Nothing beats a beautiful magazine with lots of inspirational images, but they definitely have a sneaky way of piling up without us even realizing it.  Here are some design-friendly ideas to preserve your favourite issues.

magazine stools, image from piccsy.vom, Wire Side Tabel from Urban Outfitters, Magazine Wall image from indulge.com

Box it, hang it, store it and even stack it, these are just a few ways to make your magazine collection work for you.

sfgirlbybay.com, thedesignchaser.com and inattendu.tumblr.com

Image from bp3.blogger

kkPappenhalter by Florian Gilges, Couch with Storage from DesignSponge,Mid Century Modern Magazine Holder from Etsy, Marcel Wanders Magazine Rack

Create an art installation in your living room using simple wire hangers.

Images: ffffound & ohhhmhhh

Images: Regard Set Maisons & Sypply

Stacking against walls (or as a part of your existing furniture) is an international trend. This is an effortless way to deal with clutter. Behold design that doesn’t try too hard and gives your space a lived-in, unregimented feeling.

Images: Mama Without Boarders

Images: It's Over Flowing & The Seting Stake Time

Images: Its Over Flowing

Images: Book of Joe & Touch of Modern

Be creative, repurpose and make your clutter useful. Your magazines don’t have to be stowed away. Show them off, they can make an interesting decor feature and double as seating or an eye-catching statement piece.

The post DECO Idea: Magazine Storage appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

All Images courtesy of Andrew Brauteseth

The Bree Street Bikers are a group of friends who love bikes. They love Bree Street. And they love road trips.

Typically, people tend to have preconceived ideas about bikers, and often associate them with hooligans and ruffians. The Bree Street Bikers break that mold; they are a group of accomplished professionals, who all contribute positively and significantly to the cultural fabric of Cape Town (while still remaining just a little naughty, in the best sense of the word).

The group developed organically when a handful of free radicals started meeting at Jason Bakery to show off their bikes and talk nonsense. And drink tequila and coffee

They are a motley crew with a French horn player, clothing designer, entrepreneur, illustrator, photographer, baker, and even a thing-a majig maker.

Andrew Brauteseth (@guy_with_camera) is perhaps the hero of this story, because these are his photographs, which profile the various members of the BSB and the places that they have been. I’m sure you’ll agree, they’re something special.

guywithcamera.co.za | http://www.andrewbrauteseth.co.za | andrew@guywithcamera.co.za

Andrew is a Cape Town based photographer. During the week you can find him ordering flat whites at Jason Bakery, and helping creative directors with their image problems.

He reckons that design is increasingly becoming a pop-culture topic and that as South Africans, our design culture and awareness is continuously growing; people are starting to realize that they can play a role in shaping our city’s culture(s).

Lauren Fowler (@laurenxfowler) is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. She has a studio at the Woodstock Foundry where she hangs out and plays with pens, paper and her computer all day.

Have a look at her work, its just keeps on growing from strength to strength.

http://www.laurenfowler.co.za/ |  http://lostisaplacetoo.blogspot.com/

The whole idea of the Bree Street Bikers excites her as it makes her feel part of something. She explains that when they ride in a group, she loves the feeling of riding as one. The triple headed snake gang sign is her favourite thing to do to the others as she and Gene ride past. Being a girl passenger in this biker group also makes her feel kind of sexy  (even though she wore a full rain suit on the last mission.)

Hannah Deall and Andrew Brauteseth

Hannah works in PR and media engagements for Cape Town tourism. This means she hosts international media and travel bloggers while they explore Cape Town.

Her introduction to biking was when she was 17 and attended a music festival in Sabie, a small town in Mpumalanga, close to where she grew up. The festival also happened to be the end stop for a biking rally, which brought hundreds of very loud bikes and brash boys to an otherwise rather tame festival. Needless to say, the bikers were rather terrifying, and she made sure she steered clear of anything to do with them.

Fast forward to the present, where she is dating the Über cool photographer, Andrew Brauteseth, who happens to love bikes. So, she has become “the girl who hangs on the back of (his) Bonneville”; she makes it look so good, and describes the feeling of being on the back of a bike as exhilarating, and completely freeing.

Hannah loves that Cape Town is bursting at the seams with creativity, and feels that the World Design Capital 2014 accolade will help make Cape Town an even better place to live, visit, and do business. “Design is not just about beautiful things or places, which we have plenty of, but also becomes a tool to interrogate how we can make life better for all citizens.”

Jason

Jason (@jasonbakery and  @captainbreadza) owns a Bakery in Bree Street with his sister, Brigitte. He would like to state, for the record, that the bakery is called Jason. NOT Jason’s, as so many of us Capetonians like to call it.

Jason is a small artisan bakery specializing in sourdough breads and awesome pastries, where they bake “today, for today”. They are famous for their Bacon Croissant and 66% Sourdough Rye. Their goal has been to educate the public about real bread; to show that that bread can be a meal, not just the rolls you get at a restaurant before the meal.

The Bakery is the HQ of the Bree Street Bikers. Whenever one of the group gets a new bike, everyone meets at the bakery to christen it with a shooter, which they have named Mexico to Istanbul. Two shot glasses, one with Tequila and the other a double Espresso.

When asked for his thoughts on South African creativity, he explains that he feels that are still developing creatively, which means we get to set the rules and trends as we go. This is awesome, but also comes with a great deal of responsibility.

You can find Jason Bakery on Facebook | www.jasonbakery.com |email orders@jasonbakery.com

Paul van der Spuy (@lateralpaul) has been described by Dylan Muhlenberg as the following;

“ Paul has been in fashion since before his hair was white. He understands fit, the importance of wearing something that nobody else has, and is the type of guy who’ll talk to you for hours about his latest custom car project instead of the obvious fashion stuff.”

He is all about passion, life and shirts.  He’s the “blue-collar”, part of his co-owned company, BlueCollarWhite Collar.  Passionate about retro motorbikes and cars, jeans and tees and getting his fingernails greasy.

Murray Mitchell (@muzzling) is a digital design consultant. He designs and creates all things digital from website to Facebook apps, email campaigns, etc. He also blogs in his free time and has amassed a rather large collection of awesome imagery over the years. Check out www.murraymitchell.com and muzz.co.za.

He explains that the biking culture has typically always centered on a community of sorts, but that in the past it’s been synonymous with bike gangs, Hells Angels and fat old men with beards. More and more younger guys (and gals) are enjoying the freedom they have on a bike and want to share the experience of riding with others, especially their friends, who in this case all happen to hang out on Bree St.

All the members of the BSB ride different bikes, which have almost become extensions of each person’s personal style.

Gene Kierman

Music is Gene’s main love; “guitar and drum set for the rock n’ roll affectation and French horn for the seedy underbelly of the orchestral scene”. He teaches drum set, and encourages students who don’t have drum sets at home to make their own kits out of cardboard boxes and pots like he did when he was a kid. Maybe that’s where all the making and building of things began. He is also a talented designer/carpenter. Essentially a wooden gun for hire.

Check out his site at www.genekierman.com

Gene used to be a lone biker, having done a six-month trip up Africa on his own, but now he loves hitting the road in “a bristling pod of roaring metal”. Strength in numbers and all that. He says of the BSB’s: “(they) are all really great people, no basement meth labs in this crowd, so it’s good clean fun peppered with an obsession with awesome bikes”.

When asked about South African creativity, he replied: “We are winners across the board, our only shortcoming as a nation is we haven’t mastered the art of blending opposite characteristics. For example, really mean with super charming, really smart with really rough. In short, our small scene on the blustery nipple of Africa is a little cagey and precious. Still, we keep winning, even in our relative isolation.”

Watch this space, this man is going to do great things.

Steven Pitt

You can find Steven (@LosMuertos_MC) at Los Muertos Motorcycles, in Bokaap. He has worked in various creative environments across various categories – fashion, marketing etc.… and believes that because we are tucked away on the tip of the southern hemisphere, we have had to try that much harder to command the attention of the North… thus producing some outstanding work, and breeding a bevy of exceptionally talented individuals…especially in Bree Street.

Speak to him about all things Bike.

http://www.losmuertosmc.com/ | 42 Dorp St, Bo Kaap. Cape town | 021 835 4333 | steve@losmuertosmc.com

All images from Andrew Brauteseth 

The post DECO Profile: Bree Street Bikers appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

Venue: Cape Town Convention Center

The Mother city will be hit by a wave of culinary delights at this years Good Food & Wine Show. Rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the food industry and enjoy the best tasting food the country has to offer.

Top attraction: Gordon Ramsay

Tickets available from www.goodfoodandwineshow.co.za/tickets

Twitter: @goodfoodSA

Diary Date: 24-26 May

Venue: Coca-Cola Dome, Jhb

Grand Designs Live is one of South Africa’s leading contemporary home shows and always promises to deliver show stopping, design inspiration. Grand Designs Live 2013 has stepped it up a few notches this year focussing on interactivity, innovation, education, experts and trending – making it a grand affair not to be missed.

www.granddesignslive.co.za

Twitter: @GranddesignSA
Structures

Date: 4 May – 1 June

Venue: Goodman Gallery, Cape Town

The Goodman Gallery presents Structures, an exhibition bringing together works by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, Carlos Garaicoa, David Goldblatt, Mikhael Subotzky and Jeremy Wafer. This exhibition focuses on all types of structures from the monumental to the mundane, and aims to examine the ways in which they inform the environments we inhabit. An insightful look into the structures that surround our everyday life. A definite must see.

www.goodman-gallery.com

Twitter: @Goodman_Gallery

Warren Editions: 5 Years in Print 2008-2012

Date: 13 April – 26 May

Venue: Casa Labia

Cape Town based printmaking studio Warren Editions presents 5 Years in prints by a selection of print collaborations, tracking the evolution of the studio’s journey in print. Collaborations from its inception in January 2008 to most recent interactions with artists having engaged with monotype, etching and picture books.

www.casalabia.co.za

Twitter: @CasaLabia

Collections & Archives

Date: 22 May – 22 June

Venue: Salon 91 Gallery

‘Collections & Archives’ – a group painting show hosted by Salon 91 Gallery, 91 Kloof Street, Gardens. Enjoy an array of paintings and artists at this upcoming exhibitions, opening night this Wednesday 22 May at 18h30.

www.salon91.co.za

Twitter: @SalonNinetyOne

The post DECO Diary: Whats Happening this week appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

Art investment is a popular subject.  It is often debated, and there are endless interpretations of the meaning of that word.

As a gallery owner, investment potential of artworks is never my starting point when putting an exhibition together or selecting an artist for the gallery.  It starts with content, relevance and quality.  The net-worth of an art investment lies in making the right choice; not only by a collector, but more importantly for an art gallery.

I have selected three artists, Barbara Wildenboer, Marna Hattingh and Jan Neethling, all at various stages of their careers.  What they have on common is that their careers have taken off.

Artwork: Marna Hattingh Everybody loves everyone Acrylic ink on Fabriano paper 70 x 100cm 2012 In Private Collection

What does really mean?  It means that they cannot produce enough original artworks to satisfy their market demand.  It means that these artists are producing works which have comfortably slipped into the international arena where they have found international collectors.

They are tapping into zeitgeist.

Artwork:  Barbara Wildenboer Acherontia atropos (anterior) Digital print with pins and thread 66cm diameter 2013 In Private Collection

What sets them apart from other South African practitioners? 

It is a combination of their preferred genre, the quality and originality of their work and the fact that they cannot over produce.  Each artist produces works which comments on topical and relevant issues, but their works are not time-bound; on the contrary it is timeless.  The reason why they are good investments is not only because their prices are increasing, but because they are working towards a much larger future plan.  Their success lies in their growth plan.  In the case of Marna Hattingh we are already booking shows for 2020.

As a gallerist I see myself as a long distance runner – I am not a sprinter.  I am the whole LP and not a single on the hit parade.  I select artists who fit into this mould.  A career in the arts can be tough.  An accelerated fast start does not translate into a successful career, and the opposite, a long career does not guarantee success either.  It is the combination of accelerating at the right time.

Post By : Heidi Erdmann. Curator and Owner of

The Photographers Gallery za & ErdmannContemporary

Cape Town

The post DECO Art: Art Investment Tips from curator Heidi Erdmann appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

Images: Produzione Privata Acquatinta Pendant Lamp, Sparkle by Tokujin Yoshioka for Kartell, Snowflake by Tokujin Yoshioka for Kartell

The mega-trend Transparency is popping up on our radar more and more. There’s just something about; it’s crisp, honest, clean, pure, clear, accurate, and certain. It seems fragile yet strong, non-deceptive, smooth, and delicate yet firm.

We have seen it a lot on the catwalks this year, and increasingly in interior, product and architectural design.

Images: Frank Transparent Cupboard, Martha Stewart

In terms of marketing design, brands have to move from ‘having nothing to hide’; to pro-actively showing and proving they have nothing to hide. They have to replace lofty statements about ‘values’ and ‘culture’ with real, clear-cut evidence, or statements about actual results. There is also a call for greater transparency in food labeling, so that consumers can make the best choices for their diets.

Transparent interpersonal relationships are also in vogue- typified by frankness, communication, and accountability.

Images: Clarity bike by Design Affair, Familiale Globe, Isam Glass Table by Sebastion Scherer

Images: Chair by Alvi Design, Hair Very Salon by Maker, Luminous Table by Tokujin Yoshioka for Glass Italia

Perhaps it is the ‘new neutral’?

Images: Layers of fine translucent fabric

Used in spaces, transparent elements give a feeling of openness, space, light and purity. You can see what it really going on, giving a feeling of trust.

Images: Dental Studio by MMV Arquitecto

Images: Minarets by Ezgi Turksoy & Kacper Hamilton, In Between glassware by BCXSY for Inframince

Images: Corian Super-Surfaces Showroom by Amanda Levete Architects, Transparent concept home designed to showcase a series of modern glass furniture from Santambrogiomilano, House NA by Sou Fujimoto Architects

Images: In fashion, it is a particularly sexy, bold, and yet discrete.

In terms of materials, think glass, Lucite, Perspex, PVC, vinyl, resins, ice, diamonds, water… the list goes on.

We love the ways in which you can play with transparency; you can layer different levels of opacity, colour and material and open up spaces in new and innovative ways. It gets our vote.

“Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.” Joe Sparano

The post DECO Trend: Transparency- the new neutral. appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

Stand a chance to win a Le Creuset Stoneware coffee Plunger! A French press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger, cafetière or сafetière à piston, is a simple coffee brewing device patented by Italian designer Attilio Calimani in 1929.

Here in South Africa, we call it a coffee plunger, and DECO has one to giveaway! And not just any old plunger, but the covetable Le Creuset Stoneware French Press, 800ml, worth R630.

Follow the 3 simple steps below to be entered into the competition, and the Le Creuset Coffee Pot with a Metal Press could be yours!

1.      Like our Facebook Page

2.      Follow us on Twitter @ELLE_Deco and @LeCreusetSA

3.      Comment on this post (and include your twitter handle and email address)

Competition closes 24 May 2013

How to make coffee with a French Press:

You’ll need a slightly coarser grind, mix it with hot water, stir and leave to brew for a few minutes, Then press the plunger to trap the coffee grounds at the bottom of the beaker. The coffee can be brewed to any strength by adjusting the amount of ground coffee that is brewed.

You drink tea? You can also use the press to strain tea leaves?

The post DECO Win: Le Creuset Plunger appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

DECO just got back from a fabulous little road trip into Elgin, where we were invited to have a look at the new Charly’s Bakery Airstream Trailer. Old Mac Daddy owner, Jody Aufrichtig asked the cupcake queens Jacqui Biess and her daughter Alexandra from Charly’s Bakery to revamp two of Old Mac Daddy’s trailers and they ‘pounced on the opportunity,’ enthuses Jacqui, ‘after all, what is cake decorating but design-by-sugar.’

The lovely mother-daughter team collaborated with a whole bunch of very talented people, with their friend, Carin Cronje of Vanilla Concrete, at the helm as production manager. Carin also created the Captain Cupcake sculptures and the rabbit wall feature…we just loved the clever ways in which she also used vintage cake tins and whisks and other baking paraphernalia and turned them into lights and other fun decorative elements in the trailer.

There is a Mama-trailer and baby trailer, placed side by side they tell a story about the sugary world of cake. Named Love Cake?…I Do and Love Cake?…Me too!, the lakeside trailers now make up the only double unit in the Old Mac rooming options. Perfect for couples who are travelling in tandem and ideal for parents with children old enough to sleep in a separate space, the pair share a lawn and deck for added privacy away from the action of the pool and restaurant areas

Love Cake..? I Do smashes steampunk and sugar together, which results in a bold space, full of intriguing details.

The liquorice black trimmings of recycled rubber curtains by Roche van den Berg and the pressed ceiling wallpaper by Robin Sprong.Lauren Fowler, graphic designer, illustrator and thing maker did the cross-stitch detail on blankets and cushions.

Katie Thompson from Recreate, custom-made a printers tray table which displays vintage cake collectables and piping nozzles.

In Love Cake..? Me too! One feels like you are entering into a cake box. Mak1one graffitied a signature Charly’s rainbow flowing from a birthday candle pulpit, and the the bright pink and white signature stripes of Charly’s cake boxes fly across the ceiling. The bed is home to gingerbread men and allsorts characters.

The creating of the Love Cake trailers spans two full episodes of season two Charly’s Cake Angels, a docu-reality television series produced by Cooked in Africa Films which provides an intimate view of life behind-the-scenes of Charly’s Bakery, a family owned and operated bakery nestled in the heart of Cape Town’s Fringe district.

Image credits: Gareth Hubbard

Little Black Book

Charly’s Bakery | www.charlysbakery.co.za or (021) 461518 | @charlysbakery |facebook.com/charlysbakery

 Old Mac Daddy | www.oldmacdaddy.co.za or  (021) 8440241 |@oldmacdaddy |facebook.com/oldmacdaddy

The post DECO Visit: Charly’s Bakery Trailer at Old Mac Daddy appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

Windhoek is rolling out a series of Pure Beer Society venues; existing venues, re-launched with handcrafted furniture and fittings made from materials specifically selected for authenticity and quality.

Three local artisans were chosen to create bespoke pieces for the venues.

James Mudge, renowned for his clean lines and use of natural materials, has created a large communal table, which features a timeline of the history of Windhoek beer and the beer tasting process engraved in the wood.

James Mudge

Its no secret that here at DECO we are massive fans of James, having nominated him as South African Designer of the year in 2011.Every item of furniture that comes out of his Cape Town studio is a work of art, so the feature tables he designed for the Windhoek Pure Beer Society venues were always going to be better than bog-standard bar fare. He has cleverly inset coasters into the African hardwood surface, and inlaid brass timelines showing the history of beer going back 10,000 years.

As one of South Africa’s top craftsmen, Mudge was approached by Windhoek because he makes furniture the old-fashioned, lasting way, using mortise-and-tenon joints, in classic shapes that have a contemporary, natural look.

Mudge grew up in Plettenberg Bay in a family that loved and treasured wood, and who ran a well-known furniture shop called Knysna Forest Furniture. Armed with an Architectural Studies degree from UCT, along with his carpentry knowledge and expertise, the talented Mudge was soon snapped up by the best and went to work for world famous American designer Ralph Lauren, making shop fittings for his London and Paris stores. After that, he honed his skills working for an international design company.

James Mudge

Coasters inset into table

James Mudge Furniture

James Mudge Furniture

Jared Odell

Jared Odell designed a chair and a small table, using green Windhoek crates as bases, for use specifically in taverns.

The ingenious tables and chairs that Cape Town designer Jarred Odell has dreamt up for Windhoek’s Pure Beer Society taverns are guaranteed to raise a chuckle from patrons. The tough, dark green crates that play such a big role in the lifecycle of a Premium Light bottle is put to unexpected use: Odell has turned them into bases for seats and as pedestals for tables.

His reinvention of the beer crate means a stool can instantly transform into a chair, with a clever, fold-down backrest – each with a handy inset bottle-opener – and tabletops double up as games boards for umbalabala, cards or draughts.

Jared has a degree in industrial design, and typically produces an “edgy” collection of Bauhaus-inspired contemporary furniture with a look of mid-century modernism, called Fulbrite, which he markets with the catchphrase: “What’s your colour?” because of the way his pieces must be personalised.

Odell says that when he takes on a commission, his desire is “to create something beautiful yet classic and timeless”.  He lists adventure, style, beauty, freedom and individuality as his driving creative forces.

Jared Odell Furniture

Lighting expert Ryan Matchett

Lighting expert Ryan Matchett has married his love of natural forms and the outdoors to design a bottle pendant and vat lights using recycled Windhoek bottles, brass and copper.

Matchett has a talent for elevating ordinary objects into collectors’ items – something he seems to have achieved effortlessly with the tavern lights he was commissioned to produce. He has taken perfectly mundane items relevant to beer and brewing and turned them into curiosities that captivate and enchant.

As a child mucking about his father’s garage, Matchett discovered his knack for visualising wonderful shapes and uses for discarded possessions or bits of junk that had been kept for their functional potential. He says he would spend hours “making, breaking and inventing things” and became an obsessive collector of beautiful, natural objects, particularly driftwood.

Matchett earned a Diploma in Industrial Design from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and completed a fifth year of study, learning Mechanical Drafting at the Academy of Drafting.From his Cape Town workshop, he creates a wide range of furnishings and décor accessories for lodges, hotels, restaurants and private homes both locally and internationally. His commissions are to be found in places as diverse as the Seychelles, Paris, the US, Holland, Rwanda, Namibia and throughout Africa. He was invited to show his distinctly contemporary, collectable work at the Milan Furniture Fair.

Matchett says each and every item he produces is born out of a design philosophy of producing beautiful items that are sustainable and eco-friendly. He is intent on “making the world more naturally beautiful in a way that won’t damage it in the process”. He aims to create pieces that will be considered classics in time to come. The inspiration behind his work is “the design union of straight, geometric lines found in modern-day design, with the curved, organic textures and shapes found in nature”.

Made by Ryan Matchett

Ryan Matchett Furniture

Little Black Book

James Mudge | +27 (0)79 171 8240| jamesmudge@gmail.com |39 Hope Street, Gardens, Cape Town.

Ryan Matchett | +27 (0)76 094 4357|info@ryanmatchett.com| @Rhinomatch

Jared Odell | 0725567574 |

The post DECO Talent: Windhoek Pure Beer Society venues appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

c’est nouvelle! Sunny Soleil,the brand new addition to the Le Creuset family of hues,has landed! Inspired by sun-soaked late afternoons in the southeastern French countryside, Soleil’s range of yellow hues arc from soft butter to bright citrus. Guaranteed for life, and guaranteed to brighten your every meal, we have fallen in love!

Available in stores on the 15th of May,and online at www.lecreusetshop.co.za.

or visit them on twitter @LeCreusetSA

Casserole Dishes R1 670/R2 200, Pasta/Salad Bowl R370

Fluted lan Dish R88/R298/R360, Casserole Dishes R1 670/R2 200

Ramekins from R170, Frying Pans from R990 & Teapot from R340

The post DECO Shop: Sunny Soleil Le Creuset appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.

Hello wonderful Wythe Hotel. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, NYC, a former textile factory built in 1901 has been meticulously converted into a 72-room, 8 story hotel, which will make you weak at the knees!

This ‘shiny gem in the Brooklyn crown’ is quite beautiful, and despite its stature, has remained down to earth in its design. It retains much of the original building’s industrial character – for example its concave corner entrance, original pine beams, masonry, arched windows and cast-iron columns. On top of the original 5-story structure sits a new 3-story glass and aluminum addition that references the hotel’s existing factory windows while dramatically pulling the building into the present

Renowned Brooklyn restaurateur Andrew Tarlow, of Marlow & Sons, Diner, and Roman’s, manages the hotel’s food and beverage program. Reynards is the restaurant and bar on the ground floor with  courtyard style seating, and Ides is the bar on the 6th floor bar with stunning Manhattan and Brooklyn views.

Reynard's Restaurant

The dining and bar area feature turn of the century details like original masonry, lofted pine beams, arched windows and cast-iron columns, all of which have been beautifully preserved from 1901.

Details, and foyer

Hotel Room

Ides, and roof top

Rooftop View of skyline

The post DECO Discover: Wythe Hotel appeared first on Elle Decoration South Africa.