Nando’s celebrates the launch of two brand new PERi-PERi Bag & Bake Flavours with a bright and cheerful #PERiTricks pop-up in the heart of Jozi’s Braamfontein.

The Afro-Portuguese brand has added two exciting flavours to its do-it-at-homes repertoire – Paprika Citrino and Smokey Churrasco. These bags allow customers to add a Nando’s zing to their home-cooked meals. 

These spicy flavours inspired a selection of #PERiTricks recipes that reinvent some of South Africa’s favourite foods and ingredients. 

Customers will get to discover these recipe tricks between 24 June and 10 July 2022 at a quirky and vibrant pop-up in Braamfontein. Think super fun recipes made in a tumble dryer, air fryer or even with an iron.

Pairing with a local design studio, Studio H, the team celebrate local creativity and smart thinking, adding a plethora of local creatives to the concept, from cinematography art and design to the culinary arts.

READ MORE: Gastronomic Gateway: Makers Landing

The team joined forces with food creative and stylist Kelesto Motau and textile and surface designer Bonolo Chepape. “Our collaboration with young stars like Bonolo and Keletso is part of our ongoing drive to nurture creative talent in South Africa. As an authentically home-grown brand, we welcome all South Africans to a seat at our table. At our pop-up, they’ll be able to engage with our brand in an interactive and fun way and gain greater insight into the creativity and innovation that drives our brand,” says Vanessa Nunes, the Marketing Manager for Groceries at Nando’s.

Brought to life by Stretch Architects, the playful space brings an edge of afro-futurism and clever out-of-the-box thinking to the forefront. 

While customers are welcome to just pop into the pop-up, it is advised that they book and guarantee their spots at nandos.co.za/popup.

Looking for more interior design inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

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We chat to owner Jonathan Robinson about Bean There Coffee, the first Certified Fair Trade Coffee Roasters in South Africa. He spills the beans about his stores, the drink and what’s happening next.

What is the concept behind the cafe?

We worked with Meg Vaun Interiors in 2008 to create the initial interior at Bean There roastery at 44 Stanley. We worked with Meg and her team again for a redesign which was part of a full rebrand in 2020. The space was completely reconfigured by creating a central coffee bar island. In doing this we created an element of drama, by playing with scale and putting the coffee and baristas at centre stage.

What is the inspiration behind the design? Any local designers/artists used?

One of the standout features of our interiors has always been the lighting. It was important to carry this through in the re-designed space. Meg Vaun Interiors designed and custom-made the huge lampshades that hang over the coffee bar. You’ll see that the colour palette used for the lampshades is carried throughout the space. The bar itself is tiled in beautiful handmade ceramics from Akashic Tiles in Knysna. Above the 5.5m long leather diamond buttoned chesterfield sofa, Coote & Wench brass wall lights highlight the collection of photographs taken by us while on visits to the countries we source and buy coffee from. These images play an important role in showcasing the Bean There ethos, taking the viewer on a journey to meet the people and visit the places where our coffee is directly sourced from. Wherever possible we decided to re-use and recycle items from the previous interior. Tabletops were replaced with beautiful terrazzo tops from Notation Design in KwaZulu Natal and pewter lights hanging over the boardroom table received a new brass coating upgrade.

Who was in charge of the decor/interiors?

Meg Vaun Interiors took charge of the interior.

Tell us a bit about the brand and its ethos?

Bean There Coffee is South Africa’s first roaster of Certified Fairtrade coffee. We work with small-scale farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the DRC and strive to make a sustainable difference in the lives of African coffee producers by personally sourcing speciality coffee through our direct fair trade model. We are committed to roasting and distributing this incredible coffee in Southern Africa and are seeking to expand internationally. Bean There is committed to paying a living wage and creating an environment in which employees are seen, appreciated, and rewarded.

READ MORE: Cool Spaces: Plato Coffee

A history of the owners?

Bean There was established in 2005 in the garage of our founder Jonathan Robinson. Jonathan was captivated by the Fair Trade model in 2002 when he left Dimension Data to travel for a year with his wife Nicole. While embarking on a 27000km road trip through the USA and Canada they were introduced to Level Ground Coffee in Victoria Canada. Here Jonathan felt he had discovered the perfect business model which combined his two key passions, the desire to impact the African continent, and coffee (which he had been introduced to by his grandmother at 12 years old).

What are some key/standout features and elements?

The Cafe

The shelving behind the island draws people into the space through the use of greenery and interesting accessories, as well as allowing people to explore every coffee-related gadget conceivable. Meg Vaun Interiors is all about creating comfortable spaces that evoke a sense of calm but are at the same time interesting and thought-provoking. We wanted a cosy space – a space where you want to work, socialize and spend time. For Meg it’s always about spaces that have a soul and feel loved. She thinks about how the space will be used and who will be using it. It’s about connection.

The Company

The distance we’re prepared to go to source the earth’s best coffee knows no bounds. This is how we found the farmers of the finest coffee in the world, who we pay directly ensuring a fair trade that keeps their business sustainable and ours meaningful. When you drink a cup of Bean There coffee, you’re not only enjoying the world’s most exclusive coffee, you’re helping to make a sustainable difference in the lives of these African coffee producers. Direct fair trade means producers receive a fair payment for their coffee through equal engagement, regardless of market fluctuations, which ensures their community development and empowerment. Our single-origin coffee beans can each be traced back to one country and region. To bring the best out of these beans, our optimal roasting process ensures the key coffee elements of aroma, body, acidity and flavour meet in perfect harmony. By seeking the best, we explore, learn, and discover the best for ourselves. This makes every cup of Bean There coffee an adventure, transporting the taster from the misty slopes of Mt. Kenya to the fertile rolling hills of North Kivu while always delivering the taste of Africa’s coffee heritage.

Plans for the future?

Bean There is primarily a wholesaler of Fair Trade African coffee and we are constantly looking to grow our footprint in Southern Africa and most recently in the US. We are privileged to work with some incredible customers across the hospitality, corporate, café and retail sectors.

Looking for more interior design inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

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The latest iteration of Marti Foster’s delightful home-goods store, Masquerade, opened recently in Constantia Village in Cape Town, and is inspired by all things French, vintage and fabulous.

Masquerade is one of those stores you pop into thinking, “I’ll just take a two-minute peek for inspiration,” and then walk out of – some 30 minutes later – having purchased two brilliant gifts for the sort of friends who already have everything, plus a couple of scented candles for yourself.

The word “irresistible” most definitely springs to mind whenever we are reminded of owner Marti Foster’s store – which is why it was no wonder that we also loved her Franschhoek home (featured in VISI 114).

With outlets in both Franschhoek and Constantia, all of Masquerade’s vintage-inspired homeware is also available online. But, as Marti says, while the online store is well-established and growing, “Nothing beats the feeling of walking into Masquerade, and being able to smell, feel and experience the overall story.”

That story began back in 2001, when Masquerade was “a small corner shop bursting at the seams with vintage items sourced from local auctions”, she says. For a long time, Marti focused on vintage pieces that were “sold as is or renovated”, and sourced via her inveterate “auction-hopping” across South Africa, Europe and South America. From the start, the main focus was French-style furniture, linen and decor items. The store’s name was chosen to indicate the style of the time, says Marti: “Take something old, give it a lick of paint, and ‘masquerade’ it as something new.” Beyond that, the name also referred to a feeling of being transported into a new and special world of aesthetic loveliness. “Masquerade is always ‘full of stuff’,” she adds. “I like to know that people feel a bit overstimulated – that makes them come back.” The Constantia Village shop has the charm and atmosphere of an old-fashioned apothecary, and is packed to its high ceilings with tempting, top-quality homeware items, evoking an immediate “sense of generosity”, as Marti puts it.

“I love everything I sell because I hand-pick or design it all,” she says. Does she have any personal favourites? “For me, Masquerade’s linen range for the bedroom, kitchen and dining room is in a league of its own – it can’t be found anywhere else,” Marti responds. “It is timeless, and will last a lifetime.” She adds that Masquerade is also well-known for its wonderful ranges of scented candles.

Created during the pandemic lockdown of 2020, the Constantia Village Masquerade store was designed by Marti’s friend, artist André Carl van der Merwe, who hand-drew each unit, after which Ray Kilian painstakingly made the unique shop fittings. “It was a wonderful challenge for all during Covid times, but the creativity from everyone blew me away,” says Marti. Packed with delightful design details – including “the concave corners of the Fine Home Goods unit, the marble, the lighting, the carvings, the handles…” – the store is a pleasure (and, yes, an inspiration) to visit.

Looking for more cool local spaces? Take a look at the INOAR Lifestyle Centre in Pretoria.

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At a new cooperative store in Hyde Park Corner, Johannesburg, lovers of local design are most definitely Always Welcome.

It’s a design co-op,” says Always Welcome co-founder Garreth van Niekerk, “similar to how YDE [Young Designers Emporium] works.”

There are similarities — a drive to support local talent; a brand started as seismic societal shifts occur (YDE was launched the year after a democratic government was formed; Always Welcome opened during a global pandemic); and that the brick-and-mortar store lives in a mall.

But Garreth is talking mainly about the business model – a cooperative one, in which the designers featured in the store all contribute to the costs of running the space.

Doing so helps to mitigate the risk for everyone, and gives established and emerging makers greater access to new audiences and shoppers. The idea was born during the Covid-19 lockdown, as many businesses were closing and the unemployment rate soared. After a big decor magazine title closed its doors, Garreth was left wondering how designers were going to operate in this new landscape.

At the time of writing, 23 designers and makers were involved, including Dokter and Misses, Houtlander, Joe Paine, Mash.T, Okra Candle, Trevor Stuurman, TheUrbanative and Wiid Design. By the time this issue is on shelf, Always Welcome will have added brands such as Kirsten Goss, Abode and Monn – and launched an e-commerce site, too.

Across the way from the store’s welcome mat in Hyde Park Corner is Tashas, and its neighbour is Apsley House. In other words, Always Welcome couldn’t have asked for a better location. And walking into the showroom feels like stepping into a beautifully styled home that would sit comfortably in a magazine feature showcasing the best of South African design, room by room. Art-directed by Vincent Truter and designed by Stephen Klein (whose luxury portfolio includes 2A, Metropolitain Cosmetics and Spitz footwear), it took an intense six weeks from the time of the first partner meeting to figure out how all the pieces could work democratically in the space, knock down a few walls, and open the doors.

Currently a pop-up, Always Welcome plans to travel the country with its concept, inviting designers who correspond to the city they’ll settle in for a bit to activate unused shop fronts and perhaps unexpected environments. Garreth would love to make the Hyde Park Corner store an anchor, and says that the space has already helped to close the gap between the makers and the market.

Also planned for the future are in-store family lunches and meet-the-maker talks, as well as event collaborations with other retailers to, as Garreth puts it, really make design more approachable.

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Frederick Sinclair is a furniture concept store and showroom in Cape Town’s city centre that aims to add bespoke flair and colour to classic design pieces.

When three professionals put their heads together to fill a gap in the furniture industry, this bold showroom was the result. After spending the last few years developing Frederick Sinclair items and concepts, they have also lovingly restored an old Victorian building on petite Watson Street in the Cape Town CBD. The refreshed space is the stage for presenting a convergence of industrial design, clean lines and an ode to the future of furniture.

“We introduce vibrancy, life and colour to homes in a sophisticated manner,” says co-founder Greg Sinclair (pictured above with partners Johan Taute and Candice Sinclair). “Handcrafted furniture that’s made locally, paired with contemporary oil paintings and botanical artworks, make up a unique and bespoke interior for the modern South African living space.”

The showroom is designed to present an informal yet considered approach to living, and is set out as a modern home with lounges, a dining area, foyers and bedrooms in a beautifully lit space.

It houses the brand’s own designs – including customisable sofas and tables – as well as pieces from local designers such as African Jacquard and Corinne de Haas Ceramics, alongside lighting by The Artisan, Kirsten Lilford’s oil paintings and Chris van Niekerk’s botanical works.

Dramatic splashes of colour complement the old-world charm of rejuvenated and previously loved vintage finds, which are casually set among the new items.

“We’re excited to see Frederick Sinclair evolve into an institution of design in Cape Town,” says Greg. “It’s a place where clients can fall in love with an aesthetic that’s not only contemporary, but that has a sense of history unique to our lifestyle.”

For more information, visit fredericksinclair.co.za.

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MAXHOSA AFRICA, the pioneering South African fashion label helmed by designer Laduma Ngxokolo, has opened a luxurious store in Cape Town.

Since its early days in 2010, the MAXHOSA AFRICA brand has been on a stellar trajectory, rapidly developing into a local design powerhouse.

Now, with the recent launch of a space at the Victoria Wharf shopping centre (a sister store for the existing flagship at Johannesburg’s Mall of Africa), founder Laduma Ngxokolo is taking MAXHOSA to a new level.

Located in the upper mall, MAXHOSA Cape Town ramps up the luxury offering of the Joburg store. Featuring sleek chrome rails for the brand’s signature fashion pieces, and wall-to-wall MAXHOSA carpeting handwoven in KwaZulu- Natal, the space is a brilliant blend of colour and pattern that takes its cues from traditional beadwork and Ndebele graphics.

“We went all out because we wanted to tell a strong story to the Cape Town market, which is an important audience for us as a brand,” Laduma says. “It isn’t the same as Joburg. We wanted to speak to the tourists, to visitors from all over Africa – and we also wanted to tell a story to the Cape Town natives.”

One of the standout elements of the space is a piece by artist Nelson Makamo, whose reputation continues to expand in international art circles. The work has also been reproduced as a woven collaborative piece with MAXHOSA.

“About two years ago, Nelson and I discussed doing a collab,” says Laduma. “We decided to drive to the Lesotho mountains to meet with the best weavers in the country, who work with 100% mohair. Nelson brought a template of the artwork to them, and we ended up working with a single person to realise it. The finished product arrived in Cape Town eight weeks later. When Covid-19 arrived in March, Save A Business approached us to help them raise funds. So we auctioned the piece, and it raised R690 000, which was then donated to save small businesses.”

The designer says the response from Capetonians to the new space has already been fantastic – which bodes well for the latest phase of this inspiring South African success story.

For more information, visit maxhosa.africa.

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At Klein the Grocer, innovative South African restauranteur, retailer and cookbook author Neil Roake is livening up one of Amsterdam’s trendiest streets with plant-based food and fresh design.

“Modern Provisions For Modern Hippies” proclaims the glass frontage across this diminutive grocery store in Amsterdam’s trendy Haarlemmerdijk. Klein the Grocer sells only plant-based food, and there are few mainstream brands on the shelves. Instead, shoppers can expect products in beautiful packaging that also don’t contain any artificial additives, are mostly organic and are mainly from smallscale makers. Think Dutch seaweed “bacon”, Portuguese almond butter, fermented soft drinks and a large selection of fresh plant-based cheeses – oh, and don’t forget the Swedish-style cinnamon rolls, or the organic olive oil.

If the aesthetic at Klein the Grocer rings a few bells – the bold and bright colours, the fearless use of typography, the smart puns – don’t be surprised. This supercute new store is the latest brainchild of one of South Africa’s most innovative brand builders, Neil Roake. In his home town of Durbs-by-the-sea, Neil has run restaurants and coffee bars; a small (and perfect) hotel; and a retail store, The Space, which now has outlets countrywide and helped change the way South Africans shop.

Neil’s also a bestselling cookbook author (his Life’s a Beach Cottage series is into its third volume) and a branding expert who has been part of the team at marketing and advertising studio Modern Museum for 20 years. No surprise then, that when Neil does something new, it’s worth noting. Now based in Amsterdam and taking on a fresh challenge in a brand-new environment, he’s come up with a wonderful store in which to find a special culinary gift while also supplementing your own pantry with guilt-free goodies. The next time we’re in town, we’ll definitely be stopping by…

Klein the Grocer is situated at Haarlemmerdijk 26, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

For more information, visit kleinthegrocer.co.

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From locally made cactus leather hats and a virtual Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition to a new Créma store in Cape Town, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 356.

1. Simon and Mary’s Cactus Leather Hat Collection

Johannesburg-based hat atelier Simon and Mary’s latest range features headgear made from the nopal cactus. The leather is sustainable, partially biodegradable and made without toxic chemicals, phthalates or PVC. The hats are available in two styles (peak and bucket) in three colourways. Shop here.

Image credit: Koos Groenewald (Jana + Koos), courtesy of Simon and Mary

2. Thabisa Mjo’s Work Acquired By Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD) in Paris has acquired two pieces by award-winning designer Thabisa Mjo of design studio Mash.T for its permanent collection, a first for a South African designer. MAD Paris now houses one of Mash.T’s renowned Tutu 2.0 lamps, as well as a Mjojo cabinet. “I am completely thrilled,” says Thabisa. “To have my work represented on the international stage and as part of an important permanent collection, following my earlier exhibition at Bonne Espérance.”

Mjojo cabinet

Tutu 2.0 lamp

Images courtesy of Clout

3. Frank Lloyd Wright: Timeless Exhibition

Spoke Art Gallery and The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation have come together for a virtual version of the Frank Lloyd Wright: Timeless exhibition, which features limited-edition prints and live-streamed events. The posters, created by artists including Max Dalton and Kim Smith, feature a selection of the iconic architect’s buildings.

Taliesin by Rory Kurtz

The Marden House by Max Dalton

Robie House by Steve Thomas

Seacliff by Francois Schuiten

Images via Spoke Art

4. New Créma Store at V&A Waterfront

A brand-new Créma store, designed by Yaniv Chen of Masterstudio, is now open at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The store will showcase accessories from the likes of Tom Dixon and Ferm Living, with collections featuring scents, bowls, ceramics, decor and stationery.

Tom Dixon

Tom Dixon

Images courtesy of Créma

5. IKEA Museum Catalogues

The IKEA Museum has collated its collection of catalogues, dating back 70 years to 1950, as part of a new exhibition. You can browse all the past catalogues online, a perfect way to see the brand’s style evolution.

Image via IKEA Museum

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 356 on picks of the week 173.

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The best way to enjoy this experience is by visually watching your food grow, and seeing which plants help each other thrive with companion planting. 

Perfectly spaced for planting, the seed squares are prepared by hand using home-made recycled paper sheets sprinkled with used coffee grounds. The 100% environmentally-friendly packaging includes plant markers to make sure you use just the right amount of soil.

There are 11 different seed squares available to purchase on the VISI shop, at R80 each: Summer Flowers; Beetroot & Rocket; Cherry Tomatoes & Basil; Chillies & Marigolds; Gourmet Lettuce; Green Beans; Kale & Spring Onions; Radishes; Rocket; Spring Onions and Rainbow Chard.

Take a look at some garden delights, to help your journey with Gro-urban seed squares. 

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

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Dubbed “the world’s #1 ice-cream store” by Big Travel 7, Unframed has opened a new flagship space, complete with an ice-cream laboratory.

Designed by Johannesburg-based Tristan Plessis Studio, Unframed’s new store, located in Woodstock, is the first of its kind and the third Unframed location in Cape Town.

Beyond the large space’s glinting glass facade that brings in plenty of natural light, interiors see minimalism meet industrial finesse in a harmonious blend of brick, steel and glass. Dozens of plants dangle from the double-volume ceilings, bringing a strong element of greenery into the space. A bespoke display cabinet contains 12 rotating flavours, while a stool-clad bar to the right forms the perfect perch from which to watch the brand’s ice cream be made.

Follow Unframed on Instagram to keep up to date.

Looking for more inspirational design? Take a look at Mochi Mochi – a new space in Cape Town which pays homage to Japanese confectionary.

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