Habitat - The Art of Living


HABITAT MAGAZINE
Design Update

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30 Jul 2012
Breath of Fresh Air

Belgotex Carpets have recently announced their SilverCare anti-microbial treatment for the safest, healthiest carpeting in South Africa.


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24 May 2012
No Blind Spots

In a culture of immediate gratification many forsake taking the time to choose wisely, considering all options and focusing on the details when making a decision on what and where to buy. Unfortunately the same has become true in the selection and purchasing of blinds, seen as a commodity available over hardware store counters and online shops, the market is flooded with cut and paste window dressing solutions that never pause for thought or design sense.


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30 Jan 2012
Floor and All

Over the past 38 years Cemcrete has become a world leader in the field of cement-based finishes. Their dedication to quality is unwavering and technical support exceptional.


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17 Nov 2011
Luxury Legend

Johnnie Walker® Blue Label™, the pinnacle of Scotch Whisky blending from the House of Johnnie Walker, is celebrating epic achievements of past and present as it launches a new look for its iconic luxury bottle which will be available in South Africa in October.


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14 Nov 2011
Cutting Edge

Proudly South African, Nicolson Russell designs, manufactures and imports designer cutlery from around the world – while committed to introducing new and different products allowing for variety and intrigue.


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4 Sep 2011
Kitchen Smarts

Russell Hobbs is very proud to announce the introduction of 4 new kitchen appliances to their prestigious stable of products.


       

DESIGN UPDATE
More features

Dream Machine
Mercedes-Benz’s SL range is 60 years and six generations old. The new SL500, SL63 AMG and SL65 AMG reveal a number of styling changes both inside and out, with interior finishes and materials that are particularly finely tailored.
Shany van den Berg
The artist was born in Riversdale in the Western Cape in 1958, and matriculated there. She studied ceramics part-time from 1982 to 1985 at Paarl College, and subsequently life drawing and painting – again part-time – at Ruth Prowse School of Art from 1990 to 1992.
A Bexley Estate
As the 19th century was drawing to a close, Colonel Lincoln Kilbourne was building a strong and prosperous mercantile business in Columbus, Ohio. His success afforded him the considerable means to erect one of the first impressive mansions in the farmland outside the city, which rolls gracefully toward the banks of a natural Creek.
Nascondiglio
This double storey house is sited on a secluded sub-divided piece of land in a gated leafy avenue. The existing house had a pronounced Tuscan signature; its name being Nascondiglio, meaning nest or hideaway in Italian.
Iconic Blueprint
There is a particularly important market niche that’s evolved for Germany’s high-echelon premier motoring sector; the four-door sedan styled as a coupe. It’s a crossover between coupe and sedan.
Sculpted Form
Set on the slopes of Lion’s Head, this house has a powerful visible presence. Powerful organic shapes and rock formations dominate; the feeling of the mountain, the curves of the coastline were part of the inspiration for the eventual form of the house. An existing structure was reworked to synthesise and harmonise what were already definitive elements. The property is compact at 840 square metres on a site measuring 664 square metres.
State of Play
Well, so far – not so good – in 2013. Contacts in the interior design industry in UK tell me that – despite winning awards and receiving accolades – their businesses are in serious decline. The same must apply here in South Africa because Habitat’s clients across the board are hedging their bets. It’s a very difficult marketplace for most of us.
Architecture 2013
Architects have been icons within human society for aeons: Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright and more recently Philippe Starck, Sir Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid. Certainly, architects value their role in society but why does their iconic reputation exist? Is it because they are entrusted with the enclosing of space, and this on a planet with shrinking habitable areas for human occupation. This is the best case scenario for architects, but where does purism end and survival begin? Are some merely legal functionaries, that enable residential, corporate and public developments to be built.
Talking Design January/February 2013
Colin Sharp chats to three innovative retail specialists: Robert Dodds, chief marketing officer of Ellerine Holdings; Nick Gluckman of Oggie Flooring and Günter Rahm, founder of Fit for Bed.
Cubist Loft
This aesthetically conceived, double storey contemporary home is located on a portion of the Silverlakes Estate Nature Reserve near Pretoria. It measures almost 740m2 under roof on a generous piece of scenic landof 2 100m2.
Supreme Road Runner
I was fortunate to be invited to Abu Dhabi a few years ago for the launch of the Audi A6 and drove it on the F1 track at Yas Island. If only there had been an RS5 available on that occasion.
Aquatic Villa
The owners – a German / American couple based in Munich – fell in love with Cape Town on their first visit in 2001. The Mother City offered them a relaxed and stylish lifestyle in an international urban setting with spectacular natural surroundings, excellent food and wine, and cultural diversity. 


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MORE HABITAT
Other Sections




Talking Design with Wendy Grater
With our first kitchen and bathroom FOCUS for 2013 appearing in our March/April 2013, Colin Sharp talks kitchen specialist Wendy Grater to establish current global and South African design directions.
Rebirth on the Rocks
The owner of the original beach bungalow left one Sunday morning to go shopping and returned to find his bed floating in the surf. A gigantic wave demolished the little house during a memorable Cape storm in September 2001.
Talking Design May/June 2013
Colin Sharp chats with two men very much involved in the cutting-edge business of high-end European kitchens and cabinetry.
The Time Warp
It’s the time of year when seasonal changes dictate less hours of daylight.  But our days seem to grow shorter in any event.
Non-Restricted Angles
The client and his family with two children were living in an existing old property situated on the upper level of this scenic plot. It’s located in a suburb of Geneva, quite close to the centre of the city, at the edge of a rural village.http://www.habitatmag.co.za/admin/customerposts.asp
Home Bases
What is a kitchen? Traditionally, it’s a room or part of a room used for food preparation and cooking. But in the 2013 modern home it represents much more than that. In this the first Habitat kitchen and bathroom FOCUS feature of the year we garnered information – both locally and internationally – to showcase the latest design directions. The overview concentrates on the format, planning and equipping of these vital interiors.
Dream Machine
Mercedes-Benz’s SL range is 60 years and six generations old. The new SL500, SL63 AMG and SL65 AMG reveal a number of styling changes both inside and out, with interior finishes and materials that are particularly finely tailored.
Shany van den Berg
The artist was born in Riversdale in the Western Cape in 1958, and matriculated there. She studied ceramics part-time from 1982 to 1985 at Paarl College, and subsequently life drawing and painting – again part-time – at Ruth Prowse School of Art from 1990 to 1992.
A Bexley Estate
As the 19th century was drawing to a close, Colonel Lincoln Kilbourne was building a strong and prosperous mercantile business in Columbus, Ohio. His success afforded him the considerable means to erect one of the first impressive mansions in the farmland outside the city, which rolls gracefully toward the banks of a natural Creek.
Nascondiglio
This double storey house is sited on a secluded sub-divided piece of land in a gated leafy avenue. The existing house had a pronounced Tuscan signature; its name being Nascondiglio, meaning nest or hideaway in Italian.
Iconic Blueprint
There is a particularly important market niche that’s evolved for Germany’s high-echelon premier motoring sector; the four-door sedan styled as a coupe. It’s a crossover between coupe and sedan.
Sculpted Form
Set on the slopes of Lion’s Head, this house has a powerful visible presence. Powerful organic shapes and rock formations dominate; the feeling of the mountain, the curves of the coastline were part of the inspiration for the eventual form of the house. An existing structure was reworked to synthesise and harmonise what were already definitive elements. The property is compact at 840 square metres on a site measuring 664 square metres.
State of Play
Well, so far – not so good – in 2013. Contacts in the interior design industry in UK tell me that – despite winning awards and receiving accolades – their businesses are in serious decline. The same must apply here in South Africa because Habitat’s clients across the board are hedging their bets. It’s a very difficult marketplace for most of us.

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