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Woven Seating from Africa, Ottoman Edition
Remember the Bow Bins by Cordula Kehrer, whose natural reeds were seamlessly woven into colorful plastic? Well, we'd put this grass ottoman in the same category of indigenous crafts reinterpreted in a...
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A Whitewashed Villa in South Africa, Breezes Included
Located in the Western Cape province of South Africa, in the Swartland village of Koringberg, conservation architect Minky Lidchi's weekend retreat is a period villa reworked for modern living. During...
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Design Sleuth: Senufo Stools
A while back we featured the Paris kitchen of trend forecasting pioneer Li Edelkoort. The Dutch native's home remains a favorite, with its mix of well-crafted pieces (a Hella Jongerius vase here, an...
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A Whitewashed Villa in South Africa, Breezes Included
Located in the Western Cape province of South Africa, in the Swartland village of Koringberg, conservation architect MinkyLidchi's weekend retreat is a period villa reworked for modern living. During...
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10 Easy Pieces: Folding Camp-Style Chairs
Whatever happened to camp-style chairs with an appealing design? I remember packing for family camping trips with a pair of 60s-era camp chairs in tow—they were just as comfortable, functional, and...
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A Barn and Two Verandas: Indoor/Outdoor Living in South Africa
One site, two existing structures; a house built in the 1920s and a barn dating to the 18th century. Which would you choose to become the focus of your new home? We’re guessing the barn. In their...
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Petel Power: Fabrics from South Africa
A serendipitous Peace Corps posting more than a decade ago is how Kansas native Julie Wagne met her future husband Ibrahima Wagne. The couple became acquainted when Julie was training in Nouakchott...
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Required Reading: The New Safari
Essential reading for admirers of contemporary African design: "The New Safari" offers a look at landscapes, lodge architecture, and interior designs of more than a dozen safari camps that fuse...
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African Baskets of Dramatic Proportion
Partnering with indigenous crafters throughout the African Continental, Design Afrika bridges the gap between local tradition and the wider world of design. Founder Binky Newman creates Design Afrika's...
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Cast Your Vote: Webby Awards Countdown
We may have mentioned this in passing already—OK, we've been crowing about it for a week—but please forgive our excitement. Gardenista has been nominated for a Webby Award. Please register at Webby...
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Flying Carpets Designed by Nomads
If carpets could fly, we'd like to think that they would look like Oyyo’s recently launched collection of six cotton dhurries, which are Swedish by design, Indian by make, and nomadic by feel. If you...
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Camping, Serengeti Safari Style
True confession: I camp. I found "roughing it" charming when I was dating my husband, and terrifying once we were married. I had not realized that camping on a beach in Baja with no one around was...
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An Ancient House in Old Town Lamu
Irish jewelry designer Penny Winter recently restored a villa in the heart of Lamu Old Town to its former glory and now rents it out to travelers seeking an out-of-the-ordinary African experience....
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Artisanal Cement Tiles from Waterworks
We've admired cement tiles in the past (from Popham and Granada Tile, for instance), but we're especially taken with the newly expanded Promenade line of cement tiles from Waterworks. According to...
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Cheerfully Vibrant Fabrics from Design Team
Refreshingly vibrant and bright, the textiles from Design Team are based on stories inspired by daily life in South Africa's Pretoria. Textile designers Amanda Haupt and Lise Butler founded their...
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African Bohemian, New York Cool: A Visit to the Suno Offices
Last winter, when set decorator and interior stylist Kate Dougherty began decorating the Suno offices, her mandate was to warm up the drab midtown space. "It was super corporate, with white walls and...
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Required Reading: Pop'Africana Magazine
No stylish bookshelf is complete without a skinny copy of Pop'Africana, a magazine with just two print editions aiming to re-educate the globe on the aesthetics of Africa. Pop'Africana's second issue...
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DIY: Cowhide as Table Covering
To be filed under: Why didn't we think of this? Just as we thought we might be tiring of cowhides, we spot this latest iteration as a table covering. Check out the selection of dyed hides at Cowhide...
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7 Tips for the Traveler: the Essence of South Africa
We first discovered Tammy Frazer's Parfums, a small perfume house based in Cape Town, via Heidi Swanson's online pop-up shop Quitokeeto. "I love everything about what Tammy does and how she goes about...
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Accessories: Bead Design Studio in Johannesburg
Cathy O'Clery is a journalist (she's a veteran of the World of Interiors and Elle Decoration) and designer who lived in South Africa for 12 years; she is currently based in Ireland but continues to...
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