Here at VISI HQ we kick off every New Year with a Design Issue, which sets the mood and expectations design-wise for the rest of the year.
So, in this issue, we showcase 21st-century spaces in the Karoo, the Cape, Gauteng, Zambia and Copenhagen, and shine the spotlight on some of the artists, designers, curators, architects, and other movers and shakers to watch in 2018.
As we were preparing to send the magazine to the printers, National Geographic named its happiest places in the world, and Denmark was one of the three – the others being Singapore and Costa Rica. I was incredibly fortunate to spend a few days in the Danish capital of Copenhagen at the beginning of September 2017, days filled with stimulation, loveliness and design. Afterwards, I said to my children that if I had visited the city when I was in my early 20s I might have never come back. Copenhagen for me is the epitome of a city where everything is designed to make people’s lives easier. See on page 108 how much you can actually pack into four days in this beautiful city!
Another recent highlight was the visit to the magnificent Gideonshoop, a nearly-200-year-old farmhouse near Klaarstroom in the Great Karoo that Marielise van der Merwe saved from demolition and transformed into a stylish retreat. It was the end of November, and Jan Ras and I were not prepared for the unseasonal cold. It was freezing! But I will suffer that cold again any time to see that modern farmhouse in the first light of day.
When I grow up I want to be a nomad who designs beautiful things and lives in hotels all around the world, just like Karien Belle. Her Sea Point apartment is like a jewellery box: magical and glittery and filled with surprises. I could just bring my sequinned handbag and move right in, and never leave again! May your year be filled with inspired design.
– Sumien
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