Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2016 i SA Garden and Home

It’s hard to believe, I know, but the holidays are finally here. Our gorgeous cover, styled by Sarah Stuart-Reckling and photographed by Henrique Wilding, says it all. There's something about blue and white that always conjures up relaxing images of beaches, islands, sea and sand, whether you live at the coast or inland. While it's never really been out of style, blue and white is one of the hottest colour schemes this season. Try our cover look at home; all you need is a couple of white benches, freestanding or built in, a collection of blue and white cushions - readily available in decor stores at the moment - some woven baskets, a lantern or two and your favourite magazine, of course. You'll feel as though you've been transported to…

Why paint plants on such a large scale? Every plant grows in absolute perfection and to put that towering presence on a smaller canvas wouldn’t do it justice. Each one has a personality and an address, like the vanilla palm with ruffled branches that resembles a dizzy blonde, the agave on Jan Smuts Drive and the cannas in front of the municipal offices. Why did you become a painter? One day in 1969, while studying zoology at Rhodes University, I walked past the art school and thought it looked interesting. That’s where it began. What’s your artistic style? Ultimately I’d like to let go of figurative forms and get into real expressionism. I don’t like the picturesque and would like my paintings to look tougher than that. How long does…

EXPERT TIPS Interiors stylist and consultant Sarah Stuart-Reckling’s advice on how to put together a blue and white scheme: Use different tones of blue, and scatters in different patterns and scales, for an interesting yet balanced scheme. Add neutrals, pops of yellow and metallics to offset the blues. Texture is a must so introduce contrasting finishes like glassware, woven baskets, ceramics and wood. Bring the look to life with plants in pots or lush leaves in a vase. SOURCES @home home.co.za L’Orangerie 021 761 8355 Pezula Interiors pezulainteriors.co.za The Gatehouse at Mavromac thegatehouse.co.za Two Views Beach House capestay.co.za/twoviews or 021 418 4043 Weylandts weylandts.co.za…

“It’s such a delight to look out over the ocean and mountains,” say Bobby and Joy Neethling of their newly renovated apartment in Blouberg Beach, Cape Town. While the breathtaking views first attracted the couple to the apartment, the interior left much to be desired. “As she’d worked on one of our previous homes, we asked interior designer Cheryl Herweg of Changing Spaces to give our apartment a new look and feel,” says Joy. The couple was moving from a large home, so Cheryl needed to accommodate sufficient storage space and also prevent the apartment from feeling boxed in. “Luckily the structure was fine, so I could easily make it fresh and contemporary by using a more modern colour scheme throughout,” explains Cheryl. She began by lengthening the entrance hall…

DIFFERENT STROKES Photographer and stylist Henrique Wilding used tones of indigo and milky white in her serene living area. “I introduced texture in the knitted ombre throw from Weylandts and the hand-painted velvet scatter cushions from Bbellamy & Bbellamy on the white leather sofa,” she says. MAGIC SPELL You can’t get more romantic than the Caprifoglio range from Designers Guild, available through Home Fabrics. Painterly florals are combined with small geometrics in this Swedish-inspired scheme. Modern touches like the side table and armchair bring the look right up to date. COUNTRY COOL To create the contemporary country feel in the Van der Vyver family’s Durban home, Annel Scholtz of Dune Designs painted some of their existing furniture white and re-covered pieces in pale blues and trendy navy geometric patterns. A…

“OUR SALT ROCK HOLIDAY APARTMENT’S PATIO WAS drab with a brown and beige colour scheme,” recall Brian and Cheryl Ross of Jo’burg. “There was an impractically small bar counter and bright white tiles that gave off a terrible glare, so we didn’t use it much.” HOW THIS SPACE WENT FROM DRAB TO FAB: Brian and Cheryl enlisted the help of interior architectural designer Cara Slater-Middlewick of Cara Slater Architectural Design and Décor to help them create a space where they could relax, entertain and enjoy the amazing sea views. First, they replaced the tiles with ones that are not as reflective. Then they installed a larger, weather-resistant counter and bar, made of Maxfine, a resilient Italian porcelain slab product, that seats eight comfortably. Lastly, they added weatherproof furnishings like the…

Five years ago when James and Caren Price bought this property in Morningside, Jo’burg, they knew they would eventually have to deal with the bottom section of their garden. “It took up nearly half the property and was completely inaccessible,” says Caren. As the mother of an old friend had helped her with her previous garden, Caren called on her again. “She took one look at the steep, rocky, ivy-covered slope and told me emphatically that we needed the assistance of a professional,” recalls Caren, “Then she introduced us to landscaper Glynis Watson of Rhubarb & Roses.” As the Prices aren’t gardeners and have very little time for gardening, they stressed to Glynis they needed a low-maintenance garden. “Having said that, we also wanted it to be lush and pretty…

Andre Kruger, landscaper and co-owner of popular decor and garden accessory store Garden Bleu, had the same problem many homeowners with a long narrow garden share. Like most South African homes, the most used living area is the patio, but the long, narrow stretch of lawn in front didn’t make a very interesting view. “The garden measures just 16 x 11m, almost half of which is taken up by a swimming pool. The only way to organise it and make it interesting was to divide it into different ‘rooms’,” explains Andre. “My plan for the lawn in front of the patio was to make it resemble a beautiful, patterned rug.” To do this, he introduced four circular and semi-circular beds between the swimming pool and the gravelled path adjoining the…

The grass at the bottom of the steps continually needs replacing as it gets worn and looks scruffy. Any ideas? Why not create an attractive landing using hard landscaping? For uniformity, use the same brick or stone as the steps or make a feature with a contrasting material. Here rectangular cement pavers were set into the grass and pick up the colour of the urns on the pillars. Alternatively you can use smaller pavers and edge them with brick to link them to the brick steps. Our new neighbours have added another storey to their house. How can we screen our living area from their upstairs windows? If you already have large shrubs along the boundary, remove the branches near the base to expose their trunks and shape them into…

MENU BLACKBERRY AND THYME ICED TEA SPICED LENTIL AND RAW BEET SALAD GRILLED SALMON WITH HORSERADISH CRÈME AND POTATO CRISPS MINI FROYO CAKES WITH FROSTED BERRIES We all love to cook and entertain,” says Robyn Britz of the team at popular online store Zana, which includes her mother Sue Britz and colleagues Melissa Nunnerley and Nikki Albertyn. “And when we get together for an occasion, we try our best to make it a beautiful experience.” This is exactly what Robyn and her mother intended when they started their business three years ago. “We began by making things, such as cushion covers, that we thought were lovely and it occurred to us other people might like them too,” explains Robyn. “Before we knew it, the orders were coming in and we…

When we landed, like time travellers, at the 1960s-sized airport and stood waiting for the bus to our hotel in St Peter Port, the bus driver waved us away. “No, not going in your direction,” he called out, but then he took the trouble to circle the block with his full busload of passengers and return to the bus stop to explain to us that we should catch the No 93 and get off at the terminal at the harbour. Such kindness and concern were endemic. “Are you lost? Where do you want to go?” Any tourist who hesitates for an instant on the pavement with map in hand will surely be asked these questions over and over by concerned residents. The buses invariably run late because every time you…

“We’ve always referred to the cottage as the Beach Bungalow,” say Wade and Liesl Heath of their holiday home, which they’ve owned for 15 years. Liesl, an interior decorator and owner of decor store Couch + Interiors, had been threatening to give the cottage a makeover for years, and last year they finally took the plunge. “It was outdated, dark and quite poky, and the first thing we wanted to do was open it up,” they recall. Liesl enlisted her Couch + Interiors colleague Sabrina Schaller to assist her with the revamp. “It’s often quite difficult to make decisions about your own home and another pair of eyes is necessary,” she says. The first phase involved knocking out the wall between the kitchen and living room, turning a lean-to into…

INSPIRED DESIGN “Blue and white china is so classic. It’s been fashionable for centuries and will always be an iconic element of interior design,” says Jo’burg botanical artist and fabric designer Kelly Higgs. “My aunt, interior designer Tessa Proudfoot, taught me to love it as a child and it’s the signature look of my favourite style gurus Carolyne Roehm and Ralph Lauren.” Kelly loves to cluster pots of different shapes and sizes together. “I love filling them with flowers, and they’re the inspiration and subject matter for all of my paintings. All flowers work with blue and white particularly if you stick to one particular colour.” Kelly’s best-loved pieces are three small pots she bought from a stall on the side of the road while on honeymoon in Thailand. “I…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED A glass jar with a lid A glass or crystal doorknob Strong glue (I used Pratley Quickset Clear epoxy glue) A glass candlestick HOW TO DO IT 1 . Thoroughly wash and dry the jar, lid and doorknob. 2 . If you’re using an epoxy, prepare the adhesive as per the instructions. 3 . Glue the knob in the middle of the lid. Set the lid aside to dry. 4 . Turn the jar upside down and glue the candlestick in the centre to create a stand. Allow to dry. LOVE DIY? Find loads of fun projects at gardenandhome.co.za SOURCE Once Upon a Time sachajo@gmail.com or 084 330 2121…

EXPERT ADVICE Daniel Fonnie, Duram’s customer care expert, shares his painting tips: When painting wood, the surface should be completely dry, clean and free from dirt and flaking paint. Lightly sand the surface to improve paint adhesion and clean off all the dust. Apply a wood primer that will expand and contract with the wood. A non-drip paint like Duram’s Nuglo is easy to use and can be applied indoors and out. SOURCES Block & Chisel blockandchisel.co.za Duram duram.co.za or 0800 500 222 Esque esque.co.za Eurolux eurolux.co.za K. Light Import klight.co.za Lightco lightco.co.za Mr Price Home mrphome.com Robert Thomson & Co robert-thomson.com The Gate House thegatehouse.co.za The Lighting Warehouse lightingwarehouse.co.za Weylandts weylandts.co.za…

Are you ready for a super clean New Year? Get off to a good start with an energy efficient Kärcher WD 6 Premium Wet & Dry vacuum cleaner. Housed in a sleek stainless steel container that can accommodate large quantities of dirt, it has extremely powerful suction. A flat filter box enables you to remove the pleated filter quickly without any contact with dirt. Accessories are conveniently stored on the device, and dry and wet dirt can be vacuumed at the same time without the need to replace the filter. For more information, visit karcher.co.za 24 months just R384 12 months just R250 6 months just R125 SUBSCRIBING IS EASY – CHOOSE FROM THESE 5 OPTIONS: SMS the words “CAXTON GH” to 40573 An SMS costs R1 (across all networks)…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED A waterproof container at least 30cm deep and 60cm in diameter Bricks or stones Water plants HOW TO DO IT 1 Select a suitable container about 30–50cm deep with a diameter of at least 60cm without drainage holes. If your pot has holes, seal them with silicone sealant. Rinse out the container to ensure it’s clean. 2 Place bricks in the bottom of the container for the water plants to stand on. 3 As water plants come ready planted in containers, leave them in these and position them to your satisfaction. We chose Nymphaea ‘Peace Lily’, N. ‘Colorado’ and Carex grayi, for a bit of height, and purple-flowering marsh lobelia. 4 Add an oxygenating plant such as Vallisneria spiralis below the surface to oxygenate the water and…

10 must dos this month Contributing garden editor Marianne Alexander’s handy checklist of essential chores to do in January 1 Keep deadheading annuals and feed regularly to maintain flowering. To rejuvenate leggy petunias, salvias, nicotianas and marigolds, cut them back, mulch with compost and foliar feed with 3:1:5 or 2:1:4 fertiliser. 2 Sow seeds of winter- and spring-flowering primulas, ornamental kale, cinerarias, Iceland poppies, stocks, foxgloves and columbines in cool areas. Chill delphinium and larkspur seed before planting. 3 Regularly feed bulbous plants including daylilies, alstroemerias (Inca lilies), dahlias, cannas and amaryllis which flowered over Christmas. Remove old leaves and deadhead; pull out the old flower stems of old-fashioned (or tall) alstroemerias rather than cut them off. Lift and split white, winter-flowering arum lilies as the foliage dies down. 4…

Salad days A fabulous new cookbook, All Sorts of Salads (Struik Lifestyle) by Chantal Lascaris, R230, explores interesting salad combinations. The dishes are perfect for holiday entertaining and light eating. You’ll find the recipe for this fresh tuna salad with nectarine salsa at gardenandhome.co.za Visit randomstruik.co.za Best BUY A great kitchen addition is the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner, R499, from Yuppiechef. With its pump-style design and nonslip base, it’s easy enough to operate one-handed. Visit yuppiechef.com Shore thing More Life’s a Beach Cottage (Jacana) by Neil Roake, R340, is filled with great recipes to make your holiday menu more enjoyable and with its tempting SA-infused recipes, there’s bound to be a new family favourite. You’ll find the recipe for Neil’s Passionfruit Fool (pictured) at gardenandhome.co.za Give me hope Hope…

The suzani that ignited Manina Baumann’s passion for embroidered dowry cloths from Uzbekistan arrived by post from Bukhara in the south west of this now independent state. It was wrapped in a cloth bag and sealed with wax, her address neatly written in black ink on the fabric envelope. It had the dusty, nostalgic whiff of romance that a parcel carried on a camel along the ancient Silk Road that wound over the steppes of Asia, all the way from China to Europe might have. It was the magic of opening up this package to reveal a beautiful, hand-embroidered cloth that bowled Manina over and set her on her quest to collect and preserve an ancient craft and to learn all she could about its history and symbols. Fabric and…

SOURCES Gonsenhausers Fine Rugs finerugs.co.za Linen House linenhouse.co.za Mr Price Home mrphome.com NetDécor netdecor.co.za Tonic tonicdesign.co.za Vintage Vista vintagevista.co.za Weylandts weylandts.co.za Wunders wunders.co.za…

When she was an undergraduate student at Princeton University in the United States, Ashley Maddox’s African Politics professor mentioned the ‘African bug’: some people were just bitten by it, he’d said. Ashley discovered that first-hand when she visited South Africa in 1994 to observe the first democratic elections. “It was a life-changing experience,” she recalls. After graduating, Ashley returned to South Africa as a Fulbright Scholar and Bakoven was a favourite haunt. Years later, while living in Paris, she and her husband decided to move their family to Cape Town. Naturally, Ashley wanted to live in Bakoven. The house they found had stunning sea views, clean lines and needed no structural changes. The only problem was the buckling floor, which was solved by laying a cement screed covered with bleached…

In March 2015, Homewood, makers of luxury hardwood furniture, invited young designers across the country to submit entries for their Emerging Designer competition. The brief was simply to design a space where people would like to be. Six finalists were selected to create a room using Homewood furniture, Hertex fabrics, Annie Sloan paint, and a R5 000 decor budget. Each design was displayed in Homewood’s Kramerville, Jo’burg showroom for a month before the overall winner was chosen. Top honours went to Carla Cronje and Paolo Arcangeli of Prime Home Design Studio. Their prize included Homewood furniture worth R50 000, a stand at Decorex 2016, a two-year iiD membership and a listing in Marcia Margolius’ SA Décor & Design Guide 2017. GET TO KNOW THE WINNERS Carla Cronje and Paolo Arcangeli…

Reconnecting with nature is a worldwide trend evident through a renewed interest in container plants that are suitable for garden rooms, conservatories and verandas. The evergreen foliage plants listed here not only create a neutral background ideal for any style, but also a sense of peace and calm. They’re appropriate for both indoors and covered verandas. To show them off, look for containers with a natural, organic feel and consider the plant’s proportions and growing habit when making your choice. 1 Ficus lyrata (fiddle-back fig) This striking West African plant is grown for its large glossy semi-lobed leaves, hence the name fiddle-back. It’s popular with decorators and style mavens as large specimens make an instant statement. LIGHT: It requires plenty of light, so place it where…

“If there’s one plant designed for problem gardens, it’s the Louisiana iris,” says Leoné Williams of Petal Faire nursery, who’s been collecting Louisiana irises for many years. She’s found them to be very adaptable, thriving in those difficult gardens that get full sun and full shade in equal measure. “They do well in clay soil and don’t mind wet feet, so poor drainage is never a problem, and surprisingly, they can also grow alongside other flowers in normal garden beds, provided they are watered regularly,” she says. “If Louisianas sound too good to be true, it’s because they are,” she laughs, “and of course, their best asset is their utterly gorgeous blooms.” IN THE GARDEN Louisiana irises ( Iris ser. Hexagonae ) are essentially water plants, originating in the swamps…

1 DWARF MORNING GLORY (EVOLVULUS GLOMERATUS) This is undoubtedly one of the best trailing evergreen groundcovers for frost-free areas. A prolific bloomer, it’s heat tolerant and produces a continuous display of new flowers. Look out for ‘Blue Daze’ and new ‘Blue My Mind’. Growing tips: Full sun and free-draining sandy soil or loam are best. Half hardy, it loves the heat and likes water during the summer growing season, but don’t overwater. Make the most of it: Growing 20–30cm high and spreading about 1m, it’s perfect for hanging baskets, window boxes and containers where it can hang over the edge. It’s also spectacular as a border or massed in a bed. Propagate: Take soft wood cuttings or sections of rooted stems in spring. Good companions: Blue fescue grass (Festuca glauca),…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED Precast concrete blocks Clear silicone and a sealant gun Exterior paint A paintbrush Strong plastic sheeting A skewer (wooden or metal) Potting soil Plants and herbs of your choice HOW TO DO IT 1 . Stack your concrete blocks in a pattern that suits your space. To create a planter in the middle of the wall, turn a block lengthways so half of it sticks out at a right angle. Repeat this with other blocks at regular intervals. For safety reasons, don’t build the wall more than five blocks high. 2 . Once you’re happy with your placement, take a picture for reference then carefully remove the blocks one by one. 3 . Rebuild your wall, making sure you attach each block securely to the next using…

PARMA HAM, WATERMELON AND TOMATO SALAD (Serves 4–6) 30ml red wine vinegar 10ml caster sugar 3ml chopped fresh thyme 2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced ¼ watermelon 200g cherry tomatoes 3 radishes, thinly sliced 15ml roughly torn fresh mint zest and juice of 1 lime salt and milled black pepper 100g Parma ham 100g feta cheese, cubed 1 . Place the vinegar, caster sugar and thyme in a small non-metallic bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the onion slices and toss to coat. Set aside for 20 minutes. 2 . Cut the watermelon into small cubes or use a melon baller to shape it into balls. 3 . Place the watermelon in a salad bowl with the cherry tomatoes, radishes, mint, lime zest and juice. Season with…

Sonia Vosloo’s determination to showcase local design in Durban began with a trip to Design Indaba a few years ago. “I was blown away by the number of talented South African artists and crafters that I’d never heard of before, and I decided then and there to bring the best work to Durban.” And so Shoppe was born. Following on from its success, Sonia recently opened a new Shoppe in Morningside’s Churchill House. “There’s such a wonderful vibe here and this little complex is turning into a shopping destination for unique things,” she says. Her eye for distinctive, interesting items means that her store’s beautifully curated shelves are packed with the very best in South African homeware, art and furniture. “There’s so much talent here, I often wish my stores…