With bold colours and dazzling patterns, there’s nothing that says summer and fun more than Mexican design.
What better way to enliven your home than with some Mexican tiles – a new kitchen splashback perhaps?
All tiles from Hadeda.
Images via.
Digital marketing: Joburg Capital
We’re in love with these modern, striking encaustic cement tiles. Can’t you just imagine renovating your bathroom with any of the below? Or a timeless black and white splash back for your kitchen?
All tiles from Hadeda.
Images via.
Digital marekting: Joburg Capital
Tessa Sonik’s latest collection is called ‘UP Japan‘, and is defined by everything ‘up’ – UP-cycle, UP-skill and UP-lift.
The range came about after much contemplation on how to work towards zero waste, and how to create new items from existing items. The brand has always been conscious of environmental issues, both economically and socially, so the question became how to create exceptional quality fabrics that didn’t compromise on current fashion trends.
And so UP Japan was born – a range of exclusive and limited edition print and dyed fabrics that meet the philosophy of UP-cycle, UP-skill and UP-lift.
The intricate printed fabrics are 100% polyester with a velvet feel and have a UV print, meaning that the fabric can be used outdoors. The linens are hand-dyed, giving a natural look with variations in colour and coverage.
You can view the range over here.
All images via.
Digital marekting: Joburg Capital
It might be a few weeks too early to start talking about Spring, but we can’t help ourselves! The days are getting longer, the mornings a little lighter and the first signs of glorious Spring blossoms are on their way.
Not only the time of warmer temperatures, Spring also symbolises rejuvenation and newness, and we love bringing that fresh feeling into our homes. What better time than Spring to reinvent your interiors? And it doesn’t have to cost you a bomb either! There’s nothing like a new coast of paint, a reshuffle of furniture, a new scatter cushion or two, or a stunning new rug to put a spring in your step!
All images via.
Gone are the associations of tie-dye with rainbow hues and hippy connotations. Tessa Sonik has reimagined tie-dye with a sophistication at ease in any modern home.
From tablecloths to scatter cushions we can imagine this fabric everywhere!
Image credits.
As much as we like drinking it, we love collecting it! But how best to store those precious investment bottles that need years to reach their full potential?
A great wine collection deserves perfect storage, and there are options for every type of home – from cabinets to bespoke installations to full-scale cellars. Whether you are a serious wine connoisseur or a burgeoning enthusiast, you need to consider how temperature, humidity, UV light, and vibration will affect your wine, and monitor bottles closely to keep them in pristine condition.
The good news is there’s a smart solution for every kind of wine lover and every type of space, from the palatial cellar to the compact corner in a city apartment. Read on to find out just how best to store your vino.
Correct storage conditions
According to experts, the correct temperature for storing wine is 50-57°F (10-14°C), with 70-75% humidity, beyond which paper labels and corks can spoil. For wine, fluctuation is the enemy. Modern technology now gives us temperature-controlled cabinets, pods, and rooms – all much more efficient when it comes to protecting precious bottles than a cool pantry or cupboard under the stairs.
How much space you need
If a large, traditional cellar isn’t feasible in your home, there’s a range of products that will help to store wine safely (and beautifully), from fridge-style wine cabinets and rooms to compact cellars ingeniously set into the floor. Once the decision has been made to create dedicated wine storage, the solution you choose really comes down to space and taste.
Select expert products
Not all wine storage is created equal, so its important to consult with companies that manufacture expert wine storage products and understand the specific needs of wine. Since wine is a living thing, a wine’s temperature determines its flavour, and ultimately affects enjoyment.
Liebherr wine cabinet
Liebherr wine cabinets (GrandCru and Vinothek cabinets) offer perfect, protective storage conditions. Interior humidity levels are high and innovative technologies ensure protection against UV light and vibrations. In addition, the temperature can be adjusted according to whether the wine is to be enjoyed in the near future, or whether it is to be stored longer-term as an investment.
Storage cabinets have a constant interior temperature to facilitate optimal aging of high-quality wines and to provide the most suitable long-term storage conditions. The interior temperature can be set to between +5°C and +20°C, as required, and this therefore means that a large number of wine bottles can be kept at their perfect serving temperature. Liebherr offers wine storage cabinets in several sizes and with a variety of features.
Liebherr also offers a range of multi-temperature wine cabinets (Vinidor and Vinothek), which are the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys an impromptu bottle of wine (who doesn’t?). They can store a selection of different types of wine, each at their optimal serving temperature. Depending on the model, this is made possible either through the establishment of stratified temperature zones or by the presence of separate, individually controlled wine safes.
Liebherr wine cabinets
The bottom line when it comes to storage then, is that the safety of your wine should always be your number one priority. Cutting corners will only harm your most valuable wines, which is why you should make room for storage costs in your collecting budget. Finding the rarest wines is only half of a serious collector’s job – the true art of collecting lies in how well you treat the bottles under your care.
If you’re after a Liebherr wine cabinet, or if you’d like to know more, contact Liebherr or visit a Hirsch store.
Whether it’s a new set of scatter cushions, a reupholstered ottoman or occasional chair, or a new rug, there are ways to refresh your home that will have big impact without breaking the bank.
Our first choice for winter is a splash of velvet. Add velvet scatter cushions to your lounge, reupholster an old ottoman for an entirely new look, or recover dining room chairs for added glam.
We’re 100% convinced that no home is complete without a little animal print. And while we’re not advocates of the safari lodge look (unless it’s actually in a safari lodge), there is nothing more sophisticated that a touch of animal print in the right places.
We’ve put together a handy guide to help when it comes to upholstery. The below guide is meant to be a general guide. Try to choose a shape which is the closest match to your furniture, and add meters as needed. If you are taking on an upholstery project for the first time, we’d advise adding on about 10%.
Some tips:
-Not all furniture fits easily into a general category. Special furniture (ottomans, love seats) require different amounts of fabric than other similar sized furniture.
-Sofas with tall backs and ruffled skirts need an extra 2 to 3 meters of fabric. It is better to buy too much fabric than too little – you can always use the excess fabric to make extra sofa pillows.
-If you are upholstering using fabric with a pattern, you need more because of the repeat.
-Take your needs into account and consider fabric durability, especially if your furniture is in a high traffic zone. Lighter hues and lightly-woven fabrics are suitable for decorative purposes.
-Remember to check shrinkage. If the fabric shrinks – normally natural fibres do shrink – wash the fabric before cutting it.
All images via. Velvet and animal print fabric from Tessa Sonik Fabrics.
When it comes to fashion, or home decor, no look is complete without a little animal print.
From work to play, collars and cuffs to t-shirts, and everything in between, no man should be without a classic pair of boots. Suitable no matter what your style (preppy? hipster? rugged?), a classic pair of boots is a fair-safe wardrobe essential for all men. Wearing boots also has no age limit (and no gender requirement! Masculine boots on a women look outrageously good!).
The low-top Chelsea boot can easily be incorporated into both casual and formal looks, and even go with a neatly tailored suit, while the high-top work boot, stronger and more practically made, can take a while to break in, but gives outfits a striking finish.
We love proudly South African brand Six Kings, who hand-craft all their boots from sole to lace-up in their local workshop. They more you wear them, the better they become!
All images via Pinterest.
There’s so much we love about Toast & Co in Joburg’s Craighall Park. It’s not just the calming sage and green décor, the peaceful atmosphere, and the buttery biscuits that accompany every cup of tea and coffee. It’s also the perfect manicures (every time!), the way everyone knows your name, and the curated selection of retail therapy on offer (think classic cashmere, handcrafted bags, brogues and delicate jewels).
Julie and Karen, sisters and the owners of Toast & Co, have been crafting a salon that is more than just a salon for 10 years. It’s grown in physical size, number of therapists, and offering, but the absolute attention to every detail remains the same. Julie and Karen are utter perfectionists, and are fastidious about offering consistent quality and experiences to their clients (many of whom are regulars and long-term supporters). It’s this thoughtful attention and authenticity that sets Toast & Co apart.
“We test every product we sell, from skincare to cashmere scarves”, says Julie. “In this way we can sell a treatment or product to our clients knowing that it works, and that we really believe in its quality.”
Along with assured quality products, Toast & Co is known for its quality therapists. In an industry renowned for its staff turnover, many of the women working at Toast & Co have been employed there for years, and are true professionals. Specialising in particular areas of interest or flair, therapists at the salon hone their skills in certain areas, be it nails, eyelash extensions, facials or massages, and clients are assured of consistent, excellent treatments every time.
“We see our staff as true professionals and trust them to deliver,” says Karen. Toast & Co offers continuous training opportunities in new products and skills, allowing therapists to constantly enhance their abilities.
“Everybody specialises in what they are good at,” says Pearl who has been at Toast & Co since 2009 and enjoys learning about new facial techniques, new products and the latest ingredients. “It’s such a confidence boost when you get a new client and you learn that they were referred by another client! It makes me feel like I’m good at what I do and that I make an impact, and that’s really important to me.”
Along with training, the sisters are good at spotting talent when they see it, and giving people opportunities. Nqobile began working at the salon in 2013 as a cleaner, and is now responsible for bookings and merchandising of stock. “Julie and Karen saw my potential and trusted me,” says Nqobile.
This is perhaps why Toast & Co is a Joburg favourite. You can find a pedicure just about anywhere, but there are few salons that match consistently high quality with an atmosphere of utter relaxation and calm. We put it down to Julie and Karen’s touch – tireless attention to detail, the empowerment of their staff, and the authentic nurturing of relationships.
