Find BOCCA at the junction of Bree and Wale street in Cape Town’s trendy CBD just a short stroll up from the V&A Waterfront to share in romantic sunset dinners, family-gathering celebrations, or if you are one of the city’s many singular tech-head imports needing a shot of divine sustenance during one of your coding marathons… we saw all three varieties of patrons there on its split-level interior where the focus is firmly on fine food creation rather than just fancy interiors.

CELEBRATE WITH TASTE

Once you’ve dived into your first urban Italian cuisine experience offered up by maestro chef Guido, you will be loudly joining the buzzing fray as people revel in its flavour sensations offered up in a snappy array of sublime food, conversation and laughter.

BOCCA has an Italian calling for inspiring a food celebration, as only the Italians know how, delivered to your private table. It’s a recipe for never leaving and always returning. As petite hostess Adnana says, “You can come by yourself and sit at the counter for a glass of wine and a few small plates or arrive as a group and experience a selection of dishes. It’s really a place for people to connect over food.”

MENU MOZZAFIATO

There by invitation of a local foodie friend, my dinner partner and I were served a special BOCCA chef’s table, with each dish accompanied by detailed explanations from master chef Guido, so I benefited from an Italian lesson in the finer details of the variety and preparation of our particular dishes.

Putting his new menu into context, Guido says: “It’s all about uncomplicated Italian flavours, the kind you would enjoy if you were invited for dinner in an Italian household.”

We felt right at home at BOCCA with both of us delighting in each dishes unique sampling.

Guido and Adnana are particularly intent on sourcing the best local ingredients for their menu at BOCCA, adding their Italian flair to locally sourced South African products which they acknowledge as being of top-notch quality.

The local Stracciatella with roasted cherry tomatoes and confit eggplant was a first for me and I nearly swooned. Rich, creamy and almost the consistency of thick yoghurt, I was in heaven. The Polpo of Atlantic octopus with potatoes and basil pesto – a classic Mediterranean-inspired BOCCA dish was as breath-taking.

The star of the show for me however was the Polpettine; interesting for someone who ricochets between thoughts of turning vegetarian and eating all the crackling off the roast pork. Polpettine is a finely ground meatball of beef, pork and lamb to be dipped into a fresh ‘mayo verde’. Each bite is a series of new tastes unfolding one on top of the other and I couldn’t stop going back for more, nicking more than my fair share of it.

Before the arrival of the Brambilla’s, BOCCA was famous for its pizza and nothing has changed. With their imported Acunto oven – which cooks pizzas in 90 seconds, at temperatures topping 450°F – the dough sees a process of slow fermentation before being thrown by hand and pushed into its fiery heat.

The latest member of the BOCCA pizza family is their little PIZZETTE which is rolled smaller – about 16cm across – than a traditional pizza, and which means you can enjoy your favourite pizza flavours while still having space to try a variety of other new dishes served at the table.

We shared the Amatriciana with smoked cheeks of pork and pecorino on a puffy yet crisp base which was so ridiculously delicious it’s hard to view it as mere pizza – at least the takeaway sort of pizza I have previously come to know.

DOLCE ENDINGS

Not being a sweet tooth, I decided to forgo dessert for another glass of Sauvignon Blanc complements of Cape Town’s accessible Uber services but my dinner partner absolutely raved about the Tiramisu with Mascarpone Cream, declaring it the best he has ever tasted; high praise indeed with my own odious time-keeping long forgotten after a bacchanal of such fine fare.

Even as the happy last patron leaves BOCCA and midnight prepares to settle over the city, Guido is setting the next day’s fare in motion, placing his larger cuts of beef, lamb, poultry and port into the heat of the pizza oven for gentle slow roasting in preparation to start another staple Italian day in the kitchen.

Expect the menu of this upscale eatery to change four times a year as Guido works the South African seasons with his own brand of passion, dedication and hands-on approach extended with authentic Italian hospitality for every and all types of diners through their welcoming BOCCA doorway. It’s a guaranteed to be mouth-watering with the perfect selection of small plates ideal for sharing.

BOCCA is open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday from noon until 22h00 with last orders are taken at 21h30. Visit their website at https://bocca.co.za/.

Connect with Guido and Adnana Brambilla’s BOCCA on social media via @BoccaCT on Twitter; @boccaCT on Facebook; and bocca_ct on Instagram

Firehorse Media is a South African communications and PR consultancy owned and managed by Mercedes Westbrook, whose career as a journalist, editor, managing editor and communications consultant spans 22 years experience in the print and digital industry. Email her on mercedes@firehorsemedia.co.za or C:+27 789707633.

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 The Sanlam Top Destination Awards was hosted at the Kelvin Grove Club in Cape Town. 35 winners from 9600 nominees walked away with the sought after title of ‘Top Destination’ in their respective categories and star grading.

Hayward’s Grand Safari Company provides private groups of 40 to 200 VIP guests with an authentic 5-star mobile tented safari camp experience in pristine wilderness reserves across the African continent. Each luxury camp guarantees corporate and celebrity clients’ total event exclusivity and superior guest comfort.

Rated as the only 5-star mobile Safari in Africa, hosts Peter Hayward and Celia du Preez, are appointed by leading multinational blue-chip companies, royal contingents, presidents and renown celebrities alike. Owner Peter Hayward said, “I am absolutely delighted to have received such high accolades from the Sanlam Top Destination Awards.

“As custodians of global Sanlam Wealthsmith investments, what better establishment to represent how to turn money into meaning and set the standard for a future vision of tourism and hospitality in South Africa and for the continent. “Together with Discount Traveler, this award is a testament to the skill and vision of its creators and sponsors.”

“Hospitality and tourism is a large driving force in our economy and we want to continue to recognise and reward one of our country’s most influential industries,” commented Jonathan Pepler, managing director of Discount Traveler and founder of the Sanlam Top Destination Awards.

– BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE
https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/haywards-grand-safari-company-wins-big-at-the-sanlam-top-destination-awards-2017-11378910

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Behind all the angst of the unknown in terms of both the virus and the global economy, January 2021 has been a very different month to that of the previous year – for those of us in South Africa, we couldn’t even celebrate the turning of time with a glass of champagne due to the country’s alcohol ban.

.For those lucky enough to still be employed or able to manage their businesses under #lockdown restrictions there is none of the energy usually associated with the start of a new year. For the many forced to swivel industries, the stress of trying to maintain one’s head above water while still coming up with new business ideas and marketing strategies under a whole new set of operating rules, these new landscapes make no promises and only offer a cool outlook.

I personally have had to reassess my idea of productivity.

Stress and angst are debilitating. Friends and family talk of the mind fugue and the exhaustion being experienced – for me, it feels a little like trying to run underwater, its awfully clumsy, slow and I can’t seem to hear or see ahead too well. While some in my circle try to attribute it to either old age, menopause or a doubling down on bad habits, there is no denying the mass consciousness of fear which grips the world and its a pretty heavy energy right now.

Online marketers are quick to respond to the lag with a million different hacks of how to motivate ourselves, usually accompanied by some slick copy writing which ends with a call to action to pay for your place in their race.

DO HAVE OR JUST BE

As the head of my family, I have to admit, I am a Do-er.

Pre-pandemic, I was an early riser who stuck to a strict timetable of chores and activities – none scheduled in for my own personal growth as I now recall – but pivotal in bootstrapping my business and ensuring my children would succeed at whatever they set out to do.

I have always believed that if you work hard you will get somewhere. This has proven true for me over the years too. I have had to pull me and my young family out of some pretty desperate places while relocating, job searching and finding a safe abode. And indeed, hard work and personal endeavour saw that I found my feet, set my course and like many, felt ready that finally 2020 was going to be the year it was all going to come together in a glorious succession of work-life-money balance.

WELL-BEING OF THE EGOIC MIND

The impact of Covid-19 has cut deep on our mental health – but more perhaps more silently. We know what to do if we get the virus but what does one do when you want to run screaming for the hills and you can’t because its lock down. Its a personal battle that we grapple with in the privacy of our four walls.

Faced with the devastation either of our own lives or those around us, finding the meaning of life each morning can become one’s greatest and something only challenge for the day. My biggest battle has been trying to find the balance between self-care, stress and the motivation to keep putting on my battle gear and heading out to the battlefield.

Difficult economic circumstances make us automatically feel we must become more productive in order to compensate for the gaps. But, for many of us, we are finding instead, the need to take mental health days as a form of self-assigned sick leave… the one’s where in early lock down, it was easier to avoid having to face the worries of the world or our personal lives by sticking our heads under the duvet, especially since we couldn’t move further than our own front door.

Yes, the New Year has been announced, the first pay day of the year has either arrived for you or it was a no show. Instead of beating yourself up about what you should be doing to engender new business, motivate yourself to get out there or do something radically different and amazing, please take a few more moments for self-care.

INDULGE YOURSELF

Our well being must be our first priority. A stressed mind can’t think clearly and no one is sure of the future agenda at this stage. Stop beating yourself up that you should be working and instead do the most self-indulgent thing you can for you. Join that hiking group, the one you’ve been meaning to for the last five years. Sit and watch the Food Channel all day, there in may lie your latent passion. Study the butterflies that come to your garden. Set up a mental self-help support group on Zoom. Find your own personal sweet spot and keep dipping back in there.

Now more than ever we are being challenged by the expectation of always having to be ‘switched on’ in our work-from-home living spaces. Its counterproductive to think you can make any Goliath changes right now.

Instead, take a breath or two, sit quietly by yourself (for at least 1 hour per day or better yet 1 hour in the morning and the afternoon) and really feel your way into this new year.

The world needs you in all your authentic self… not that old office manager persona, as an entrepreneur hotshot, or as a super earning Mom or Dad. No, the world needs real people who can watch the dawn rising from a quiet space in themselves, in order to hear the true voice inside of us. Wait patiently, we have to give this voice the space to emerge, to grow and to flow so that we can reach deep into this new place and replenish in order to go out into this Brave New World.

We shift only when we observe the chasm. Spend time learning your new landscape. This is how we learn to build bridges and roads, the one’s that lead to our future, spoken with the words of our heart.

Mercedes Westbrook is a Momtrepreneur, raising her three children in Cape Town, South Africa. Firehorse Media is her homegrown business of 6 years, offering online support with #contentcreation, #communicationsstrategy, #socialmediamanagement, #publicity, and affordable #Wordpress #websites. Visit www.firehorsemedia.co.za for more.

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Instead, the absent Ms Magrieta Prinsloo leads you to the humble edifice of Avoova’s elegant gift shop and factory, which first established this international brand with original crafted decorative items artistically rendered from ostrich shell pieces.

Today, Avoova employs 50 local artisan crafters and exports fine wares to multiple overseas destinations, elevating the repute of the the world’s largest flightless bird and its equally large but humble ostrich egg – one which can easily be likened to the Faberge egg of the Karoo.

Not only producing beautiful gift ware to adorn your home or to shower on friends and family, Avoova also looks after its community. Together with famed photographer and author Obie Oberholzer, Avoova raises funds for local education through beautiful images of the Karoo’s people and landscape with the sale of the book Karoo Story, another beautiful keepsake to take away with you. You can also visit Avoova at its four other boutique shops in and around the Cape.

Artists, Art Galleries and Giftware

With Avoova, undoubtedly the retail star in Prince Albert’s shopper’s corner, singular artistry still survives with local metal worker Kashief Booley carrying the title of Prince Albert’s blacksmith.

Not so long ago, every small town had a blacksmith who was indispensable to life from supplying tools, repairing wheels and shoeing horses. Today Booley is an artistic blacksmith who supplies locals with crafted items such as gates, burglar bars and other needful things. Perhaps in response to the sound of metal crashing on metal all day, he remains a man of few words.

Happy to fill you in with all the delectable art history and future investment possibilities of the art world however is Kurt fromWatershed. Situated inside a beautifully restored Victorian house typical of the architecturally rich town of Prince Albert, Watershed is a haven in which to browse and buy interior design, art, furniture and fashion artfully displayed throughout its four interlinked showrooms.

Along with an impressive collection of retro furniture, Watershed houses selected prints of world-renowned photographer Jürgen Schadeberg and the Karoo Collection, a showcase of local artists’ work.

From Berlin with Love

Schadeberg is the Berlin-born photographer who snapped many famous  Drum magazine covers in the 1950s, as well as almost all of the remaining photographs of Nelson Mandela before he was imprisoned.

Framed copies and other memorabilia of the Drum covers are available for sale at the Watershed, which lays claim to house the only exclusive gallery of the works of internationally acclaimed photographer Jürgen Schadeberg in the world.

A Portrait of Mandela

Referred to as the ‘father of South African photography’, the Berlin-born photographer has lived and worked in South Africa for much of his life. He is particularly known for his striking portraits, including those of Nelson Mandela over several decades, the 1950s black musical and political scene while chief photographer, picture editor and art director of the magazine in the 1950s, as well as Apartheid and modern South Africa. He now lives in Germany, but Kurt is on hand for art lovers and memorabilia collectors to purchase signed and framed copies of his photographs.

Prince Albert to New York

International journalist Joseph Berger was one such collector who not only bought his own signed copy of a Schadeberg but was also moved to write a beautiful travel article about the heritage and crafting community in Prince Albert titled ‘An Artist Colony Thrives in the South Africa Desert’ for the New York Times Travel section.

Local photographer Louis Botha is another artist who finds sanctuary in Prince Albert and in the hearts of Michael and Renate, owners of the four-star De Bergkant Lodge which is highlighted in Joseph Berger’s New York Times travel piece for its beautiful heritage buildings and 4-star hospitality.

Louis Botha’s framed art works adorn De Bergkant Lodge’s dining room walls where the public is welcome to pop in and browse and buy together his two books Slow Down, Look Again andKaroo on sale as beautiful keepsakes of one’s travels through the Karoo’s vast and silent landscape populated with hardy but ultimately authentic characters. You can also pick up a pack of his beautiful photographic cards and send a message home to arrive before you do. You can read more about Louis Botha on De Bergkant Lodge’s blog here.

A Gem of a Small Town Life

Says Michael, owner of De Bergkant Lodge: “We like to believe that we bring a lot of international attention to this hidden Karoo village from the many Swiss, German, Dutch and other European travelers who like to enjoy nature blended with luxury hospitality.

“We have made a big investment in purchasing the lodge and want to share both its beauty and its tourism potential with the local towns people. We recommend all the natural and sporting adventure services and book dining arrangements for our guests at the local eateries. Wherever we can, we uplift the community and highlight the many talents and skills to be found and enjoyed here.”

De Bergkant Lodge also employs and trains local staff at De Bergkant Lodge and bring international service standards to what more sophisticated townie’s might only consider a ‘dorp’.

Renate, who heads up housekeeping says, “Michael is extremely exacting. Every little detail is considered and room preparation and set up is precise. Coming from a Swiss finance and banking industry, there is no room for error.”

“Of course,” says Michael, “we expect initiative and integrity from the people we employ. Not everyone is up to meeting our standard, but we are very lucky in having found Ashley who started with us as dining service staff and who is now promoted to front office. It is always a two-way street and expectation without effort won’t get someone stable employment. It goes without saying that theft or tardiness is not tolerated here.”

International Investment Uplifts a Small South African Town

De Bergkant Lodge’s international standards pay off not just for the upliftment of its service staff but for the town itself too. On any lazy afternoon, spent basking around one of the Lodge’s three swimming pools you can hear more than three international languages being spoken; but De Bergkant Lodge is as popular with local travelers too, hosting politicians to celebrities from across the country.

Investing in South Africa doesn’t come without its challenges as Swiss-born Michael and Renate have discovered. The village recently experience two electricity blackout of 19 hours each which impact booking systems and guest comfort.

“We are learning to adapt and unfortunately have had to go the route of generators to keep connected with our guest bookings. Luckily the South African sun makes solar an option for our geysers in our ten rooms and with most restaurants using gas to prepare foods, it means dinners are set to enjoy the romance of candlelight if Eskom brings us more blackouts. We like to call this adaption as the ‘art of living’ in the Karoo!”, chuckles Michael.

Art lovers will be interested in the upcoming Open Studios art weekend taking place from 5 – 8 July where resident artists open their studios – often located in their homes – to the public, creating the village’s very own ‘art route’.

Visitors have the chance to not only view the artists’ art, but to meet them in person and discuss their work with them. These works include mediums ranging from land art, water colors, ceramics, letter art, stone carvings, oils and acrylics.

Book your next breakaway at De Bergkant Lodge at www.debergkant.com.

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Here are 5 top bucket list safari destination choices to decide on whether you’re planning a private family heritage safari event or a big group corporate incentive to motivate and reward your top achievers.

Each extraordinary destination offers its own unique experiences, real-time wildlife action and achingly beautiful natural environments.

We asked Adventure Extraordinaire Peter Hayward of Hayward’s Grand Safari Company to walk us through each bespoke destination following the company’s most recent achievement of being awarded the title of Best Safari Experience in Africa 2019 by The Safari Awards for their authentic safari expeditions and events.

• Kruger Luxury

Almost every traveler to South Africa has the world-famous Kruger National Park at the top of their tick list when stepping off the airplane at OR Tambo International Airport. Whether self-driving through the park or booking into one of its hotels, visitors will discover it is a popular – and busy – undertaking.

Hayward’s Safaris had the privilege of being the first private safari outfitters to be allowed to take private groups of between 40 and 200 adventurers into the Kruger National Park where a 5-star luxury tented camp had been prepared for them in the most select and untouched parts of this 19 485 km² park. Here, guests experience wide open skies and stretches of untouched natural reserve where adventure game drives and guided bush walks spent exploring the area guarantees private sightings of the Big 5 without another camera-happy person in sight.

“Here, in these private and pristine Kruger National Park areas, not only is it teeming with wildlife,” says Peter Hayward, “you won’t spot another visitor for an entire week, except camp crew there to serve and entertain you. The safari game guides are of the highest caliber and you have access to the largest and best wildlife hot spot on the planet together with your own private luxury safari lodge set up just for you in the middle of it all.”

Spotlight on: We focus on safari highlights such as walking safaris, sun-downers by the waterhole, themed cultural events, stargazing and conservation talks.

• iSimangaliso Wetlands Park

A World Heritage Site and Big Six destination in the northern reaches of KwaZulu-Natal, this wetlands wonderland offers all the excitement of the Big 5 with an abundance of hippo and crocodile, together with the addition of a complete marine experience.

“From bush to sea to teeming freshwater lagoon, this region is tropical in temperature and abundant with wildlife of every kind. In the morning you can be diving the marine reserve and in the afternoon watching the flamingo framed against the sunset of its vast expanses from your cocktail cruise on the lagoon. This is nature in its most primitive form,” says Peter.

Spotlight on: As the country’s most important refuge for the continent’s rhino population, you will find both black and white rhino protected here in its most ideal habitat in the uMkhuze section – one of the oldest sanctuaries of the Park.

• Cradle of Mankind Heritage Safari

Rich in the culture of our human origins, the Cradle of Mankind is another World Heritage Sites which offers explorers fascinating discoveries of our past. Join scientists and archaeologists deep in research as they discover secrets from the past at Maropeng. Close by, the Big 5 Dinokeng game reserve offers wildlife experiences to match that of the Kruger National Park.

Spotlight on: Guests enjoy it all here, from culture to craft, history, wining and dining and gentlemen’s activities such as fly-fishing and clay Pigeon shooting.

• Kalahari Desert Adventure

In the deepest desert landscapes at the junction of three Transfrontier Parks between South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique where there is no other infrastructure in sight, you will immerse yourself in the magnificent beauty of the dunes by day and the spectacular nights skies at the campfire by night. A rare habitat of vast stillness and tranquility, each guest finds the greatest luxury of all… time. Time to oneself, time to connect, where time slows down and disappears.

Spotlight on: The Kalahari was the home of the first native hunter-gatherers. Cultural and dune safari activities focus on the cultural survival skills of the San people and their ancient history.

• Okavango Delta

  Fly into the Delta in Botswana by airplane and see veins of sparkling water laid out below you in this green belt of nature and watery estuaries at the northern most reaches of desert-dry Namibia. The sparkling jewel within a desert, this Delta offers water safaris in among its islands, channels and fertile, forested regions. Rich and fascinating, your safari ensures big game experiences up close and personal from the safety of your game vehicle or motorized boat.

Spotlight on: Enjoy Big Game viewing with a difference. Together with lion, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog and large herds of elephant and buffalo, you may also spot the red lechwe and shy sitatunga native to the region.

Discover more exciting safari destinations with Hayward Safaris when you visit www.haywardsafaris.com 

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Photographer and author Louis Botha used to be one such traveler until the Karoo’s great silence and complex simplicity crept into his soul.

“It’s difficult to explain why, although I am convinced it is because photography taught me to ‘look differently’ at things but I started to plan my journeys to include the network of dirt roads that track through the various regions of the Karoo’s vastness,” he says.

Stopping as often as possible on his journeys, Louis Botha began to observe and appreciate from a new perspective: “I discovered a wealth of beauty and diversity I had never connected to before. This process gained momentum, pulling me in, until I realized I had lost my soul to the Karoo and I bought an old Victorian house in the 250 year old Prince Albert.

After a qualification in the field of commerce and several years in the corporate world as an executive, Louis Botha came to realise that Life is short, and Art is long!

“I decided to rearrange my lifestyle completely in order to make more time to express my vision and feelings through using Light reflecting off my subjects.  It’s only when one becomes part of the Karoo community that one fully appreciates the meaning of the words ‘less is more’!”

Captured by the quality of natural light available, the atmosphere of stillness, exposed human emotions and the character of its ancient landscape, Botha says, “In slowing down my life, my senses were sharpened. I was able to see again, to smell, to hear, to taste and to feel, almost as if for the first time.”

Photography of Voice

“For me photography challenges me to communicate without words, to evoke emotion without saying anything, to tell a story or to present the ordinary in an unordinary way, to make the viewer look again, think again, feel again, appreciate again. I am attracted by discovering the other side of people and things, the treasures waiting to be discovered in seemingly empty relationships and vast open spaces. The challenge is to remove the clutter and the pretentions, to reveal what is real.”

Simple Images Big Photo Art

Using an old Hasselblad from the 1950’s Louis Botha’s new knowledge gave rise to his first book ‘SLOW DOWN look again’offering 148 pages of black and white storytelling portraits on film of the people of the Karoo, their ordinary lives and the mystery that will always remain firmly part of Karoo for those who are destined to be just visitors.

His second book ‘Karoo’ is an even deeper look into the wide open spaces, silence and timelessness of this unique and ethereally beautiful landscape.

“Why go to Tuscany or Provence for peace or photographic opportunities when we hold such treasures on our own doorstep. Here, in the Karoo you are offered a chance to discover yourself, to figure out where you stand in relation to your creator, your loved ones and your next of kin. Thinking about who you are, what you stand for, your purpose in life and what it means for others, it also then becomes easier to engage with the environment, to connect with people, with places, with weather conditions and objects in your everyday life.

Adds Louis Botha, “After a while, one’s images start to reflect back at you, the true spirit of the subjects, and of oneself. This experience corresponds with the saying ‘every photograph says something about the subject, and something about the photographer’!”

When shooting, Louis Botha uses digital photography in general. Occasionally, and depending on availability, he may opt for medium format film when doing portraiture or panorama landscapes. His preferred end product is an image that is printed on high quality fine art paper or canvas, to be displayed on a very special wall.

Gallery Showing at De Bergkant Lodge

To meet the many perspectives of the man behind the camera, step into 4-star De Bergkant Lodge at the top of Main Street, Prince Albert where Louis Botha’s framed images adorn the walls.

Says De Bergkant Lodge proprietor Michael Sönnichsen, “We are fascinated how Louis Botha has captured the essence of the region and its people and we are honored to be able to bring this beauty to others in the form of a gallery showing his photographic works.

“Visitors to Prince Albert are welcome to come in from the heat outside and view his selection of works or purchase one of his photographic works, or books. His first book Slow Down Look Again retails for ZAR 490.00, his latest book Karoo retails for ZAR 690.00 or you may purchase both for ZAR 1 000.00.”

Photographic Workshops in Prince Albert

Hoping to share a little of his gift of sight and the beauty of the Karoo with others, Louis Botha offers a four-day photography course in Prince Albert which includes a landscape and a portrait practical workshop and addresses both the visual and technical skills required to capture images with greater impact. It is a very special workshop designed to introduce visitors to the abundance of silence, space, timelessness and beauty of the Karoo and its people.

“It’s not about the camera. If you can see it, feel it, you can capture it,” says Louis Botha. “I am intensely aware of the importance of light and time, for our lives, for the longevity of the earth and everything on it, and for the impact it has on every image captured.

“In friendly Prince Albert, people are warm, humble, rich in knowledge and stories, kind and sincere. Here, there is an abundance of form, texture, structure, colour, contrast, solitude, emotion, space and safety, and an absence of clutter, pretentions, materialism and noise.”

The post Go Closer – Slow Down – Be Here Now appeared first on Firehorse Media.

This couldn’t be more relevant to core of art and design because – whether we are creating it or responding to it – visual design is a reflection of us; both our tastes and our deeper selves.

#1 Trend: Personalisation

When we choose and hang a piece of art on our wall, either at home, in our office or on a client’s new home interior, it’s meant to mean something, right? Art should be speaking a language; one that you can hear. Today, we are no longer being asked to accept the monologue of mass produced ‘decorative’ items.

Thanks to technology, art is no longer static concept on a wall either. Personalisation has taken a giant leap into our everyday lives thanks to art-on-demand merchandise and print giants such as Fine Art America, Saatchi Art, and Work Art. Today, we can replicate that same original art piece which hangs above our bed and which we love so much and have it reproduced again across at least 15 ordinary items we use each day.

The advantages of custom printed art branding mean we can serve cocktails on coasters that match our art on the wall. We could get so personalised in fact, that we can commission a self-portrait by our favourite artist and have it printed as our own brand across greeting cards, throw pillows as gifts to the family, tee-shirts, clocks, laptop sleeves, cellphone covers, scarves, leggings, shower curtains, aprons, tiles, sheets and duvet covers, fridge magnets, notebooks, bags and totes and yes, even your baby’s onesie… While most of us would never take personalisation this far, its interesting to note that it is possible to reach for celebrity brand inspirations in personalisation at the level of ‘Kardashian’, if we so choose.

#2 Trend: Space and Mass Participation

Today, the aesthetic of contemporary art and art prints are there to elevate the spaces we live and work in. It’s a reality that in an ever-burgeoning world where real estate prices are climbing, the spaces themselves and the art we place in them are diminishing.

Decorative interiors can still be manipulated with the selection of one focal art piece as the anchor visual or the use of a gallery wall of smaller collection art pieces or even the creation of a running theme reflected throughout the different rooms, hallway, bathroom and kitchen in the home or office space.

#3 Using Fine Art as Prints

Artist David Barkham, not only paints in triplicate (he enjoys painting three canvases at any one time in his Scarborough studio), he also produces series of artworks such as his Bicycle Series and Nude Series. “I have been called a memory artist. My series offer many smaller pieces reflecting different moments of emotion. Large, domineering art has taken a step back, instead we are asked to step closer, to look in, to find the echo across a series of pieces from different moments in time.”

Barkham’s themes take an old school approach to the modern trend of the memories of aesthetics from past decades. And right on trend, since most contemporary art buyers don’t have masses of empty wall space to fill, his pieces are smaller yet make up a wistful collection of motion and moment that rather than making a room looked crammed, provide a running theme over backdrops, landscapes and a variety of wall interior throughout the home or office space.

#4 Trend: Neutral Outdoors

Perhaps because spaces are smaller, 2019 brings a return to neutrals and the colours and textures of the outdoors.

Where before we might have leant towards minimalist and pale, the neutrals of 2019 are more dramatic, where patterns reflect that of the artist’s hand and brushstroke, using natural pigments like ochre and terracotta, sourced from clays and volcanic rocks, which have been used by artists all over the world for generations. Here we are asked to witness a certain natural imperfection, using the flow and inconsistency of Nature.

#5 Trend: On Being a Maximalist                                                                                             

According to www.wantedonline.com, a new term for 2019 is ‘maximalism’, a maxi trend of ‘more is more’ where we use our spaces to embrace personality and character through a generosity of layering rather than quantity, using patterning, texture and collections of treasured travel finds.

Says decorator Liam Mooney quoted in the article: “Having a lot of stuff that you don’t love makes you a hoarder, not a maximalist. Constantly edit and refine your eye, forget about interior design and rather focus on populating your life with objects that turn you on!”

Here’s to being turned on in 2019 by nothing more than your own personal taste in art curation. To view fine artist David Barkham’s series of oil painting and prints visit www.davidbarkhamartist.com

The post 2019 Interior Design Art Trends to Radically Inspire You! appeared first on Firehorse Media.

Owners Adriana and Maxi are the newest fashion icons creating Amazonezz underwear that is fun, funky and so cheeky you will want him to take a peek!

Amazonezz Shapewear is defined by high quality elastane fabrics and custom colour designs that can be appreciated as outerwear. Its modern corset-style dress features a ‘bodice’ which sit just beneath the breasts (you wear your own bra support) with longer length shoulder straps and adequate length in the leg to reach just below mid-thigh.

The Spring Collection 2019 is defined by turquoise and blue leopard print and other surreal palates and colours in seven size variations of XXS to XXL sizes, all retailing at R1 600 each.

Re-igniting your Passion

Says Creative Director Adriana Holzmann: “I have been wearing shapewear for 15 years and for 10 of those years I searched from Monaco to Majorca, Ibiza to New York to find something more stimulating than beige, standard white or lacy black. When my husband came straight out with it one day that he found my underwear a passion-killer, I decided to do something about it!”

Starting with what she knew about herself as a fulfilled and confident woman and how she liked to look and feel in underwear, Adriana started off with a few tentative drawings. “I had no idea where it was going to lead. I just kept connecting to my passion. It wasn’t until I asked my best friend Maxi, another strong woman, to partner with me that we really ignited our ideas and took our business forward. We work well together as we both bring our own unique set of skills to designing, sourcing, fabric printing, manufacturing and marketing the business.”

Calling on 500 years of proud independence

Explaining the name Amazonezz, Adriana says she has always been intrigued by the 500-year old story of a tribe of women who lived in the Amazon. “They were independent and lived according to their own law; they didn’t need anyone to look after them. Once a month, they would meet and couple with the men but otherwise they would live and hunt only with other women, raising their male children until 4 years of age when they would go and join the men’s quarters. They were so fierce in their independence that they even cut off their right breast so they could take better aim while hunting from horseback.

“I believe that the modern woman needs to take some of that independence and claim her beauty and stature in life. We need to be proud of our bodies and love them exactly how they are. Wearing Amazonezz Shapewear is a bold statement. It says I am not afraid of my curves, I wear them with delight. Our underwear must bring us joy, it must make us feel unafraid and beautiful!”

Designer-quality Underwear

Adriana sources the highest quality fabrics and the manufacturing team at Oggi Cape Town use only the highest quality yarns to give it a quadrupled stitch. “I started the business from scratch according to my own standards of what is ‘best’. This is our first collection with fabric sourced in Spain. We are now busy with our second and third collection and looking at designing shorts as well.

“We are intent on doing something that has never been done before. Each collection will be a stand-alone design with a ‘placement print’ and its own recognizable pattern and colours. Just like Versace, Missoni and Ed Hardy prints, you will be able to recognise Amazonezz lingerie by our custom fabrics, for example, an item might feature a tiger on the stomach or a goat’s head and roses on the small of the back.

We want to bring the entire textile and printing operation to South Africa and keep it local so we can also make Amazonezz Shapeware available to the larger community. Rather than just being a high-end, luxury underwear, we want to create a price point of R800 to R1000 a piece, so everyone can afford a beautiful item of Amazonezz Shapewear.

“I believe being voluptuous is beautiful. For women who feel they are already perfect, Amazonezz Shapewear proves you are worth it, it shapes and tones you even more.”

To help you celebrate your shape, Amazonezz is giving away a 40 ml bottle of Wilderer’s Gin and a voucher with every first purchase of Amazonezz Shapewear.

About Adriana Holzmann
Growing up in East Germany, the Wall came down just right in time for Adriana to conquer the world. Her parent’s plans for her to study medicine in Berlin were quickly exchanged for a career as an estate agent which helped her to fund her travel adventures around the globe. Adriana found her business niche and her husband when she landed and fell in love with South Africa. Passionate about bringing beautiful Shapewear to women everywhere, Adriana is firmly fixed on bucking the beige and setting the trend for outrageously beautiful intimate wear.
She can be contacted on C: 0824933990

About Maxi Huber
Maxi grew up in rural Bavaria overlooking world-famous Lake Chiemsee, in a hotel owned by the family for over 100 years. Hospitality was a natural career progression for her, qualifying as a Chef before the age of 23 years, despite a creative calling for the world of fashion. Her travels brought her to South Africa where she opened Maximilians Restaurant frequented by global food celebrities, and a successful boutique hotel and where her 20-year friendship with Adriana began. As Financial Director, Maxi’s extraordinary past inspires her ambitions to dominate the world so women may wear extraordinary luxury Shapewear every day.
She can be contacted on C: 0836266965

 Follow Amazonezz at @amazonezz_shapewear on Instagram and @amazonezz on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

The post Show your Shapewear! Proudly beautiful underwear support for women everywhere appeared first on Firehorse Media.

Erf size:                      897.28m²
Ground floor:             122.80m²
First floor:                  125.20m²
Mezzanine Level:     49.40m²
Balconies:                 24.00m²

With priceless 180-degree views across Hout Bay of one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world, Chapman’s Peak Drive, this designer home is now available for sale on the private property market.

Commanding attention from its front row position in Hout Bay Heights overlooking the Bay’s private Yacht Club, popular Bay Harbour Market and vibrant fishermen’s wharf, its three-story elevation is a marvel of expansive space which stretches across three levels of floor to ceiling glass.

Designed and built just four years ago, it stands as homage to owner Dieter Losskarn’s passion for German precision, sleek lines and superlative lifestyle living.

Architecturally exact, Bay Harbour House maintains a light-steel ‘bone’ structure complete with exposed ceilings which anchor a ‘rib cage’ of steel lines as an interior design feature. The intention is a replica of a classic luxury car showroom, mirrored by smooth polyurethane floors and vast silent sliding steel-framed doors and windows.

Bay Harbour House is open plan living at its finest, whether you are looking for a home filled with space and light or a space to fill with a commercial business or retail brand.

Grand ground floor welcome

Its impressive entrance gate set on the lip of the property features a sweeping exposed aggregate driveway which mirrors the surrounding granite as it descends the incline into the ground floor triple-size garage.

The ‘garage’ space with its high gloss polyurethane floor and uniformly spaced windows at both seated and standing eye-level towards the panorama of mountains and secluded bay is an exact replica of all the lines and finishes rendered throughout this three-story home.

Its three en-suite bedrooms each command one entire level of their own and feature signature wrap around windows. A high-tech lit stairwell leads up to the second floor, where a 7-metre high ceiling comes into play across on expanse of dining room, fireplace, kitchen, pantry, guest bathroom, the second bedroom en-suite and a stainless steel encased veranda.

Double story Majesty

Step out onto the balcony and a fresh breeze rushes to meet you as you take in a visual cocktail from the Noordhoek side of Chapman Peak Drive and visitor’s lookout point across the sweep of the Hout Bay harbor, beach, Hout Bay village and into the lush hips of the Constantia valley and Kirstenbosch Gardens just beyond the lip.

In the bathrooms, expect heat treated metal doors, metallic silver mosaic bathroom tiles and European interior fittings as well as steampunk style exposed copper fittings and a modern double-volume copper bath in the main bedroom overlooking its own Romeo and Juliet verandah.

The Third floors Eagle’s eye

The third floor is dedicated to the main bedroom, with a separate alcove shower, enclosed toilet and a study area overlooking the second floor below with its own row of elevated windows with views onto the mountain range above Hout Bay.

With imminent fully development of the harbor and developments already underway, Bay Harbour Houses’ sweeping views are assured since there is no available land to build in front and the neighbouring mountainside is already claimed by a Russian business man continuing development of the renowned Lichtenstein Castle and surrounds.

 Features:

• Ground floor private entrance
• 1^st Floor Entrance via a suspended walkway to front door.
• 3 bedrooms 4 bathrooms
• Dining room with double volume
• Kitchen with separate pantry
• Living room with double volume, wood fireplace with double volume
• Study area
• Double showroom garage
• Laundry and scullery
• 24-hour manned security with alarm, electronic beams and intercom

Love this property? View by appointment: Call Mercédes Westbrook on C: +27 789707633 or E: mercedes@firehorsemedia.co.za

About Hout Bay:
Hout Bay, or the Republic of Hout Bay as it is affectionately known by locals, is a fantastic Atlantic seaboard beach lifestyle neighbourhood in Cape Town that offers something for everyone, any day of the week. Just +- 20kms (around 30 minutes) from Cape Town’s CBD it is just around the corner from Llundudno and Camp’s Bay offering less tourist traffic and more equitable property prices.

Hout Bay nestles between the mountain, valley and sea with a community focus on its bustling harbor, horse farms, international schools, hiking trails and sea sport activities and trendy restaurants and art galleries.

Hout Bay is well known for its vibrant Bay Harbour Market, Chapman’s Peak Hotel, the five-star Tintswalo Atlantic and the world-famous Chapman’s Peak Drive, its yachting marine, fishing and boat trips to Duiker (Seal) Island.

Hout Bay is so called by the Dutch meaning Bay of Wood, when passing ships would repair and build their wooden vessels from the thickly-forested mountain slopes which also offered a good water supply.

The area was originally made up of two farms, which were slowly subdivided to make way for urban expansion. While still maintaining its rural atmosphere, the area of Hout Bay is home to about 12,000 residences inhabited by a population of about 42,000 people.

The post BAY HARBOUR HOUSE ON THE MARKET: FOR SALE – PRICE R5 950 000 appeared first on Firehorse Media.

According to Wikipedia I’m driving an ‘executive car’ manufactured and marketed by Volvo between 1996 and 2016 and spanning three re-modeled generations; mine being the first…

It’s good to be first in something and I’m happy my silver-slim 2012 Volvo chassis – referred to as ‘land-shark’ by a surfer-dude friend – is the first-shape model. I might have been able to say a semi-topless one too, if my sunroof motor wasn’t jammed shut by years of collected dust from off-roading in Paternoster up the West Coast.

Ground-up and still driving…

From my driver on-the-ground perspective it’s been a personal journey driving her, one emboldened by all the action three teenagers bring to the mix, together with three generations of smelly sports socks which love to gravitate to its darkest corners.

Add our two bull terrier dogs to the shambolic pile and the Volvo V70 is a groundbreaking legacy of endurance on the road and off… Off-road referring to that one time my eldest son was practicing his reverse take off on our dirt driveway when we rented a precarious three-story wooden house in Scarborough. Precarious for a number of unorthodox reasons, but that’s another story for another day.

Hold the Flashing Lights, Please

According to the multiple AirBnB guests of international flavor who have rented the ‘sea-view room with a King-sized bed’ on its second floor, my Volvo was the car of choice for the roving traffic police of Sweden confirmed by John Neff’s AutoBlog article of Aug 2007 and the updated Volvo version by cops in England announced by Simona’s Top Speed article from Sept 2007.

The first time this news was relayed to me, I noticed a distant expression on my AirBnB guest’s face as he was transported back to another time and place. His body language a mix of surprise at seeing it in-situ in South Africa and one of ‘I’m keeping-myself at a distance’ which spoke of some history back there.

Accelerating along the coastal byways of the sunny southern Cape peninsula on my daily school run between Scarborough and Kommetjie, my Swedish guest’s expression brought to my mind an image of stealth cops lurking in the damp shadows, waiting to run speedsters down in dramatic wheel-spinning car chases through chilly forests in small towns where everyone is stern; either from the cold or the gravity of the consequences of breaking the law.

A squealing wheel spin up a near vertical mountain driveway and my three-month lapsed car license is the furthest I’ve come to breaking the law in my Volvo, but then it was that period over December when time just seems to speed by while feeling festive, especially in a trusty, seal-of-police-approval Volvo V70.

Saloon with a View

It’s hard to tell how the Volvo handles in bumper-to-bumper traffic really because my route takes me along open mountain roads edged by towering rocks and sea. The views are spectacular even for those packed into the load section at the back.

Visuals of the day’s surf are as breathtaking as the only other traffic witnessed on the road… once a squashed porcupine with his needles patterning the road; and the various other school moms with teenagers as tardy as mine, all trying to beat the clock around the snaking bends for that ‘one teacher’ who stands at the school entrance checking uniforms and giving detentions to late-comers. One whose glower makes the mom’s feel just as bad at parenting as the kids at ‘keeping it together’.

One could say that we live in a modern ‘hippy’ community. I try to blend in a bit by covering the Volvo’s rear end with surf and AfrikaBurn stickers but it doesn’t fool the Waldorf mom’s whose cars carry tell-tale rust designs and more leisurely speeds with their later school start.

Wrestling in a Second Life

I admit to a deep affection for my Volvo’s sleek lines reminiscent of a silver bullet at times. I first spotted her from the road, quietly and elegantly parked in a slot of a second-hand car salesman’s yard.

A ‘car-fundi’ friend had agreed to come along and help me choose a ‘new’ car and we were traversing the Main Road of Wynberg’s used car sales gauntlet, with Google firmly in hand, to compare where we might be getting ripped off.

While my car-fundi friend was poking and prodding other middle-of-the-road options suitable for a trade-in in our third lot of the day, I quietly went over and said, “What about this one?”

Bearing right and then left, at speed, around my first traffic turning circle on the initial test drive – guru-friend’s increasingly positive comments confirmed my intuition. I had picked ‘the one’ or it had picked me.

The lovely gloss and re-coaxed carpet plush rendered by the efforts of the gang of car wash attendants at the back of the car lot didn’t last long… but it made me feel special for a while.

Absconding the Big City Lights

The Volvo’s lush interior, sound system, leather seats and air-conditioning were a huge step up from the two door Corsa gifted to me by my brother during my flight from a messy Joburg divorce which had left us stranded and Car-loss by a divorce debacle of epic proportions which included pregnant girlfriend’s and Sheriffs of the Court repossessing my top-of-the-line Landrover Discovery (with all the bells and whistles)… but that’s an another-another story to be told, or maybe a book one day.

The shiny-silver cash-payment Volvo V70 was our first ‘new-life-new-home’ car that was going to feature CT license plates… we were now officially Capetonians!

Bring on the Dead, For Now We Are Living

The most amazing thing about the Volvo is its anyone’s car or rather a car to suit anyone, quite literally through all stages of life.

We’ve fitted multiple surfboards, boogie boards and seal-slick wetsuit clad boys in the back. Leave the hatch open while they perch on the back ledge between sea and the short trip home and they get to enjoy a view of Kings as the road disappears underneath them while they pummel-stone their wrinkled, wet sea feet on the hard tarmac below.

I once taxied a bevy of celebrating 12-yr olds to an ice-skating party at GrandWest. While sourly tested, the suspension and the speakers stood up to the bouncing and singing in tune to the latest pop songs, creating parallel media attention from other cars at traffic lights along the way.

And yes, in Africa, I’ve seen it in commercial use as a hearse. You can fit a six-foot coffin in the back of the Volvo V70. Tint its windows, add some white satin plush and I could be in business.

Luckily, we’re still in the business of living and it’s long boot is perfect for all manner of outdoorsy persons. Lacking a bike rack, we once fitted three mountain bikes and four persons in on the way to the Silvermine Arboretum starting at the top of Ou Kaapse Weg. It’s also fit three supine sleeping adults in the back when rain unexpectedly came down overnight during a weekend festival camping trip.

Friendly-Styled Endurance for The People By the People

The Volvo’s paint job is silver two-toned courtesy of her curb-side parking spot. That of ‘still-intact’ and ‘scoured-silver’ from the beating it takes from the hot sun, the renowned Southeaster and the luxury of outdoor beach living.

The air-con, while gassed, just stopped working one day. Instead, we enjoy daily doses of fresh sea air off of Long Beach. Closer to Longbeach Mall our open windows encourage friendly banter with the familiar faces of the Homeless Talk vendors who work their magazine sales into my monthly budgetary swings as adeptly as I do.

My current mileage is 254 321 km and climbing and I carry my own 5 litre oil can in the storage in the back. We’ve had some adventures for sure, but she’s pulled through ongoing petrol leaks, scraping brake pads, flat battery’s and rocket-red temperatures.

As a single mom having a flat tyre in the friendly Southern Suburbs you are almost guaranteed a good road Samaritan. I once had three kind gentlemen stop one school run morning, which included a passing cyclist, another motorist and a walking pedestrian. They were so helpful that I had to step in with a little delegating with regards who did what, when, while factoring in their different time schedules. The last guy, who clearly didn’t have a job to go to, got the most rewards for his road angel assistance, I guess that’s life – sometimes you give and sometimes you receive and hardly ever in reciprocal sequence.

With Respect, Volvo

Today, I ensure I back up our road travels with a trusty membership to the Automobile Association (AA) – something every single woman should have. And accolades must go to our local mechanic and Volvo specialist Nivan at @maistrymotorsport. He tells me my electronics are shot but always manages to look happy to see me.

I hope to pass my trusty Volvo steed onto my eldest son one day for surf trips with his buddies up the Garden Route, although I’m not quite ready to part with her because she’s fully paid off and I’m saving tons of money on driving a car that’s all mine. Given the choice I would buy another Volvo in a heartbeat, but the question is, should a Mercedes be driving a Volvo… anyone?

Firehorse Media is a South African communications and PR consultancy owned and managed by Mercedes Westbrook, whose career as a journalist, editor, managing editor and independant communications consultant spans 22 years experience in the print and digital media industry. Email her on mercedes@firehorsemedia.co.za or C:+27 789707633.

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