life into Jao Camp, a luxury safari camp located on a private island in the middle of the Okavango.

An elephant drinks from the swamp as a crocodile cruises by, only its beady eyes giving away its presence. A mother and father hippo protect their calf below the surface as a mokoro is expertly steered between the swishing reeds. A lilac-breasted roller flies overhead, displaying its rainbow-like plumage. It’s scenes and moments like these in the Okavango Delta that guests get to experience at Wilderness Safaris’ Jao Camp.

Owned by David and Cathy Kays, fourth-generation Batswana, and their son Martin, Jao Camp was originally built at the turn of the millennium, and recently underwent a complete renovation. Entrusted by the Kays for its first design in 1999 were dynamic husband-and-wife architecture-and-design duo Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens – and they were called on once again for its reinterpretation.

READ MORE: Madagascan Resort

After two decades in operation, the camp – which has grown to be one of the finest in the Delta – had become a bit weathered due to heavy rains, floods and termites. The owners decided it needed an overhaul, one that would take its current issues into consideration and prevent it from deteriorating in years to come while also elevating its offering. This was no problem for Silvio and Lesley, the self-described adventure architects – and everything that makes up the re-imagined Jao is recycled, reclaimed or handmade, and built to last. Authentic-looking thatch is, in fact, recycled plastic. What from afar appears to be a structure made of intertwined metal pipes, haphazardly pieced together like a nest, is actually bleached discarded wood (which shelters the pool). The wooden poles that previously held up the main area have been replaced with a steel structure. And the private and communal decks that appear to be wooden are also made of a composite material. There’s no greenwashing happening here – this is an ecofriendly build in every sense of the term.

“We took a fresh, contemporary approach to the sense of adventure Jao has always had, creating a feeling of not knowing what to expect around the next corner,” says Silvio. “The ever-changing architectural structures take their cues from forms found in nature, but in an innovative way. Conventional materiality is replaced with a more eco-sensitive palette, as the bouquet of spaces and sculptures evolves. The way one is couched – protected from the environment – is blended into a series of sculptural, emotive spaces that amplify the blur between the concept of shelter and art, sculpture and architecture.”

READ MORE: Leobo Lodge in the Waterberg

Accommodation is made up of five one-bedroom suites and two two-bedroom villas, each with an open-plan layout, private plunge pools, lounge and dining areas, and en suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers. Interiors are muted and earthy, as one would expect in a place where nothing can hold a candle to the surrounding natural beauty, but that does not make them any less impressive. The predominantly handmade local furniture and decor pieces were thoughtfully imagined and designed by Silvio, Lesley and their team, and meticulously crafted by African artisans and makers.

Attention to detail is apparent throughout, with standout design pieces that echo the environment. The resin and hand-carved steel bathroom furniture is inspired by the waterlily leaf, the wallpaper is made of raffia floor mats, palm-leaf-shaped lampshades are constructed from leather, and floors are adorned with hand-woven raw wool carpets. Communal areas include the elevated lounge and dining space housed in an elaborate two-storey building, a gift shop, a library, a museum and gallery, a boma for outdoor dining, the pool house, a spa and a separate gym.

Jao offers both land- and water-based safaris, with plenty of game-viewing possible from the comfort of the camp. As a destination that has been welcoming guests for 23 years, Jao’s future in the Okavango Delta once again looks as bright as the plumes of the roller.

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Nautilus Estate, a brand new luxury concept by international architecture firm Luxury Frontiers brings pared-back seaside living to the dunes of Keurboomstrand.

Surrounded by undulating dunes, rolling blue mountains, expansive milkwood forests, and the warm and inviting Indian Ocean, Nautilus Estate is set to put pure coastal relaxation at front of mind. The Garden Route is a hub of natural wonder, abundant with indigenous flora and fauna, with neighbouring towns close enough for all the comforts of city living around the corner.

Currently under development all villas in the estate will have unobstructed views of the ocean. Privacy is a key factor in the design, so that residents may not see their neighbours if that’s their preference. The design ensures that residents and visitors alike can feel completely isolated… in the best possible way, of course.

The architecture will embrace the surrounding landscape – remaining unobtrusive and mindful, while still creating a striking and contemporary atmosphere with organic shapes, flowing lines and the use of natural materials, blending the villas into the topography of the Garden Route and its natural beauty. With all of the architecture and design focusing on being entirely eco-conscious and entirely off-the-grid, the Nautilus Estate is also set to qualify for a Green Star rating.

There are also plans to expand the estate to include the Nautilus Resort, which will offer an exclusive lodge experience. Villa owners on the estate can opt to keep their home private or join as a part of the resort structure where owners may rent out their piece of paradise to holidaymakers wishing to share this exclusive experience. World-class facilities will be on offer to guests, spanning from a luxury spa and wellness facility, a fine dining restaurant, a state-of-the-art wine cellar and a helipad. 

The buried Guest Units on the resort will offer a one-of-a-kind guest experience while the architecture will accommodate the reinstated Milkwood forest – allowing nature to take over, with a leafy canopy enveloping the roofs.

With a juxtaposition between modern sleek design and a respect for nature, the Nautilus Estate and future Nautilus Resort will be the perfect holiday escape to completely immerse yourself in nature while experiencing peak luxury and design.

For more information on the Nautilus Estate, visit nautilusestate.co.za or contact Hein Pretorius at Sotheby’s International on 0837013159 and Nols Kotze at Carnivore Capital on 0828718001.

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Situated on a riverfront concession in Zambia’s lower Zambezi National Park, this new luxury lodge combines elegance with just a touch of sparkle.

With every new lodge, we have a process,” says Debra Fox, sitting in the lounge of Lolebezi, the latest luxury safari destination to bear the signature of design studio Fox Browne Creative. As coffee is served in bespoke Vorster & Braye crockery on a tray of shimmering copper, the morning sun tinges the Zambezi River with gold.

“Our process is called circles in a forest,” she says. “It’s where we walk and feel the landscape. Because wherever we go, it’s always about a sense of place. It’s all about site.” And the location of Lolebezi is nothing short of remarkable, occupying a riverfront private concession site within Zambia’s remote Lower Zambezi National Park.

“It’s one of those game-changing sites in southern Africa,” notes Jack Alexander, the architect on the project. “The river is obviously the biggest drawcard, but with this particular site, there are also spectacular views backwards into the forest.” That forest is a lush stand of winter thorn acacia, which would become a muse for the lodge’s design ethos, the curved seedpods informing much of Lolebezi’s visual language.

READ MORE: Gujarati Lodge

That’s most obvious in the beautiful hand-printed bed throws, and the botanical panels framing the central lounge area, both by Amanda du Plessis of Evolution Product. But more broadly, the circular seed shape is a motif evident throughout the eight-bedroom lodge, where swirling forms soften the thoroughly contemporary design.

READ MORE: Luxury Sossusvlei Lodge

Created by Tribal Textiles, striking works of woven grass – each nearly four metres across – sweep across the ceiling of the lounge and dining area. But perhaps the highlight is at the very heart of the lodge: a circular two-level platform dubbed the “Circle of Light” that ascends into the boughs of a sturdy winter thorn. “The circle around the tree became a hinge; a pivot point where we see the guest move between two halves of the lodge,” explains Jack. “We also wanted to get guests up into the canopy of the winter thorn. From there, you get this phenomenal aspect down the Zambezi and into the forest.”

“Overall, we tried to provide a design that enhances the guest experience of the Lower Zambezi,” adds Debra. “Many of the most beautiful aspects of the lodge are those that enhance the sense of being in that space.”

READ MORE: Khwai Leadwood in Botswana

Aside from natural inspiration, the design of Lolebezi also taps into the history, traditions and culture of Zambia. Angular legs of Kaonde tribal stools are subtly echoed in the dining tables and faceted bar counter of rain forest marble. A curtain of curled reeds, hand-stitched locally, frames a curving couch of textured rattan designed to maximise the river views. The shimmer of copper – one of Zambia’s key exports – is another thread that runs through Lolebezi, from the breakfast trays to the striking circular mosquito nets in each suite.

“With all the organic textures, you want a bit of sparkle,” says Debra with a smile. “Not too much – just a little, to play off the textural elements. If we didn’t have the rustic railway sleepers and the organic reeds, it might look out of place. But because it’s toned down – and a natural material – it works.

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Sisley has been pushing the boundaries of beauty and skincare for over 40 years. Today, we lift the veil on this family-run brand and discover exactly why it is the crème de la crème of French cosmetics.

When Hubert and Isabelle d’Ornano launched Sisley in 1976, they wanted to create something that would be markedly different from any other luxury skincare brand that had come before. Backed by a talented research team, they firmly believed that natural ingredients were the most promising area in cosmetics research.

Sisley made Phyto-cosmetology, the power of plants combined with the science of cosmetics, its specialty long before the cosmetics industry jumped on the band wagon. As pioneers in this field, the d’Ornano’s visionary approach to the luxury cosmetics sector has helped create a legacy that spans more than 40 years and a brand that continues to innovate to this very day.

Its continued evolution and creative direction is spearheaded by the d’Ornano family themselves as Sisley is still very much a family-run business. “Family plays a very big role – it’s hugely important for our identity,” says Christine d’Ornano, the brand’s Global Vice President.

“I think you can really feel the family within our products, especially in the fragrances and the makeup. You can feel the personality. I work in Paris on the product development side and I work with my mother who has worked on this since the very beginning. My brother heads up the business and we very much do what we want instead of looking to what other brands are doing.”

Balancing research & design

Research and product development are one of the major cornerstones of the Sisley universe. The brand’s Research Laboratories’ unique know-how brings together expert knowledge of skin – the skin’s mechanisms and its environment – and an unparalleled expertise and mastery of Phyto-cosmetology.

Products are never ‘rushed’ through research and development in order to latch onto flash-in-the-pan trends. The Sisley research teams take their time to develop formulas so that each product meets the highest safety standards while delivering exceptional results. “We take great pride in the development of our products, some of which have taken over 10 years to develop,” says Christine.

One such product is Sisleÿa, the brand’s iconic treatment range. It took more than a decade to develop the award-winning skincare collection which contains a complex formula of over fifty different natural key ingredients that simultaneously target the different mechanisms of skin ageing.

“Skincare is very much about working with our lab and the scientists and trying to develop the most efficient products we can. When it comes to the fragrance and the makeup it’s very much about being an artist, and drawing on our family taste,” explains Christine.

When art is a family affair

Art is a very personal and important aspect of the Sisley brand. As lifelong art lovers and collectors, Isabelle and Hubert d’Ornano collaborated with many of their favourite artists. “It has perhaps been the most important passion of of my parents,” says Christine. As soon as Sisley started to find its success, art was the first thing they started buying. They always had their heads in the sales catalogs. They trained our eye. And they introduced us to the artists they liked.”

Notably, Polish sculptor Bronislaw Krzysztof created the sculptural caps for Eau du Soir and Soir de Lune, two of brand’s signature fragrances.

“Originally,  Eau du Soir  was created by my father for my mother – it was created privately for her and she wore it for 10 years before they decided to launch it to the public.  Most famous classic fragrances have been developed like that – it was a very personal approach and we are able to do that because we are a family business,” explains Christine.

In 2017 the brand collaborated with English illustrator Quentin Jones to bring the wonderful world of Izia, a new perfume, to life. More recently, Isabelle d’Ornano’s niece, Polish painter Elzbieta Radziwill, brought her colourful and whimsical touch to the various Maison Sisley locations.

Maison Sisley: an elegant oasis

Maison Sisley, the brand’s exclusive signature boutiques with treatment rooms, are luxurious self-care destinations like no other. These calming spaces have been designed to make customers feel at one with the surroundings – a haven of well-being where they can reconnect and rejuvenate away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city.

Originally opened in 2017 in Paris, the interior design of the flagship boutique was closely supervised by Isabelle and Christine d’Ornano and closely mirrors the family’s personal style and passion for art.

The lounge, undoubtedly the most personal part of the boutique, resembles a private living room. The mirrored sideboard decorated with stylised leaves, along with the lamps, is complemented perfectly by the “Jetlag” sofa by India Mahdavi and other works of art specially chosen for the space.

The Sisley Café is a relaxing space, reserved exclusively for clients. The tables are adorned with the chequers featured on the makeup cases and the famous black-and-white zebra motif from the Phyto-Lip Twist line.

The treatment rooms have were intentionally designed to be pure and understated, echoing the brand’s ethos.

It’s this nuanced attention to detail and artistic richness of the Maison Sisley space which allows customers to fully immerse themselves in the brand and indulge in the tailor-made treatments.

The brand has since expanded its Maison Sisley offering. Currently, there are Maison Sisley locations in France (Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon), Germany (Munich), the Czech Republic (Prague), Vienna (Austria) which opened in September, the United States (New York and Las Vegas) and Asia (Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong).

Sisley in South Africa

Exclusive to VISI customers: Visit the site and receive – 20% on the Sisley Online shop with the code VISI20 (offer available online only and ends 6 November, T&Cs apply). 

Discover Sisley Paris South Africa Official Site Here. 

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Louis Vuitton celebrates its founder’s bicentennial birthday with a showcase that highlights the company’s iconic travel trunk.

In the mid-1800s, Frenchman Louis Vuitton reinvented the idea of luggage, introducing a flat, stackable waterproof trunk in an array of chic fabrics. His in-demand luggage pieces were creative, elegant and practical. By 1905, his now ubiquitous initials made an appearance on the trunks and, well, you know the rest of that tale. Today, the LV trunk is as popular as ever, and an original could cost well over R100 000 at auction.

“200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries: The Exhibition” was launched in January 2022 at Vuitton’s historic Art Nouveau home in Asnières-sur-Seine, a village northwest of Paris. While the show may applaud the trunk and the man who conceived it, it also showcases new innovators: for the project, 200 of them get to produce their own interpretation of the LV trunk.

Music curator and DJ Benji B’s contribution is a moniker- adorned jukebox trunk loaded with a hundred of his favourite classic 7” records. Skateboarder, artist and filmmaker Beatrice Domond’s iteration is a fun skateable work. Acclaimed trends forecaster Li Edelkoort offers a lacquered black box with a gold interior, and Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto’s gloriously colourful trunk is plastered in seed packets and based on the concept that “seeds travel”. There are 196 other ideas by the likes of starchitect Frank Gehry, Japanese designer Nigo, Lego, and even feminist journalist icon Gloria Steinem.

“200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries” will travel to Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, New York and London in 2022. Proceeds from the exhibition go to 15 charitable organisations in 13 countries, selected for their focus on uplifting young people through creative initiatives.

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Memorable design will have your looks turning from lingering to lustful at New Orleans’s idiosyncratic Maison de la Luz Hotel.

Ask anyone what it means to reinvent design-hotel luxury for the 2020s, and Kelly Sawdon is best poised to answer. A partner at Atelier Ace – the studio known for its creative work on the global collection of Ace Hotels – Kelly was tasked with converting New Orleans’s 1908-built City Hall annex into what the company considers its first foray into luxury properties. The former office building, with its imposing edifice complete with Beaux-Arts flourishes, reveals little of its now offbeat interior.

Enlisting the help of Pamela Shamshiri of the brother-sister interiors team behind LA’s Studio Shamshiri multidisciplinary design firm, Kelly set about conceptualising the hotel by questioning contemporary luxury. “New Orleans is such a complicated, beautiful and layered city; we wanted to do something that really celebrates that on a more human scale,” she says.

“We asked a lot of questions about what luxury is right now, and what the Ace version of that is,” adds Pamela, citing nonagenarian style icon Iris Apfel as an influence on the maximalist aesthetic. Intimacy, a strong sense of place and New Orleans’s multicultural heritage were key to the look.

The outcome is a hotel that’s reminiscent of a worldly collector-traveller’s townhouse. “It’s almost like a quirky residence; there are aspects of it that really, truly do feel like a home,” says Pamela.

Maison de la Luz is nothing short of audacious, and a welcome assault on the senses. The Art Deco lobby makes for a cinematic entrance, one that’s given next-level impact by a chequered floor and Wes Anderson-style concierge desk. Complete with vintage lamps, period fonts and pigeonholes for silk-tasselled key fobs, the desk sets the tone for the guest experience.

So too do the original twin staircases: thoughtfully restored, they anchor the entrance. “We just dusted in the gold,” Pamela says of the colour added to their intricate metalwork to enhance their French detailing. Glass cabinets housing antique-store finds, and framed ceramic snakes forming sailing knots that reference the Mississippi’s maritime endeavours, add personality to the space.

Nothing shouts multicultural quite like an assortment of collectibles, including artworks of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, African masks, festive Indian headwear and torsos referencing Greek antiquity. Their display in the guest lounge has a fun pick-’n’-mix approach. Positioned at eye level and above, they draw attention upwards, encouraging an appreciation of the grandness of the high-ceilinged space. They are the room’s showstoppers, and are paired with understated velvet armchairs and banquettes in a playful, jewel-toned palette.

Completing the scheme are colourful custom carpets created in partnership with Christopher Farr and depicting menacing wild animals. Pamela describes the space as madcap, and one that deliberately references global iconography, thereby acknowledging the city’s diverse past.

The breakfast room offers a dramatic change of mood from the hotel’s other public areas, its airy freshness a contrast to the prevailing drama. Here Pamela celebrates the outdoors, despite it being a space that largely shuts out views of the neighbourhood beyond. Visuals of overscaled botanicals in Delft blue, and taking the form of leafy foliage fussed over by bees, grace the white walls. Wicker chairs surround scalloped dining tables. These, and the trompe l’oeil forms of the striped tent-like ceiling, conjure the decorative trimmings of a Louisiana garden party.

“New Orleans is a town of pirates and ghosts, and when you walk around, you’re very aware of different spiritual influences,” says Pamela. The private salon speaks to this, and is as rich in mysticism and Southern darkness as the town of Savannah is in John Berendt’s Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Saturated in night-time blues and gold, the room’s colours are not its only nod to the skies above: framed celestial maps, astrological charts and vintage diagrams of heavenly eclipses add an erudite edge. The spiritual realm isn’t far from reach, as the room’s fringed stools, studded sofas, alabaster urns and dimmed sconces intentionally lend the space an occult mood fit for a séance…

For more information, visit maisondelaluz.com.

Looking for more architectural or travel inspiration? Take a look at the Hôtel Les Deux Gares in Paris.

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The latest endeavour from Airbnb sees the company expand its offering from Airbnb Plus (see 7 of 2018’s most wish-listed homes here) to Airbnb Luxe, a brand-new tier of homes that have to meet a 300+ list of criteria to qualify.

More than 2 000 homes, including this previously featured Clifton house in Cape Town, have been picked as Airbnb Luxe properties, all of which have to meet a certain standard of design and feature the highest quality finishes and amenities.

“Today’s luxury traveller is craving more than just high-end accommodations; they seek transformation and experiences that leave them feeling more connected to each other and to their destination,” says Brian Chesky, Airbnb Co-Founder, CEO and Head of Community. “With Airbnb Luxe we are applying the same approach we’ve used since we launched Airbnb more than 11 years ago — creating local, authentic and magical travel moments now in amazing places to stay — to reimagine the way people think and experience luxury travel.”

Here are five spots from across the globe that form part of the Airbnb Luxe offering.

1. Clifton, Cape Town

2. Wanaka, New Zealand

3. Atoll de Nukutepipi, French Polynesia

4. Punta Mita, Mexico

5. Provence, France

For more information, visit airbnb.com/luxury.

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Babylonstoren has opened six new Fynbos Cottages that are the definition of restrained luxury and suggest how you might refocus your leisure time.

Through the vineyards and up a gradual incline, past a dam and on the crest of a ridge, the wheels of the electric carts thrum on the roadway. You breathe the route this way: fynbos, grapevines, untainted air. Guests shed clutter to be here at Babylonstoren: first their fossil-fuelled cars, then the clamour of business and the metronome of a daily routine.

Perhaps the word “cottage” is misleading, because what you discover are living spaces drawn in elegantly clean lines. Light streams in through glass walls; white space on which to draw your own experience. Think of these cottages rather as earth-anchored apartments with views over water, mountains and two-thirds sky, an artistic balance that you register subliminally as calming, pleasing on the eye.

Broad-beamed Oregon pine floors and thick walls make historical reference to the sturdy Cape dwellings of the 18th century, but all else is contemporary symmetry: crisp white linen, panama-straw fabric tones, and the textures of linen and fine cotton. The bathrooms are lolling spaces, stripped of everything but the opulence of space and cool marble underfoot. You could keep an eye on the world via a flat-screen, yet more enticing is a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, a wall of travel, philosophy, botany and history to engage your thoughts.

Through a low wooden gate, a path leads to a surprise for guests. Quite suddenly you are in an agave desert, but the mirage is real. A pool and low loungers invite you to bake like lizards in a rocky boma with a roof garden spiked with aloes and heat-loving indigenous plants. Above you is that distinctive Cape blue sky and a sun you’ve sought all year to recharge.

A short distance away down through the vineyards, close but almost another country, is the bustling abundance of the farm: the charcuterie and bakery; the roastery where almonds harvested in the orchards are roasted and where you’ll find blocks of artisanal chocolate and nougat; a Healing Garden of fragrant herbs for teas to soothe or invigorate; the new Spice Garden hothouse with arches reminiscent of a classic French gare; and the Factory, where balsamic vinegar in barrels makes the cool air sweet with its promise of a taste in years to come, and where, in the Scented Room, you may play alchemist and mix your own essential oils and fragrant salts. There are those cottage baths, after all…

Forage from the Farm Shop for your evening fare and then quietly retreat to the hill, with Simonsberg, Paarl Mountain, Du Toitskloof Mountains and the distinctive conical Babylonstoren peak etching the skyline.

And in that indeterminate time between dusk and night, the owls hunt for booty for their chicks housed in elevated boxes a short flight from the cottage verandas. You’ll not hear their wings, but perhaps if the night is windless and still, you might catch their double hoot and hear the short cry of their prey. They must forage, too, for their fare. By now your senses have been realigned. You will be gentled into a new way of marking time and somehow changed for the better.

For more information, visit babylonstoren.com.

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Local luxury accessory brand Missibaba has launched a new, limited edition collection of bags for winter, entitled WOVEN.

The idea for the collection came about when the Missibaba team discovered a selection of woven leather panels in their studio. “Feeling inspired, we then decided to explore the possibilities of hand weaving in a multitude of pattern and colour combinations to complement the already woven panels which we discovered,” says the team.

The range features mostly one-off creations, including basic tan bags with black trim that accentuate the panels of the design.

To shop the WOVEN collection, visit the Cape Town store at 229 Bree Street or the Johannesburg branch at Shop 3 Wrenrose Court, 64 St Andrew Street, Birdhaven. For more information, visit missibaba.com.

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