Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i South African Home Owner

Infused with “emotions, memories and experiences”, this home in a luxury lifestyle estate has been designed to reflect this family's style and warmth. “We have ensured that our home has a sense of our personalisation and belonging.” Described as an American farmhouse blended with a French look and feel, the home is designed to offer a “clean, rich and freshly welcoming ambience”. The decor is “classic, comfortably livable and absolutely timeless”, says the home owner. Custom-made pieces and personal touches add to the unique look. One of the statement pieces is the Lord's Prayer Station at the entrance. “It tells a lot about us as a family.” The decor pieces around the Prayer Station also add to the story, she explains. “Custom-made pieces and personal touches add to the unique…

“The site also allows for views of a protected section of natural coastal forest within the estate, making it a true tropical paradise.” Situated in a well-known estate on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, this home offers its residents breathtaking views and all the luxury needed for a wonderful lifestyle. The original site purchased consisted of thick, natural coastal forest vegetation and a mature flat crown tree on the front boundary. Due to its location, the site also allows for views of a protected section of natural coastal forest within the estate, making it a true tropical paradise. Further expanding on this tropical style is the elemental roof form with large eaves, overhanging upper storey, timber screens and pergolas, uninterrupted indoor/outdoor flow and lush landscaping. The ground-floor living space layout…

LIEBHERR EIGER RANGE Liebherr is synonymous with freshness, and its fully integrated range of appliances for 2023 underscores this. The Eiger range is perfect for anyone looking to make their refrigerated food last longer. Complete with freshness safes, this range makes it possible for time to appear to stand still, resulting in the food quality and vitamins being retained for longer. The range also includes HydroBreeze, the automatic IceMaker, and the new InfinitiSpring that offers fresh, cold water whenever needed. CONTACT: 011 365 2561 www.liebherr.com HIRSCH'S HOMESTORE DESIGNER WINE COOLERS Hirsch's understands the effort needed for taking care of a curated wine collection and that's why the company recommends you leave it to them. Hirsch's has a sought-after range of wine coolers to suit your individual taste, including everything from…

HYDROTHERAPY Hydrotherapy focuses on the benefits of water to promote overall wellness, and interest in water as a healing therapy continues to grow. Luckily, you don't need to seek out treatments from experts to enjoy its benefits, as there is a range of products, from luxury showerheads to jetted spa baths and saunas, for you to use at home. EXCITING PRODUCTS Whether you are looking for cold or hot therapy treatments, you can choose from various options to suit your lifestyle and décor style. When it comes to aesthetics, Karen Robyn, general manager of Duravit, has noticed a shift into more minimalistic approaches for wellness systems as home owners look for both functional and aesthetically pleasing products that complement their home's décor scheme. Wellness has become an increasing topic of…

HOME IMPROVEMENT There are several things to think about when designing your home around accessibility for all. Even if you don't need wheelchair access right now, you may have family members who get a bit stuck when they visit your home. Steps are a particular problem for many people; but there are solutions, from installing grab rails to home lifts. DESIGN DETAIL Cameron Robertson, sales manager at Hands on Lifts Southern Africa, a supplier of home lift solutions, says: “Simple design tips to allow for accessibility in a home would be to look for no stairs on the levels of the home; many homes have stairs or uneven surfaces. “Also look at the design of the home to allow a lift to travel from one floor to the next without…

This “dream home” on a sought-after eco-estate is “everything” the owner desired. “It has a wonderful flow, and every detail was planned in advance with the architect and interior designer.” Although the home owner had lived in the area for many years, the wish was always to have a home in an estate. “As we love entertaining, we wanted a home with open spaces and lots of natural light.” The family travels often, so it was important to live in a secure estate that would offer peace of mind when they were away. But the family also loves the tranquil environment. “This eco-estate is so peaceful, with its wonderful walkways and variety of antelope.” “As we love entertaining, we wanted a home with open spaces and lots of natural light.”…

Tranquillity was key in this build, and the home owner found a plot on an estate that ticked this box, complete with a small stream and abundant wildlife. “Our previous house was much bigger than this one, but the area lacked the tranquillity that we were after,” says the owner, a banking executive who shares the house with her husband and two daughters, 12 and 14. “We wanted to be able to sit at home and hear water flow past, and the sounds of birds and animals,” she explains. The architect designed a luxury home flooded with natural light, taking advantage of the site's slope to incorporate plenty of windows. There is also a central courtyard. “The design has a lot of glass that helps retain heat, reducing the electricity…

Creating a kitchen where form follows function should be top of mind when building or renovating this space. When creating a fit-for-purpose kitchen, it is imperative to ensure that every function is catered for, but the space should not feel overwhelmed. “Good design is meant to be like listening to a beautiful symphony where the listener not hear all the complexities behind the music, only the finished sound,” explains nuuma's Craig Dexter. He goes on to say that the fit-for-purpose kitchen has a focus on design that has all the thought needed, but what is seen and enjoyed by the end user is a simple flow of beautiful elements working together. CONSCIOUS DESIGN If yen are considering creating a kitchen that will give you the ideal experience, the first step…

INTERIORS More than a catchphrase or a passing trend, biophilic design is about our deep need to connect with nature. “The word ‘biophilia’ comes from the Greek word ‘philia’ meaning ‘love of’ and ‘bio’ meaning ‘life’,” explains Nicole Russell, Italtile's marketing manager. In essence, biophilia is the love of life and living things. There are many reasons why this design concept has been accepted and embraced the world over, and it is important to note that it is not just limited to the interior spaces. Antoinette Horngren, a junior partner at JK Design Architects, explains that biophilic design is a concept used within the architecture industry to increase the user's connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature and space and place conditions. “Biophilic design…

PROPERTY This light and bright home invites easy openplan living for the family of four who make the most of the adjoining nature reserve and expansive views. “We chose this area because of the extensive views on both sides of the house,” says the home owner, who shares the property with her husband and two children. “You get an incredible sunrise when waking up to exercise, and breathtaking sunsets when relaxing on the viewing cfeek. The nature reserve in front of us has an incredibly calming and relaxing effect too.” Family-friendly, the home is designed with most of The living spaces on one level, even though it has three storeys. The family previously lived in a different house on the estate, but were looking for a new project to take…

South Africa's property market has been surprisingly resilient, even throughout the pandemic and especially now, in recovery. The most significant increase, say estate agents and developers, lies in demand for sectional title or estate homes. And there's certainly a variety on offer: from basic townhouses to equestrian, golf, eco or luxury. The range of choices and locations countrywide demonstrates how developers have adapted to meet any home owner's every need. “As a developer, you are essentially creating a village, the main function of which is to provide a safe and secure haven where families can live harmoniously, and independent of council services,” explains Darin D'Oliveira, CEO of Northlands Business Park and founder and developer of Avianto Estate. Today, infrastructure requirements extend from basic service installations to the self-sustainable independence of…

ECO-LIVING Instead of letting rain run off your roof and into the stormwater system, consider collecting this precious resource and rerouting it to use in the home. There are ways to harvest and use rainwater safely. Mike Breslauer, managing director of Wetec, a supplier of rainwater harvesting and irrigation equipment, says: “Unfortunately, water infrastructure is starting to break down in many parts of South Africa due to maintenance neglect. We will therefore see water follow a similar pattern to that of electricity. That means price hikes and water shedding.” BACK TO BASICS “To harvest rainwater, the basic requirements include gutters, a downpipe and a water storage tank,” says Bianca van Rooyen, marketing manager of JoJo. “With each rainfall, the water is then directed into your tank to use as and…

HOME TECH Connected appliances are not new to the market, but “smart” no longer simply means that they're app-connected – smarter appliances are using energy more efficiently, learning users’ behaviour to adapt their operation, and offering upgrade options to add to their functions. INTELLIGENT BEATS SMART Paul Lee, product director of home appliances at LG Electronics South Africa, says products that include design innovations for improved user convenience are considered smart. “For example, LG's innovative Vivace AI DD washer-dryer is designed to protect your clothes wash after wash. AI DD refers to the intelligent technology the machine uses to detect the weight and softness of the fabric while automatically optimising the washing cycle to care for it. Once an appropriate setting has been selected, that cycle is applied so your…