Latest Articles
London Pied-à-Terre
This apartment is just 84 square metres of Central London real estate and was formerly a spa atop a luxury hotel.
Elegant Restraint
This pristine Melbourne revamp is a fine example of how best to capitalise spatial flow, lofty volumes and easy access to the exterior
Eye on the Bean
We’re almost done with 2016 and what’s happening in the world of coffee? Here are a few trends predicted for what’s likely in the coffee fueled year ahead: There is an icy undertone. According to certain fundis hot coffee has enjoyed the focus of innovation during the...
On the Rocks
The brief to the architects was to maximise the potential of this corner site with 360° views, while providing contemporary accommodation for both family and guests.
Claire Denarie-Soffietti
Born and raised in Versailles, and having lived over 20 years in South Africa, Claire Denarie-Soffietti was an autodidactic art student from the outset. After eight years in Barbados, and four children, the artist – and her Italian architect husband – decided to...
Room Outside
Clean lines with a sleek look seems the way forward for contemporary style in outdoor furnishings and this should continue to grow in popularity by end 2016. The preference is characterised by the use of metals or metallic finishes; an urban-inspired look that...
Home & Hearth – Bathrooms
Bathrooms are no longer coldly clinical interiors with rudimentary clanking, low-pressure plumbing and dripping pewter or brass taps à la the Victorian era. This was then a clinically white small room that most users wanted to get out of as soon as possible and often...
Home & Hearth – Kitchens
Home remodelling trends come and go, but when considering the most trafficked interiors in the modern home it’s vital to know what’s on trend in terms of resale value. Kitchen cabinets might not have changed as much as other elements within the contemporary kitchen,...
Thomas Feichtner
Having designed numerous products for Austrian industry and for such traditional crafters as J&L Lobmeyr, Neue Wiener Werkstätten, Wiener Silver Manufactur, Augarten Porzellanmanufaktur, TON and Carl Mertens: Thomas Feichtner is an internationally established...
Vienna – Hotel Daniel
Bicycle hire instead of a limousine service, hammocks in hotel rooms and a trailer as a suite in the front garden – all makes up the exciting world that is simply referred to as ‘Urban Stay – Smart Luxury’ at Hotel Daniel Vienna. It’s a concept that has also gone down...
Vienna – Hotel Grand Ferdinand
The mansion built at Schubertring 12 during the Ringstrasse Era suffered damage during WW2 and was completely rebuilt in the 1950s according to plans by Percy Farber and Walter Sobotka. They created a massive reinforced concrete building, with a sandstone and black...
Little Wonder
review: Colin Sharp | images: Carla Nunes | price from: R425 400 The Mazda MX-5, released as the Mazda MX-5 Miata in North America, rapidly won acclaim as a lightweight two-seater roadster. With its time-honoured front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout it debuted at the...
Roadster Evolution
review: Colin Sharp | images: Carla Nunes | price from: R743 000 In the late ‘90s I owned the first Audi TT, a cute little car that evoked admiring glances from most appraisers. It was go-kart agile on the tarmac, if a little light at the rear end – a boot spoiler was...
Design of the Century
overview: Colin Sharp I’ve been there three times, but I could happily visit monthly because this is a sculptural, cellular / globular structure that is patently unique. The first time was not long after the opening in late 2007, when I met architect Wolf D. Prix of...
Zenith – Elite Lady Moon Phase
In 2016, the Elite collection by Zenith appears in a distinctly feminine guise; yet elegance goes well beyond gender boundaries. While the recent Elite models can be admired on the wrists of men and women of discerning taste, the new Elite Lady Moon Phase embodies the...