OBJEKT South Africa January 2017 (Issue 17)

It is a brand new year, and we have decided to focus on the future and new age designs with this issue. We take a look at the “smart” home of the future and how the internet has, and will, impact our day to day lives. This month’s cover story is all the way from Israel, where the Design Museum Holon has commissioned a major site-specific exhibition by the one and only Nendo. This exhibition has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting developments to emerge in the Middle East in recent years. We take a look at the Ferrari California T HS, with improved handling in a multitude of ways without lightening the body. The California T HS also has a new look- a sleeker shape and…

OFTEN, I get asked what the home of the future will look like, and whilst décor and design trends will continually change, what is certain is that our homes will become “smart’. The “smart” home is a term that is often thrown around and people immediately think of the kind of home automation that is currently available on the market. These systems are able to control a host of things such as lighting, electronic devices, security systems and even temperature via a digital panel that looks similar to a tablet. This technology has been around for some time and some are now able to be linked to smart phones, allowing the home owner to remotely operate these functions. Like all technology, advancements are continual and quick, so have a look…

IT WAS THE LOVE of a girl whose parents had a cottage at Go Home Bay that first took him there. The area forms part of the Georgian Bay Township, a large bay in Lake Huron, located within Ontario, Canada. It is a veritable Walhalla for Cottagers of all types. Rocky islands are topped with scraggly white pines, shaped by the west winds. The cottages in this region of Canada vary in size and shape from bay to bay. Those close to Lake Muskoka can assume vast dimensions, but at Go Home Bay, the traditional cottage atmosphere still prevails. The dwellings are usually holiday homes of simple design and construction, set inconspicuously among the trees. Here, architect Ian MacDonald from Toronto, has built his modern version of a traditional cottage;…

DR. JAMES STEWART’S vocation was teaching and writing math textbooks, but his love was music. Every home he lived in was the site of intimate musical events. His tremendous success in writing calculus textbooks gave him the resources to indulge in his passion of hosting even larger groups of musical fans to enjoy all types of music in a home environment. In the late 1990s, James Stewart first conceived the idea of creating a house whose design included both curves, and a large and flexible performing space. After researching and talking to a number of noted architects, including Frank Gehry and Stephen Holl, he selected the Canadian firm of Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe for the design of a new home. The design process started in 1998 and construction started…

 THE VIEWS from here are stunning: The city on one side and Lake Ontario with the islands on the other side. It is 575 square metres of light, with modern interior design and art. The biggest space is the combined living, dining and television area with a direct view on the CN Tower. In the other corner of the apartment is the kitchen, with its own sitting area. The rest of the space is occupied by the master bedroom, the master bathroom, a library and three bedrooms with their own bathrooms. The interior is designed by Fernanda Dovigi, MD design, who lives here with her husband and two children. “Light was my leading factor here. I designed it with flexibility in mind. When I create an interior,…

 SITUATED IN BEDFORDVIEW, bordering a serene nature reserve, the altered house is perched on the steep face of the hillside, seemingly sliding down the hill. This nature informed the architectural concept and guiding principles behind the making of space and formation of the architecture: Rockface Extension. From a conceptual point of view, the architecture aims to act as an extension to the rocky hillside, with the occupants seemingly inhabiting a mountain face. This insertion/extension aims to deliver just that, as it is firmly rooted to the hillside through some impressive engineering, while also protruding out of the hillside as if it were shaped and morphed over time into its current condition. The translation of the concept becomes evident upon entry and approach to the house, where the large 4.8…