The latest edition of Moyi Magazine is out, and firstly what a stunning cover! Apt for our times the colourful cover features artist and activist Malene Barnett founder of Malene B Studio and Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADGuild). This issue celebrates the colour-filled homes of Malene in New York and textile designer Eva Sonaike in London. As a contributing editor for Moyi magazine, I had the pleasure of directing the photoshoot for Eva’s gorgeous, colour and plant-filled home.
Read More
A private safari residence set in the Thornybush Game Reserve, Kubili House is setting a new standard for the safari experience or as the founders like to call it ‘safari lifestyle’. Built as a summer vacation home for South African-born, New York-based Julian Koski and his wife, Aida ‘Kubili’ means two, given its name in reference to the couple’s twins.
Read More
Marianne Fassler is a doyenne of the South African fashion industry. Her brand Leopard Frock is a recognised game-changer, her inimitable style and anti-fashion stance always pushing the boundaries between fashion and art resulting in collections that rewrite the rules with their profusion of animal print, colour, patterns and textures. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that her home reflects all that inspires her.
Read More
American artist Kehinde Wiley has opened the doors to Black Rock in Dakar Senegal, a multi-disciplinary artists residency program designed to bring together an international group of visual artists, writers, and filmmakers for a period of self-reflection, practice development and cultural exploration and cross-cultural collaboration. For Kehinde, who’s fame reached new heights with his portrait of Barack Obama, Black Rock is more than just a residency it is also home to his personal studio as he seeks to divide his time between New York and West Africa.
Read More
On Friday 8th March I got to unveil the new look atelier 55 to a group of exceptional African women entrepreneurs. Organised by Lionesses of Africa the Lioness Lean In London event was held in partnership with and at the offices of top-tier law firm Hogan Lovells. Being a breakfast event it was an early start, but it was great to catch up with familiar faces, make new connections, and to hear the stories of some truly inspirational creative women. Most of all it was a celebratory event of laughter, some emotional tears, exchanging thoughts, and lots of head-nodding. Among […]
Read More
It’s cold here at the moment, and when the temps dip towards the minus figures, it’s all I can do not to spend the days hibernating, drinking tea and snuggled under a blanket for some much-needed warmth. The cosy cashmere and wool blend blankets from Dedani Collection would be perfect allowing me to hibernate in style. Dedani Collection is a South African textiles brand that is creating handcrafted interior and fashion textiles from luxurious natural fibres.
Read More
Matobo also known as Matopos in the southern region of Zimbabwe is an area of outstanding natural beauty, known for its imposing gravity-defying granite formations, balancing rock formations created by the gradual erosion of the area’s granite plateau. These formations form the Matobo National Hills a part of the Matobo National Park. The Matobo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the area is recognised for the highest concentration of prehistoric rock paintings in Southern Africa. It is also the historical land of King Mzilikazi and his son Lobengula. For lovers of wildlife, the Matobo National Park is […]
Read More
The launch of luxury tea brand YSWARA’s Johannesburg tearoom has been joined by the opening of one in Accra, Ghana. The YSWARA tearoom and boutique is part of a collaborative space shared with local retailer Luxury Living and Akrafo, YSWARA’S sister brand of gourmet condiment’s, bringing gourmet and interior decor experience to the city’s stylish residents.
Read More
African textiles offer a fascinating array of colours, patterns, and textures that can instantly transform an interior. But with so much on offer, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start especially for those of you who may be unfamiliar with the fabrics. So to help you get started we caught up with London based textile and interior furnishings designer, Eva Sonaike for her tips on decorating with African textiles. And here is what she had to say… It is 2017 and I can proudly say that ‘Africa is the New Black’! We launched our new FALOMO RISE Collection at Maison & Objet […]
Read More
As the seasons change thoughts often turn to a new look or refreshing an existing one. To help you on your way we turned to Thandi Mbali Renaldi, founder of stylish online interiors boutique Kudu for some tips on how to incorporate African Style into modern interiors… With winter soon drawing to a close here in Europe I am really starting to enjoy the lunchtime spring sunshine that steams through my kitchen window. My thoughts turn to how to refresh our interior in preparation for the change of season. It is time to move things around a little. This will […]
Read More
Mhondoro Game Lodge in Welgevonden Reserve, South Africa opened in early 2016 and seeks to move beyond being just another luxury Africa travel bush destination. Designed to give guests a seamless experience of luxury interiors and bushveld landscape Mhondoro Game Lodge combines cutting-edge architecture with some of the best in African design interior inspiration. The Mhondoro Game Lodge was created by interior designer Myriam Vogel who co-owns the lodge with her husband Frank.
Read More
There is nothing I love more than a good cup of tea, the stronger the better. Anytime is teatime as far as I am concerned, so you can only imagine what I think about those who take their tea as seriously as I do. Like YSWARA for instance, the luxury tea brand championing made in Africa, who are reviving the ceremony of ancient African tea drinking rituals with its offering of specially blended teas and accompanying accessories. And now you can immerse yourself fully in the YSWARA brand experience with the launch of their flagship tearoom and store in […]
Read MoreStudio [D] Tale – Peponi House [Image credits: Studio [D] Tale, Peponi House Terrace – Sam Churchill Photography] A Kiswahili word meaning paradise, ideal or idyllic place or state, ‘Peponi’ is the name given to a thoughtfully styled home, whose Kenyan owner’s wanted their living space to reflect this sentiment by creating a sanctuary from the bustling city. A three-story Victorian conversion, located in London’s Notting Hill, Peponi House pays homage to contemporary African culture and interior style, drawing on the owner’s layered cultural background, travels and memories. Completed in February 2015, Peponi House was designed by Studio [D] Tale, […]
Read MoreAphroChic – Remix: Decorating with Culture, Objects and Soul [Image credit: Remix: Decorating with Culture, Objects and Soul by Jeanine Hays and Brian Mason – Revamp.com] Earlier this month, Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason of the chic interiors blog, AphroChic launched their much-anticipated book, Remix: Decorating with the Culture, Objects and Soul. Remix is a beautifully illustrated book on how to tastefully infuse culture into modern design aesthetics, and avoiding the cliches that end to come with creating culturally inspired spaces. Indeed, the couple have long been championing cultural diversity in design through their blog, and textiles company. Drawing inspiration from […]
Read MoreTruth Coffee Interior by Haldane Martin [South Africa] [Image credit: Truth Coffee Interior – Haldane Martin] The Steampunk aesthetic of science fiction with a dose of fantasy, and inspired by 19th-century Victorian industrial steam-powered machinery combined technology is proving an increasingly popular lifestyle culture, applied to everything from fashion to interiors. One such interior is that of Truth Coffee, a Cape Town-based café, coffee shop and dive bar whose fantastical interior transports you to the industrial workhouses of the Victorian era. Founded on an ethos of serving proper, fresh home-roasted coffee the team behind Truth Coffee sought a look and feel that would […]
Read MoreMinimalist Home [South Africa] [Image source: Minimalist House, South Africa – Home Trend Design] When I first came across the idyllic image of the open doors of this house on Pinterest, I spent ages trying to track down images of the rest of it to no avail; however, the house has found me after an unrelated search. Marrying modern minimalism with traditional style, this airy open plan home situated in South Africa makes for a cooling; relaxing retreat in gloriously, hot summer days.
Read MoreDO.II Designs [Nigeria] Creating customised high-end innovative, yet timeless interior design solutions that showcase contemporary African style and design, Ifeyinwa Ighodalo is a Nigerian interior design industry and furniture manufacturing professional with over twenty-five years in the business. Believing ‘that a home should elicit excitement, joy and pleasure as you come home to it and live in it’ Ifeyinwa founded the company DO.II Designs, with aim of bringing her creative expertise to a range of discerning clients within the country. DO.II Designs works in four key areas encompassing interior design, furniture manufacturing, space planning and remodelling.
Read MoreHotel Particulier [Côte d’Ivoire] [Image credit: Hotel Particulier] Hotel Particulier is French word denoting an elegant private residence or townhouse; and is the name given to a chic boutique hotel in the city of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The owners of Hotel Particulier, have sought to create a stylish space, with a peaceful, intimate atmosphere that allows guests to escape the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city. The healing soothing effects of nature is a key feature of the Hotel, which sees rooms located on the ground level to take advantage of a luscious, well-tended garden.
Read MoreNandos – Leigh, UK [Africa Inspired] Nandos flame-grilled Portuguese/Mozambican style chicken, is a favourite in my household, not just for the taste, but also because of the familiarity the brand brings in transporting us back home for a little while. The South African based restaurant chain opened up in Zimbabwe the early nineties, so being able to pop into one in the UK is always a welcome reminder. Nando’s was founded in South Africa in 1987, and now has restaurants in over thirty countries, including over 250 restaurants in the UK alone.
Read MoreLiza Bruce [Morocco] [Image credit: Liza Bruce Moroccon Home – Elle Decor/Simon Upton] The Moroccan home of UK fashion designer, Liza Bruce and her artist husband Nicholas Alvis Vega, featured in Elle Decor, is a feast for the eyes; a place where pattern, detail, and colour abound. Liza, who made her name designing swimwear in the 1980s, began her travels to Morocco in 2003 sourcing material for her collections, and after several trips to the country sought to establish a base. A trip to the Ourika Valley, a riverside region situated south of Marrakech in the foothills of the Atlas mountains revealed an abandoned, half-built […]
Read More
