You’ll never have enough stuff to fill the 11-hinged corner wardrobe that sets a very high bar for what the Bimax team can manufacture. This Eurocasa mother of cupboards – yes, it’s so big we imagine mini-cupboards to be birthed from it – would be able to conceal all your items if they are indeed plentiful. The intelligent storage system housed within boasts shelving, drawers and railing that will make you want shop ’til you drop leaving no space unused!

This Eurocasa unit, supplied by Bimax, comes in crema and natural walnut matte lacquered colours with an Ardersia lacquered handle. The handle climbs up the door 3-quaters of the way stopping at the perfect height for the average hand. Inside this storage wonder is 2 sets of drawers that come in 3s. Their fronts are made from mirrored bronze and wood, respectively. The shelves are divided perfectly for immaculately pressed and folder dress shirts to fit in one-by-one – so you can see your clothes.

For more information on Bimax’s corner cupboards, visit the Eurocasa website at www.eurocasa.co.za.

Maxidor highlights 4 areas to look at when putting measures in place to ensure your child is protected from the dangers that lurk online – teamwork, monitoring, prevention and taking action. Teamwork involves working with your child to prevent unsavoury encounters online. Exploring the Internet with your child while allowing them to take the lead is great way for guided and safe surfing. This allows you to monitor the sites they go to, as well as, gives you a chance to teach your child to communicate should they see something disturbing.

Monitoring doesn’t only involve minding your child’s online activities at home. It goes as far as assessing areas outside the home where there is Internet access. Take for instance, if your child has friends that they frequently interact with online. A good idea would be to ask the friend’s parents if there are controls in place and if the child is monitored on their side of the Internet gateway.  Another instance is in school. Ensure that the Ibnternet access at the school is monitored by adults – not prefects or student monitors. Also, ensure that there is a policy in place that defines acceptable and unacceptable activities online and highlights the punishments.

The prevention tips provided by Maxidor is a mix of active involvement, technology and communication. First and foremost, give your child the tools for protecting themselves online by talking to your child about your concerns. Such things as exploitation, pornography, hate speech, bad people and so on should be part of the chat. And then let them know how they can handle this type of situation should it arise – this is where your child telling you if they come across something diturbing comes into play.

More on Maxidor’s preventative tips. Using an online service that helps you block a non-PG website is a good idea. Chat rooms, bulletin boards, news and discussion groups all fall under this category. Installing software on your computer thet lets you set your own firewalls, like blocking sites and preventing your child being able to share information online. Your child should also know not to share any personal information, either. In addition to this don’t, they should never agree to meet someone they’ve met online face-to-face or respond to messages from strangers.

Taking Action involves dealing with disturbing information online. If your child receives an offensive  e-mail,  advises Maxidor, save it as evidence and contact the police. Lastly, if you encounter child-sensitive website,  send the address to online services and sites that provide  blocking software for review.

For more information on how to make your kids internet safety savvy, visit the Maxidor website at www.maxidor.co.za.

The Mint Team calls this project Rondebosch Revivified and it saw the revamping of a charming, old coach house. Meant as a dwelling space for the family, the home had to be geared towards daily comfort and occassional entertaining – friday movie nights, the best friend’s baby shower, pre-Matric dance drinks, and the likes. The budget was tight but Mint Renovations was optimistic.

Aesthetics were put on the back burner while Mint Renovations decided how they might make the living space more functional. With an original layout plan that saw a living room, kitchen and small dining nook seperated and dwarfed by walls, the only option to make this space more functional was to open it up. The walls came down creating an airy,  light and spacious living area.

Functionality was also brought to the entrance area, which was non-existent prior to.  The entrance to the house was an uninviting door that opened into the lounge. The Mint Renovations team gave this door a more welcoming feel by installing a roof outside the door supported by two columns.

The Mint Renovations team also did a couple alterations in the kitchen. Ice white kitchen cabinets and flecked grey and taupe granite counters were installed.  Set into the counter was a new stove and hob. A scullery was also added with overhead natural light streaming through.

For more information on how Mint Renovations can revamp your home on a budget, visit their website at www.minthouse.co.za.

Those who are familiar with Nico van der Meulen Architects will know them for their renovations and ground up creations. But that is stating the obvious – ahem…architects? MSquared Lifestyle Necessities, on the other hand, is a bit cryptic. They deal with furniture, interior decoration, and lighting fixtures. With their expertise, together, Nico van der Meulen and MSquared Lifestyle Necessities can deliver the ultimate in dream homes. The proof is in Villa Moy!

Of course, the breathtaking views of Johannesburg does lend a hand to the archiectural project. This was a great inspiring point for the Nico van der Meulen team. No matter what room you’re in in the house, there is always a spectacular view with the options being plant life or city views. The windows, which take on the length of each room and are built high, allow for plenty of light to come through. Also, there’s no need for artificial heating and cooling because of the building’s northern orientation and cross ventilation.

You can enter this Nico van der Meulen structure through the pivoted frameless glass front door.  This open up onto a double volume reception area and lounge.  The pool are lies beyond where a bridge suspended by steel cables lies in very royal fashion. This floor, the ground floor, also features a family room, dining room, kitchen, service areas and an atrium showing off the multiple stories of the home.

Off the family room is a private lounge belonging to the main bedroom. This forms a mezzanine level in the house. The area has a covered balcony which is covered in slats and painted grey. On the other side of the lounge and family room lies an oversized lanai and patio, with an  infinity edge pool that looks as if it indeed stretches to infinity boasting a length of 18 metres. Creating seamless spaces is a Nico van der Meulen trademark, so when the doors are open, the family room, breakfast room, patio and kitchen becomes one large area.

The first floor is made for living with its pyjama lounge where the family can rest comfortably. They also do not have to travel far to get a snack as there is a kitchenette on suite. This level also consists of 3 children’s rooms and an open plan main bedroom with a private lounge. The main bedroom also has a panic room that is decked out with a kitchenette, for those long, and hopefully rare, trying times. All of the suites and lounges leads onto balconies.

For more information on this Nico van der Meulen/MSquared Lifestyle Necessities wonder, visit www.nicavdmeulen.com.

If an authentic German kitchen is what you’re looking for, then Poggenpohl is your best bet. This company’s knowledge of German kitchens dates back as far as 1892 when the first ever kitchen brand was established by Friedemir Poggenpohl. Being a pioneer in the German kitchen industry, Poggenpohl had quite a hand in determining the lasting characteristics of the nation’s kitchen design style. Thankfully, Alpine German Kitchens did it’s research ensuring that they bring South Africans the real leaders in this niche industry.

Poggenpohl can also be thanked for bringing lacquered finishes to the world. The kitchen company introduced a ‘ten-layer polishing technique’ in 1930 making the brand and expert lacquers. The news of this new technique spread throughout the kitchen manufacturing community far beyond Germany’s borders soon after. About 30 years on, Poggenpohl, itself, became popular in international circles with the first of exports to neighbouring countries. Eventually it’s prowess would spread to South Africa and be imported via Alpine German Kitchens!

Towards the end of the 60s, Poggenpohl would achieve yet another pioneering feat – the solid wood kitchen! This type of design proved to be very popular featuring in many homes throughout the 70s. In fact, it is considered a 70s trend that designers refer back to in an effort to re-create that golden era. You too can bring the 70s back through Alpine German Kitchens and Poggenpohl.

For more information on how you too can be a prt of kitchen history in the making, visit the Alpine German Kitchens website at www.agk.co.za.

Floors and more available from their online showroom www.bamboowarehouse.co.za or any branch nationwide.

The Oslo kitchen by blu_line is something reminiscent of a lumber jack that has come into lots of money. He wants to the live the high life, but his heart ultimately lies with the wilderness. And for him, anything is possible…including bringing the rough outdoors in! Dark and sturdy ironwood is juxtaposed against the cool white of the kitchen cupboards and counter creating an atmosphere close to that of a forest under a layer of snow. This lumber jack, imagined, would be very impressed with his design!

Extremely high skylights naturally illuminate the space. Cabinets in high gloss lacquer shimmer at the kitchen’s perimeter like a stream flowing in the afternoon sun. The ironwood wall cladding sandwiched between the cabinets above and corian counter below looks like a wall of forest. Stalk the chef undetected behind the ironwood beam supports with the stealth of a wolf. blu_line’s Oslo kitchen is the perfect image of modern luxury in tune with Mother Earth.

For more information on this Oslo-esque design, visit the blu_line website at www.blu-line.co.za.

Although the resulting fabrics in the Alchemy collection aren’t of great value, they do fulfill one area of alchemy. That is the power to transform. The manufacturers of this Home Fabrics range have been able to imitate natural materials using 1005 man-made fibre, something that would have been seen as impossible before the industrial revolution, or in the Middle Ages when practice of Alchemy was popular.

So now, companies like Home Fabrics bring you faux silks. If one looks back in history, the earliest alchemists would attempt to transform common metals into gold or silver . Today, we are attempting to transform raw natural resources, such as oil, into faux silk – a luxurious material treasured by many.

This  Home Fabrics collection is woven using durable polyester fibres while retaining silk characteristics. These fabrics have a sheen and are crisp to touch. The benefits of using this 100% man-made fibre are numerous and include light fastness (meaning it won’t lose color to light) and easy-care. in addition, these fabrics are also flame retardant.

Broad stripes, giant checks and several other designs gives Home fabrics customers a choice of 12 designs. The stripe designs in this collection are available in varying widths and some featuring interesting ribbon-like decorative bands. The checked designs have a medley of colour combinations.

For more information on the Alchemy collection by Home Fabrics, visit their website at www.homefabrics.co.za.

]]> http://hometolife.co.za/fabrics/the-alchemists-of-home-fabrics/feed/ 0 http://hometolife.co.za/design-and-decor/androgynous-bathroom-designs-for-him-and-her-by-on-tap/ http://hometolife.co.za/design-and-decor/androgynous-bathroom-designs-for-him-and-her-by-on-tap/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 14:43:47 +0000 HomeDesign Blog http://hometolife.co.za/?p=15121 If James Bond where ever to marry, the On Tap bathroom which showcases Hansgrohe’s Metris Classic collection would be perfect for him and his missus. It’s got just enough spice and bit of femininity for a once-bachelor and the alpha-female.

What makes this On Tap bathroom so androgynous? The floors of this bathing haven are fitted with wood in varying shades of ash. A very male touch. The brown leather and steel chair also oozes masculine and the towel draped over its backrest doesn’t suggest otherwise. One can imagine the dashing Bond to have been shaving over the basin (square and jutting out, clearly being his choice) when interrupted by a cell phone call for his next big job. He casually informs wifey that he will be leaving and drapes the towel as he exits.

Woman is also written all over this bathroom. On a nippy morning one would imagine Bond’s wife switching the heated towel rail on – because ladies do not enjoy the discomfort of the cold (where men would embrace the challenge). She would run her Metris Classic bath, compliments of On Tap, and then saunter to the his and hers Metris Classic faucets and flips hers on to tend to her teeth. The circular mirrors she gazes into were her feminine touch. And the flowers sitting on the basin.

The androgynous touch of this On Tap inspirational bathroom also comes out in the Metris classic shower – also his and hers. The shower heads, called Hansgrohe Raindance, are round and flat above.

For more information or inspiration for your next bathroom look feel, visit the On Tap website at www.ontap.co.za.

This Cape Townian sculptural maiden is not only smitten with cement as an art material. She is also rather found of flora and fauna. And to our surprise, the lady has managed to merge the two. Could you have ever imagined that? A merging of the natural and the man-made? Well, that is what creative individuals like Mrs. Cloete are here for. To make the impossible possible! And Cemecrete is about pushing boundaries too…

We love Ann’s Cemcrete landscape art works. She depicts grasslands with mountainous ranges hovering in the distance, as well as, springbok whose grazing has been disturbed by the prying eyes of….her camera, perhaps? We imagine that working with cement takes time as the work takes a while to set, so it would makes sense for her to take a picture of her muse – if living – and then complete the work at a later stage.

For more information on how you can turn Cemcrete cement into a masterpiece, visit their website at www.cemcrete.co.za.