Dear readers
August. For some of us, that means school holidays, sweating through Europe, feeling the freeze at home, or languishing in zero humidity KZN bliss. But for all of us, August means that 2018 is two thirds done. That’s a maths fact you cannot fight, sorry. So why not treat August like the crammer month of cool stuff and fill up on the many design, art and style happenings going on at the moment. To help you navigate, we packed this issue with a mother load of features, profiles and reports that unpack the buzz, the influences and hot spots for you.
Jozi owns August with two standout events that always inspire, stimulate and set the bar each year. 100% Design is one of them, and this year CNHG has collaborated with Mothercityhardware for a super fresh installation called 100% Apartment. Often design is tricky to translate in real life, especially if you don’t have or want a decorator, designer or architect. If you relate, then 100% Apartment is a whole new deal in DIY, downtown cool, and a liberating eureka moment in urban living. Check out Lofty Ideals, page 41, for a preview of the installation and the principles behind this snappy concept.
The other unmissable happening in Jozi is the FNB Joburg Art Fair, the gutsy vision of Mandla Sibeko, who has turned this event into a world-class platform for the contemporary culture of the continent. Read about the galaxy of nova and supernova art stars you’ll see in How to Art Fair like a Pro, page 31, and then flip to the last page for Mr Sibeko’s musings on passion, values and relationships.
And in Cape Town? The streets are alive with new pleasure zones and rendezvous Xanadus, which we share with you in Streets Ahead, a guide to the Harrington Street hood, and A Fare To Remember, page 36, an exclusive, uncurbed, enthusiastic Piet Smedy-penned salute to A Moveable Feast’s special brand of seductive dining and design style across town in Tamboerskloof.
Another exclusive in this issue is the new-look Singita Pamushana Lodge, page 70, which is once again a drum-roll triumph of creative cultural inspiration by the Cécile & Boyd team.
But probably the most significant design influences are happening on the home front, in the kitchen. We devoted 11 pages to bring you the latest directions and doable ideas for the space, that with the new design developments, is fast becoming both engine room and sanctuary for our homes.
Enjoy the issue. We loved putting it together for you.