Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 10 (Grow) i House and Leisure

HELLO Japanese Quince Blossom (Chaenomeles speciosa) In anticipation of Garden Day, taking place on Sunday, 15 October 2023. Turn to p202 to learn more. gardenday.co.za @gardendaysa On the cover A spring scene in the orchards on Boschendal Farm Photography by Frances Marais Art direction & Styling by Charl Francois Edwards a LOOKBOOK Studio production…

Laurie Wiid van Heerden Growing with the help of nature I've never been academically inclined and feel much more at home in the outdoors and being with animals. For me, nature is constant. It's honest, it doesn't judge – it just is. From a young age, nature and animals sustained me in a way that most humans couldn't, setting in motion a reciprocity of wellbeing that would become a lifeline in my teens. As a kid, I was constantly making and collecting things. I was always in my father's workshop constructing objects from odd bits of wood and off-cuts of frames. Those were my happiest times. Around the age of 14, I became depressed. I was at an all-boys boarding school and found everything overwhelming, from the fluorescent lights in…

Eat Weeds (Thames & Hudson) Imagine being able to eat your backyard nemeses at will. Long thought of as a key antagonist in our fauna world, the often misunderstood weed is now considered to be our humble friend and even saviour. In Eat Weeds, Diego Bonetto explains in eloquent detail how to identify, harvest and enjoy cooking with or eating raw the humble weeds that flourish in healthy urban and rural ecosystems. In turn, contributes his energy towards ensuring that the ancient art of foraging is kept alive as our world pivots between supermarket convenience and holistic balance. Lotusland (Rizzoli) Widely considered as an Eden and one of the world's greatest botanical gardens, Lotusland just outside Montecito, California is the lovechild of the enigmatic and eccentric Polish opera singer, Madame…

LOOK / experience On The Newt estate in southwest England, carefully sited amongst flourishing vegetation and overlooking a small lake, sits the Beezantium, an interactive jewel box dedicated to our precious pollinators. Brought to life by architects Invisible Studio, which was founded by Dr Piers Taylor, the installation was the winner of a 2023 RIBA South West & Wessex Award (UK). ‘More than anything, we are interested in making unusual, delightful and intelligent buildings and environments that are thorough, considered and exceptional, and have a wider consequence outside their own material actuality.’ The pavilion sits under a concave roof clad in copper shingles, with active beehives incorporated into the external façade of untreated oak. The apiary was designed in collaboration with global bee consultant and The Newt's head beekeeper, Paula…

LOOK / style One of its buildings, affectionately nicknamed ‘The Shed’, is not nearly as old as the once derelict buildings around it. Inside it you will find Erasmus & Co Architecture and Interior, who built the extension in keeping with the traditional Cape vernacular of the property. In collaboration with DDS Projects, who also call Die Handelshuis home, Nina and Adriaan Erasmus designed their workspace and showroom around the Cape Werf (or farmyard) placement of buildings, existing pepper trees, spekboom beds, and low werf walls. As Nina explains, ‘The landscaping is as important on a werf as the building, as it creates the framework for the buildings and grounds the building within the werf.’ Challenged by the owner of the property, Danie Steenkamp, to push the authenticity of the…

LIVE / higgovale When Victoria and Pete bought their home on the slopes of Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain more than ten years ago, it was a momentous move on many levels. A note on the plants… Victoria and Pete's home is laid out in two wings, which connect via a glazed walkway that can be opened up on both sides in summer and closed up to keep out the cold during winter. ‘I totally expect the plants to take over this space entirely in years to come and I can't wait to see what that looks like,’ says Victoria. ‘It's become a year-round garden space, as in winter the sun warms up the brick floor to create a glasshouse environment in which the plants thrive.’ – Victoria Hudson, architect and…

LIVE / Glenwood The cross-disciplinary and holistically creative duo behind Studio Kalki, Nindya Bucktowar and Nikhil Tricam, have nurtured and reinvigorated their 120-year-old home in Glenwood. A note on the ceramics… ‘Winning the Nando's Hot Young Designer award is a testament to the healthy and supportive network of young designers in South Africa, as well as the platform spotlighting this duo further. I know they will go on to realise great things both locally and globally, their work is distinctively African inspired but with a global sensibility that cannot be ignored.’ – Tracy Lynch, Clout/SA Once a dark, damp and kitchenless house, it has been reimagined as a living space, and as a space for the incubation for their respective projects (as entrepreneurs, independent artists, architects and designers) and the…

DIGEST / fashion Bad news first: fashion's global supply chain is a hybrid game of hide-and-seek. It's this core challenge that makes transparency so difficult. For all the talk of collaboration, most players are actually pretty comfortable in the siloed status quo that allows them to keep information – such as the name of a supplier whose rates keep their price competitive, for example – to themselves. Now the good news: years of work have shown the industry (and now the rest of us) that surviving and thriving doesn't need to work this way. In an exciting example of this here at home, Polo South Africa recently and successfully executed its first farm-to-closet merino wool initiative. Collaborating with farm and factory partners, Polo South Africa walked a fully local journey…

It's not unusual, in the day-to-day hustle, to feel disconnected from one's natural surroundings. But Gregory Henderson, forager, author and executive chef at La Residence in Franschhoek, reminds urban and country dwellers alike to reconnect with wild foods for the sake of their health and heritage. Murray: Tell us how your upbringing in the Eastern Cape influenced your relationship with food sources. Gregory: Growing up in a rural environment exposed me to a diverse range of plants, animals, and insects. I learned to identify edible species, medicinal plants, and harmful ones. I value traditional knowledge about food sources and gathering techniques; passing this knowledge on to the next generation is a way of preserving their cultural heritage and fostering a deeper understanding of traditional food systems. Murray: In what ways…

DIGEST / design Sitting down next to a life-size jet (made from recycled denim board) in a sixteenth-century Milanese church – an unusual location for a design showcase – I chat to award-winning designer Maarten Baas about ‘More or Less’, his collaboration with G-Star RAW. Debuting earlier this year at Milan's Salone Del Mobile, the exhibition is not unlike the bold, playful and thought-provoking work we expect from the Dutch artist – best known for his ‘Real Time’ series of conceptual clocks, seen in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, Melbourne's Victoria Museum and New York's MOMA. This, however, is the first time he's worked with denim board, a new material made from recycled, worn jeans – specifically G-Star RAW jeans. A brand known for its boundary-pushing social initiatives, ‘Certified Tailors’ – a worldwide…

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MOOD / editor's note Oh how much we've grown … and how far we've come! House and Leisure launched in October 1993. Fast-forward to this year (and thousands of stories later), as we celebrate 30 years of milestones, memories and moments. More mature and a little wiser, yet still learning from those around us, we're still looking at the world with eyes wide open and exploring it with a sense of childlike wonder. We turned the pandemic into a chance at a second life, fully embracing our newfound status as a comeback kid, and proudly wearing the label of ‘lockdown baby’. We might have a fresh appearance, but we're certainly no newbie. Over the past three decades, we've been committed to exploring the world we live (and work) in, out…

MOOD / inspiration No visitor to this year's Decorex Cape Town left without pausing at The Hatch, a physical and poetic platform for dialogue and collaboration. Bielle Bellingham, executive creative director of Decorex Africa, invited the design community to contribute radical chair designs made exclusively from materials that are reused, biodegradable or easily recycled. Bielle asks, ‘What if we designed new behaviours instead of new products? How can we redefine luxury, emphasising quality, craftsmanship, and sustainability over excess?’ We explore some of the featured designs and processes. The Repair Chair (previous spread, left), by Lauren Shantall, saved a broken, second-hand rocking chair. ‘I wanted to use materials that were on hand, so everything was left over from previous projects.’ Lost and Found (previous spread, right), by Farhana Monier, reminds us…

LOOK / food 2023: The Year of Millet(s). Yes – millets, plural. If, like me, you had no idea there were an estimated 6000 varieties of millet in the world, the Millets Report by Studio H and a covey of culinary collaborators will convince you just how fascinating a tiny grain can be. ‘We wanted to create a report that not only showcases the fundamental historical importance and incredible qualities of millets, but also bring some personal accounts and nostalgia,’ says Studio H founder and creative director, Hannerie Visser. ‘Millets have been a part of South Africa's culinary heritage for centuries, and we wanted to capture the essence of these grains by sharing personal stories that resonate with people's memories – but that also captivate those who may have never…

LOOK / decor …if you look harder you'll glimpse the moon as it blooms and it bleeds in the Milkwood tree how it swells, how it shifts from the earth as it lifts as the fairies awake in the Milkwood tree. – From ‘Milkwood Fairies’ by Antjie Krog, translated by Ingrid de Kok, in Fynbos Fairies The Kleinrivier Mountains are filled with mystery and fairy tales. From Hermanus, they hug Walker Bay, stretching eastward towards Stanford. Footpaths meander past trunks of gnarled milkwood and rocks, crusty with orange sea lichen. Wild camphor, Berg River yellowwood and hardepeer grow side by side with sea guarrie and pock ironwood. Purple vygies, yellow daisies and white-starred buchu tumble down gorges. Rock dassies sun themselves on cliff ledges. Taking the R43 to Grootbos Private…

LOOK / architecture The context A school camp with state-of-the-art facilities, an institutional building with a human sensitive approach, an environmental centre that walks the talk. These are binaries that seldom coexist in local institutional design. Completed in 2022, Lapalala Wilderness School in the Waterberg, a UNESCO biosphere reserve in Limpopo, is breaking the mould on many fronts. Both contextually relevant and ecologically responsive, this is a conservation school that's serious about cultivating a passion for Africa's biodiversity, sensitively bridging the gap between the built space and the natural world. The environment Founded by Clive Walker and Dale Parker in 1985, the original Lapalala Wilderness School accommodated 36 pupils on 5000 hectares of untouched wilderness reserve. Gradually expanding to its current scope of 48 000 hectares, the Lapalala Wilderness Reserve…

LIVE / steyn city The owners of this striking contemporary home were lured by the promise of freedom and a daily existence in harmony with the environment. And, with roughly half of the 2000-hectare parkland estate reserved for landscaping, who can blame them? A note on the estate… Steyn City, north of Joburg, remains a divisive topic. One camp sees a vast simulated environment while the other sees a natural sanctuary, albeit manmade. The owners of this home fall into the latter camp. With planned building lines, each home in the estate is surrounded by lush parkland sanctuaries, screenings of African olive and river bush willow trees, fresh water streams and meandering paths that lead to communal playparks. – Mila Crewe-Brown, writer Bucking the trend in this premium lifestyle development, theirs…

LIVE / oranjezicht To step through the big gates of Ursa Manor is to peek into the mind of a true original, far from the mad city dash outside. A note on the botanicals… ‘I'm not sure my mother had a deeper reason for using a botanical motif throughout her last home, perhaps it was just because she found it beautiful. This was her philosophy in life, all that mattered was that objects gave her aesthetic pleasure. Mama Behr's closet of floral wonder from Liberty flower brooks to oversized Rajasthani block print kaftans accessorized with hand embroidered scarves depicting abstract Tiger Lilly's and golden blossoms. The mistress of detail and perfectly merchandised romance like no other. Her character is vividly reflected through the pieces she chose to surround herself with.’…

DIGEST / gardens Garden Day 2023 is focussing a special spotlight on community gardens that bring value to people who are feeling the pinch of rising food prices and even higher unemployment rates in South Africa. Community gardens hold a special place in our hearts. They provide jobs and fresh produce to local residents at affordable prices. At the same time, the Garden Day friends and ambassadors are proving to be part of the solutions to these challenges and Siyabonga Ndlangamandla is no exception. Siya is the co-founder and board member of the Makers’ Valley Partnership in Lorentzville, east of the Johannesburg CBD. He subscribes to the notion of ‘If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him how to fish, you…

DIGEST / craft In the rolling hills of the Sunshine Coast, between Port Alfred and East London, lies the bucolic seaside village of Hamburg. The Keiskamma River, vegetation, birdlife, and endless Eastern Cape sky have long been inspiration for writers, painters and, for the last 24 years, embroiderers. Dr Carol Hofmeyer founded The Keiskamma Art Project (KAP) to bring to visual life the rich oral history tradition of the area, threading local stories and experiences into major textile artworks. KAP has since grown into a multi-award-winning enterprise, now under the directorship of Cebo Mvubu and Michaela Howse. Their often large-scale embroidered artworks explore personal narratives and confront South Africa's history and its successes and failures. Contemplating a massive depiction of pandemic-era Hamburg, I once remarked to Cebo on the number…

LAST WORD When our days start getting longer, flowers bloom, and warmer weather allows us to enjoy the pleasures of spending more time outdoors again – ditching too many hours snacking in front of a screen. Waking up to birdsong, sunshine, and warmth is hugely uplifting, evoking a sense of happiness, optimism and positivity many of us struggle with in winter. It also means summer is on its way – lazy strolls, leisurely sojourns with loved ones, travelling to new destinations and immersing ourselves in foreign cultures and cuisines. Often, we travel in search of a feeling. That feeling might be a sense of awe or wonder we don't receive in our daily routines. We might want to experience an energising sense of exhilaration, find the mental space for thoughtful…

MOOD / pinboard…

LOOK / conversations Onguza On making new waves The Onguza bicycle factory was born out of Omaruru, Namibia. Created by professional cyclist Dan Craven, the aim was to give meaningful job opportunities to talented local craftsmen, hand-building specialist high-end bicycle frames. As the company grew, he soon realised what the success of the brand could do for Namibians. ‘At least within the cycling and design communities, Onguza is finally putting Namibia on the map internationally. When these people think of Namibia now, it's no longer just landscapes and animals but also of a vibrant creative culture.’ @onguzabicycles Thatch x Ballo On collaborating with friends ‘Rondavel was a creative experiment inspired by the beauty of a circular mud wall with a conical thatched roof. A handful of creative friends gathered on…

LOOK / spaces Babylonstoren, Paarl This ever evolving and innovative estate has added a gelateria, coffee roastery and lekkerkamer (sweet shop) to its inspirational offering, and has also revamped the existing Garden Shop. The gelateria was designed and decorated by interior designer Etienne Hanekom and features three giant ice-cream cones, suspended from the ceiling, and a curvaceous ‘drip’ against the wall, which mimics both the milk used to make the ice cream, and the curves of traditional Cape Dutch architecture. The Garden Shop was designed by architect James Brümmer, who brought to life owner Karen Roos's vision. The shop features a large library, of which manager Bertram Lobberts says: ‘These books were handpicked to whisk you away on an enchanting journey. Each page holds the promise of escape, igniting your…

LOOK / craft the accidental muse The things that life sends us often are the things that make us – by asking us to return to our true selves and rely on parts of us that may have fallen by the wayside. This is a precious life lesson I have relearned since my permanent move to Prince Albert almost three years ago. After a calamitously failed trip to Paris Fashion Week a few years prior, I serendipitously found myself in the tiny Karoo town on the stoep of a cottage that had been listed the day I arrived. It felt like the universe telling me ‘This is where you're meant to be.’ My inner self was yearning for balance, for re-evaluation and renewal, and for room to grow. Cue a…

LIVE / merricks ‘As an outsider, I found myself intrigued by the typical Australian farmhouse with its low-slung roof, wraparound porch and deep eaves. I was particularly drawn to how these create a dark line of shadow below its singular roof. We were interested in how we could abstract this characteristic, distilling the notion of the Australian farmhouse into one idea: A line of shadow in the landscape.’ – Michael Lumby. A note on the landscaping… ‘Conceived very much in conversation with the architect, the garden acts as a layered foil to the house. Designed to weave into the architectural spaces almost as if the house was inserted seamlessly into an existing landscape, the garden spaces breathe through the house and lead out into the greater landscape of the Mornington…

LIVE / constantia Lightly placed on the southern slopes of Table Mountain, this secret cabin was cleverly clad in black Lunawood timber to camouflage it among the surrounding established trees. A note from the architect… This house feels open-plan and light, but at the same time secretive and moody. This is due, in part, to the strategic placement of doors and thresholds and the inherent mystery of a forest setting. The spaces flow into each other on the upper floor with large expanses of glass connecting the house to the surrounding forest and views. A large timber terrace forms a natural extension to the living space and a long skylight connects the viewer upward and outward to the forest even further up the slope. – Timothy Penfold, architect Its owners, Justin…

LIVE / constantia Five years ago, Karen and Richard Barrow, and their son, Oliver, made the move from sub-tropical Durban to the Cape, swapping city life for a more rural lifestyle. A note on the interiors… ‘The homeowners already possessed a substantial art and ceramics collection that was really inspiring to work with. This made fashioning the interiors to complement these collections a joy. The palette for furnishings and fabrics was kept neutral and natural with contrasts of heavy textures and raw natural materials. Private zones and spaces were specifically tailored for each family member's purposes and communal spaces were designed for the convening of family and friends and entertaining.’ – Geordi de Sousa Costa, interior architect With Oliver starting high school in the southern suburbs, it made sense to seek…

DIGEST / wellness Growth is something that Liana Jansen knows well – both literally and figuratively. At seven months pregnant with her first child, Liana left her lecturing post at UCT (where she oversaw the Masters of Landscape Architecture Programme) and moved to her husband's farm in Montagu to begin a whole new life. Far from the city and her previous post, Liana's role pivoted from lecturer to farm wife… or something along those lines. ‘My husband's organic farm, Kogman and Keisie, has a guesthouse and guest cottages on it, which we were looking to expand and market,’ explains Liana. ‘One of the most important aspects we had to consider was biodegradable amenities, as all the grey water drains into the farm gardens. At that time, natural amenities were very…

DIGEST / wine Kiara Scott is flustered. When she takes my call she is alone in the cellar, just back from two weeks in London promoting her wines, and the to-do list is long and urgent. Such is life for one of South Africa's most promising young talents, now head winemaker at Brookdale Estate in Paarl. So, what does the day ahead hold? Scott takes a deep breath. ‘I have to prepare for bottling and labelling in two weeks, I have to taste all of my wines today to make sure everything is on track, there's topping up of the barrels, taking analysis on all the wine, we've got orders going out as well…and then, when that's done, a gazillion emails.’ Scott was made South Africa's youngest female head winemaker…

DIGEST / art Farm to fabric. Forest to fabric. Waste to fabric. All these value chains involve a complex threading together of raw materials, skill, technologies, and creative input. The outcome can be a treasured cloth that holds cultural meaning or an item of disposable fast fashion. Challenging stereotypes and centring the voices of African knowledge, art and artistry, Nest Collective co-founder and multi-disciplinary artist, Sunny Dolat, is reshaping narratives by showcasing the richness and diversity of African cultures – breaking away from the colonially informed monolithic portrayals – to promote a nuanced understanding of the continent's identities. In a speech recently delivered in Berlin, Sunny explains how centuries of colonial activities, interruptions and forced globalisation have had a profound impact on African culture. A key example of this is…

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