This story begins with a blushing bride and her bodyguard. In 1914, Professor Harold Pearson attended a local flower show in Franschhoek. Under these unassuming circumstances, he stumbled upon a flower that contemporary botanists thought to be extinct Serurria florida, the blushing bride. By Mia McCarthy The scientific record shows that Serruria florida was officially catalogued by Carl Peter Thunberg, a Swedish mentee of Carl Linnaeus, in the Franschhoek Mountains in 1773.

"All fynbos wants to burn." The beauty of these flowers is that they are meant to die. Bursting along the rolling hills of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, blackened by fire last year, these buds have fought through the soil to expand into a green seascape at the ocean's edge. By Rosa-Karoo Loewe The reserve is experiencing a superbloom, more than 20 years in the making. Thousands of species are growing across the reserve, many of them plants that only emerge after fire and s

I have always marveled at how a little attention to detail can bring a tired, shabby object back to life. I like nothing more than restoring the shine to a piece that has taken on the patina of age and become dull and tarnished. I feel a thrill of accomplishment when I return the freshly polished gleam to a piece of chrome or brassware, particularly if it has been long neglected, and lately I have been kept particularly busy doing just that. By Dave Charles Our son, Dan, move

Alison Snyders & Karin Lipari Karen’s face lights up when I ask her what her favourite flower is. “Stargazers,” she tells me with eyes that soften and sparkle, almost as if there were actual stars gazing out of them. “The reason why I love them is because, when they’re closed, you watch them open up. You can literally see it every day. It’s like a process of opening and that’s what I love about it.” By Dan Charles The Stargazer Lily is one of the most recognisable flowers tha

Why would you want/need more friends? You can’t have enough! If I walk around a mall or my new estate I want to bump into people I know. I love small talk and random conversations. I’m a bit like a hairdresser in this regard. As for the how…..it’s simple really: Join every WhatsApp group on the estate. Words: Judd Campbell We moved into a new estate last year and I did just that. Admittedly, the Whiskey Group was a little too hardcore for me. Naively I thought it would be sip

How one photographer put Ballito on the map For photographer Karl Liebenberg, Instagram was never going to be enough. After years of photographing along the beaches of Ballito, he knew the images he was capturing deserved something more permanent. Something you could hold in your hands. The result is Ballito: Ocean Arena, a visual love letter to Ballito and the remarkable relationship its people have with the sea. What started out as a surfing book soon became something much

The ephemeral art of Azuma Makoto The Japanese system of floral symbolism is called hanakotoba. Thought to have emerged in the late 19th Century, directly translated, hanakotoba means “flower words”, and the practice intertwines with traditions of ikebana – Japanese flower arrangement. Iris (shobu) for strength, courage and protection. Chrysanthemum (kiku) for longevity and rejuvenation. Cherry blossoms (sakura) for the transience of life. By Shannon Devy Fittingly, it’s via

It’s a Saturday morning in May. The thickest mist I have ever seen has wrapped itself around the Cape Town City Bowl, snaking through the streets, stealing colour and re-rendering the world in hazy black and white. I’m on my way to Gallery F, one of the top photographic galleries on the continent, and as I’m buzzed through the little black door at 78 Shortmarket Street, I step out of one monochromatic world and into another, climbing a staircase bracketed by exquisite black

There is butter here that will ruin you for other butter. It is made by hand each morning by an Italian-trained cheesemaker, and it sits in cheesecloth on the breakfast harvest table in a large wooden bowl.You spread it on bread that was baked just before dawn from a sourdough starter that is nine years old, and the combination is so straightforward and lush, nothing else matters. Words: Rosa-Karoo Loewe This is Babylonstoren's particular trick: the extraordinary delivered wi

An Interview with Dr. Maureen Allem and Victor Snyders Few industries have evolved as dramatically over the past two decades as aesthetics, skincare and wellness. At the forefront of that transformation in South Africa is Skin Renewal, founded by Dr Maureen Allem and Victor Snyders in 2005. What began as a single clinic has grown into a nationally recognised brand. By combining medical science, advanced technology and a holistic approach to wellbeing, the group has built a r

Of all the choices an architect makes, the window may be the most revealing. It is, quite literally, how a home looks at the world. Stand in any room and look at the window. Not through it: at it. Notice its proportions, its placement, the way it frames the light. Notice whether it feels like a polite gesture towards the outside world or a confident embrace of it. Notice whether it interrupts the wall or completes it. The window, more than any other architectural element, tel

Strategic research is the single biggest determinant of whether a property development/estate succeeds or struggles. I've said this for years, and I'll keep saying it, because the property industry still underinvests in the upfront work that shapes everything that comes after. When we do research for developers, we're looking at the full picture: location fundamentals, product mix, depth of demand, pricing thresholds, competitor stock, absorption trajectories. That's the scie

I recently watched a documentary by the BBC about the search for Paul McCartney’s original 1961 Hofner bass guitar – the original Beatle violin-style bass. It was stolen out of a locked van in 1972 and the resources used to follow up on all the leads generated through a media campaign to find it were quite fascinating. The investigators eventually re-questioned one of the strongest leads they had who turned out to be the son of the man who stole it. Through him, they traced i

“I’d never made a doughnut in my life before we started the business,” confesses Johke Steenkamp, founder of Cape Town’s beloved (and famously persistent) vegan deli and doughnut shop Grumpy & Runt. When the ex-private chef struck out to do her own thing with her partner, Carla Gontier, it wasn’t about the product: it was about purpose. Words: Mia McCarthy “I was at a point in my life where I really wanted to open something of my own, filled with love and personality”, Johke

“I’m so bored with myself!” complains Manu Grace almost as soon as we start our conversation. She’s talking to me from her bedroom-studio in London, where she has been painstakingly watching herself over and over again while editing footage that had just been sent of her recent performance in Berlin - one of the first performances that she’s given in a very long time. She tells me that it’s dangerous to delve straight into the footage because it can quickly tarnish the memory

Adele van Heerden x Lexus RZ If something never moves, it will inevitably decay. When a body of water stays still, it turns stagnant - quickly losing its oxygen until it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, mosquito larvae, and toxic algae. When a car is never driven, it rapidly deteriorates - the fluids start to degrade, the battery begins to drain, and its moving parts completely cease their function. And when art is never witnessed - when it is never shared, never champ

Chommies The story of Chommies began with a move and a puppy. Founder and Creative Director Nathalie Klijn, born in Stuttgart, Germany, left Europe in 2012 for Cape Town in pursuit of a slower and more fulfilling way of life. Not long after arriving, she adopted a Boerboel-Ridgeback-Bullmastiff rescue named Ringo. What started as a side project making collars for Ringo and a few canine friends has since grown into a brand beloved by dogs and their humans across South Africa.

Words by Shannon Devy It’s a dazzling summer Saturday morning in Cape Town, and I’m washing down a Nosh bar with a Coke in a parking lot in Gardens. I’ve got a needle phobia and a tattoo booked across the street, so I’m raising my blood sugar in preparation. I neck the rest of the soda, lock the car, and push through the doors of the famous TOMB tattoo. It’s probably the sugar, but I feel cheerful. The shop is a riot of colour. Part shrine, part fever dream, it’s packed from

Get ready, Durban. Things are about to look a little different. Durban is about to welcome one of the world’s most fascinating attractions. The globally renowned Museum of Illusions will officially open its doors at Gateway Theatre of Shopping on Saturday, 25 April 2026, bringing its signature blend of science, art and immersive fun to KwaZulu-Natal. Already a global phenomenon with locations in cities including Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, New York and Dubai, the Durban opening

On the KZN North Coast, a new vision of coastal luxury is taking shape: one where the boundary between the home and the horizon simply ceases to exist. Imagine waking up on a Saturday morning. The sun is already climbing above the Indian Ocean, throwing long gold light across the water. You pad downstairs (barefoot, unhurried) and the house opens around you. Not because you've opened a door, but because the wall in front of you is glass. Floor to ceiling. Edge to edge. The se