Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 9 (Cocoon) i House and Leisure

MOOD / editor's note In this edition, Cocoon, we ‘escape the city’ in search of rural retreats, designer cabins and fabled farmsteads, seeking out sanctuaries that offer us warmth, a sense of solace and comfort as the colder months draw near. And we did just that! We explored our country in search of new spaces that are humbly set, yet fully immersed in nature and the wild, making the most of its beautiful surrounds. We traveled far and wide to compile a round-up of homes, big and small, all unique in its style – venturing (and retreating) into nature and finding places that evoke a true sense of ‘cocooning’ and ‘nesting’ – our LIVE chapter becomes a literal mapping of these adventures and experiences (and these wonderful finds!). ‘Dune House’,…

MOOD / journal When I can no longer resist the large Chinese cabbages at the Chinese supermarket, I buy some gochugaru (Korean chilli) and make a big jar of kimchi. There is a bit of work in salting and washing the leaves, then tossing them together in a generous basin with the other bits (gochugaru, spring onion, daikon, ginger, apple, carrot) before stuffing the mixture into a large jar. I use one of my Table Mountain stones as a fermentation weight in the top of the jar. For the rest, I leave this mixture (alone, undisturbed) for a few weeks. Fermentation is the work of time. Nothing can be done while the anaerobic microbes are getting busy, bringing forth a wiffy-delicious business. After its quiet repose, I will pile my…

News from tomorrow Design is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape the future, and lives at the nexus of ethics, innovation, commerce and creativity. As technology advances at an unprecedented rate, and our awareness of sustainability and social responsibility deepens, design and designers must adapt and innovate to confront these evolving challenges, reframing them as opportunities. The ability to create aesthetically pleasing, functional and sustainable solutions that address both users' needs and broader societal goals is critical to the success of design projects. As designers, we must stay on top of the latest technologies and societal trends, and remain committed to ethical and environmentally responsible practices. By doing so, we can harness the power of design to shape a better world for us all. The rise…

LOOK / art South Africa has always had an exceptional design story that is inextricably linked with our art-making, crafts, humanity and history. We know well the Ndebele imizi (homestead), multicoloured house painting and its champion Esther Mahlangu. We're up to speed with the green technology of the Zulu indlu (house) and earthenware that was brought to the rest of the world by Siphiwe Nala and her daughter Nesta Nala. Maybe we could less easily give detail about the stone constructions and roads of the Bokoni farmers, forgers, miners and traders and their rock engravings. These have been moved into the spotlight because of a radical multimedia presentation taking place at various sites around Venice, from May until November this year, and the recent publication of Creating Coromandel – Marco…

LOOK / food To farm in the Karoo is to surrender to the elements, because they will beat you should you try to adjust their schedule. You will wake up before 5am in summer and wait for the soft relief of an evening breeze and watch the land submerge into darkness once the last of the liquid sunlight leaves. Gay van Hasselt is not a Karoo housewife, she is a farmer. She is also my mother. Having a mom named Gay, widely known for having the best milk available, has been nothing short of real. My mom's hands are wrinkled, her index finger permanently bent by the heel of a horse, hair ‘stylistically’ haphazard as it emerges from a threadbare straw hat. Nails always short, and skin unexpectantly soft from…

DIGEST / art Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland I spent the week alone in a beautiful and remote bothy in the Cairngorm Mountains in the north of Scotland. I was making paint from the rocks I found in the surrounding hills, which I ground and mixed with water from the nearby stream and a binding medium. I grew up in Cape Town but in many ways this part of the planet has become a spiritual home. The weather is extreme, unrelenting, brutal at times. Yet there is also a softness, an overwhelming silence and a feeling of being held in a kind of inner sanctum. Nan Shepherd wrote these memorable words in her brilliant philosophical meditation on the Cairngorms, The Living Mountain; ‘It is, as with all creation, matter impregnated with mind:…

DIGEST / wellness Okutama Forest, Japan Masazawi San, my ageing Shinrin-Yoku (Japanese forest bathing) instructor, beckons me closer to observe. I adjust my balance on the fragrant hinoki wood chips lining the path that leads into the Okutama Forest, and move towards him. The Okutama Forest of Tokyo Citizens, located about 100km from the centre of Tokyo, is an integral part of Tokyo's metropolis – Japan's ultramodern capital city, with its neon-lit, high-rise buildings. The forest includes over 1000 trees, the heart of Shinrin-Yoku. As a trainee in Shinrin-Yoku, the first of five therapy paths I must take is along the Fragrance Road or ‘Toke-Trail’, aimed at gently raising the heart rate on a gradual incline lined with sweet-scented hinoki wood chips. My slow ascent behind my teacher feels rhythmic,…

LAST WORD About 100 kilometres eastwards from the coastal town of Langebaan, you'll find an ancient mountain range. Nestled in these mountains rests an unremarkable rocky outcrop and along one of its northern, faceted faces you'll find an ancient tree that has been shielding a rather remarkable piece of rock art for the past few hundred years. Nothing can quite prepare you for it. The painting is small – about the size of your hand held horizontally – and painted in shades of ochre and terracotta. The painting is of a galleon, in full sail; its flags blowing in contradictory directions. It is a long way from home. I've always had a thing for ships and they appear over and over again in my work. This leitmotif might be a…

MOOD / pinboard When capturing the homes and spaces for every edition of House and Leisure, we're always guided by the light, to capture that perfect moment or mood to convey the most authentic feeling of a space, literally chasing the light on set. These images were taken while shooting ‘Dune house’ by KLG Architects, in Betty's Bay, which allowed for an incredible array of natural light, a dream photographic studio for us as a team. See p90 for more of this incredible home (and more light play!).…

MOOD / inspiration…

COUNTRY ROAD LOOK / decor a LOOKBOOK Studio production for Country Road The story This winter, cocoon yourself in warmth and bring a touch of South African heritage to your home with luxurious natural fibre throws from Country Road and Australian textile brand St Albans. The two brands have a long history of working together – over 30 years, honouring decades of expertise and craft and bringing that story to their customers, while supporting local initiatives. This time, they've partnered with Eastern Cape-based textile mill Hinterveld to weave a range of alpaca wool blend throws, made from locally spun and dyed wool. The conversation originally started around a range of throws for the retailer's Home collection, but was expanded to include women's and men's scarves due to the beautiful quality…

DIGEST / food Kalmoesfontein, Swartland Against a background of the Swartland's rolling vineyards, Charl Badenhorst is tending to the fire in the pizza oven and hand-stretching tonight's dough. His wife, Semma, hands me a Caperitif (an amber-coloured vermouth infused with local fynbos) and tonic; it's a Kalmoesfontein speciality and arguably one of a few bottles responsible for making vermouth cool again. It's a Thursday night, and the rustic makeshift ‘restaurant’ is filling with hungry visitors who are drawn by the now infamous weekly pizza night. Semma tells me how Charl started making wood-fired pizzas for neighbours to collect during the lockdowns in 2020. As restrictions lifted, people hung around for a glass of wine and a chat, and eventually Semma and Charl started laying the tables. The lockdown pop-up quickly…

DIGEST / travel Death Acre, Angola The Death Acre is an 80-kilometre section of coastline in southern Angola. Here, mountainous dunes rise immediately from the sea's edge, ending in towering peaks of sand. There is no beach, no border, between sand mountain and ocean. Normally, it's impossible to cross this section by land. However, during certain moon phases the tide recedes to reveal a temporary passageway between the sea and the dunes’ edges for a few hours. Soon after, the ocean returns to the foot of the dunes – swallowing anything that remains. ‘One of the last great overlanding adventures left,’ my friend and fellow adventurer Archie had pitched to me a year before. He knew he could count me in. For months we poured our souls into our classic…

Every issue of House and Leisure is not only lovingly crafted by the team at LOOKBOOK Studio, but also shaped by our contributing editors, editors at large, and movers and shakers in the worlds of decor, design, interiors, trend, travel, lifestyle, food, fashion and sustainability. As the cooler months draw near, we look to those who are setting the scene, creating literal and figurative spaces of comfort for themselves, for their families and for us. In the MOOD chapter, we hear from House and Leisure contributing food editor and chef Karen Dudley as she shares some of her favourite food memories and comforting flavours from her new book, Onwards, in ‘Small comforts’ on p28. @capetownk The LOOK Chapter features Master Studio's Yaniv Chen, who brings his cinematic vision to life…

‘Curves are a design phenomenon, always contemporary and as old as the chair itself. They're an integral part of some of the most iconic design pieces - imagine the Tulip chair with straight lines, or the Colosseum without arches. Curves are effortless, yet bold and loud when they need to be.’ - Sanri Pienaar, House and Leisure Contributing Decor Editor Lemon Like all products made by local design studio Lemon, equal emphasis is placed on utility and beauty. Yaniv Chen, founder of Master Studio and long-time Lemon collaborator, co-designed the La Plume armchair (right) and found himself asking: ‘What would I want in my own space?’ The armchair is a statement piece with both elevated style and utmost comfort - in short, you'll find it hard to leave its warm…

John Cage: A Mycological Foray (Atelier Editions) If you're not familiar with the mycological explosion spreading across the globe, its mushrooming mycelium network infusing every element of daily life from medicine to environmental restructuring, read no further. John Cage's epic book is for the deeply enlightened ‘shroom’ worshipper who has transcended the basics and would welcome reaching new stratospheric heights in understanding the poetry, artistic beauty and whimsy of nature's greatest mystery. There is also a magical inclusion of 20 brilliant lithographs with accompanying texts in a stunning collaboration between Mr Cage and botanist and illustrator Lois Long. Perhaps this quote captures it best: ‘I have come to the conclusion that much can be learned about music by devoting oneself to the mushroom.’ – John Cage (1954) ‘The architect and…

DIGEST / architecture Timbuktu, Mali Landing in Bamako was overwhelming. The airport was chaotic and in desperate need of renovation. I began to panic as my thoughts raced and I asked myself whether I had made the right decision – if this was the state of the airport, what on Earth would the city be like? To my pleasant surprise, I found myself at case in the capital city of Mali, where everyone was warm and welcoming, the hotel was comfortable and adorned with gorgeous Malian artefacts embedded in deep, ancient history. I was there to research the untold wonders of this magnificent continent while on an interior design retail project. Mali has centuries-old stories that I believe have a lot to offer to our indigenous, undocumented knowledge of art…

DIGEST / nature Makuleke Concession, Kruger National Park It started long before we reached Pafuri Gate; clouds of white grasveldwitjie butterflies drifting across the road in their multitudes like oversized confetti. They became a ubiquitous part of our visit to The Outpost – a luxurious lodge in the remote northern reaches of the Kruger National Park – and we would come to learn that they were migrating to Mozambique, crossing through Limpopo along the way. It was the first of what would become countless reminders to pause and appreciate ‘the little things’. Although the private concession on which The Outpost sits accounts for just 1% of the park's total size, it contains roughly 80% of its total biodiversity, meaning that there are hundreds of species of flora and fauna here…

DIGEST / community Sani Pass, Lesotho A good friend of mine from high school, Lesego Mapeka, is the founder of Epic Hikes, a company that curates conscious hiking experiences as a means to slow down from the fast and urgent world in which we find ourselves. For many years, dramatic landscapes have been a common place for us to play catch up. In a world of algorithmically curated social media feeds, I have come to consider any form of activity that forces me ‘offline’ as conducive to authentic conversations and genuine engagement. Once a month, we would meet to chat about our lives, sharing experiences and life's highs and lows, while at the same time conquering the peaks of some of our country's mighty mountains. In the autumn of 2019,…

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