Ideas

from the editor

It’s seldom necessary that I have to rewrite my entire letter to you. And completely unheard of that our printers are shutting their doors before we can deliver our latest Ideas into their capable hands. And how the distributor’s trucks are parked off rather than out delivering our magazines to shops far and wide. It is two days before we all have to isolate ourselves and I am sitting here in my home office reading how everyone is preparing to WFH (work from home). New systems, new ways of communicating and meeting, and apparently a difficult thing for the millennials who are ‘herd animals’ and don’t like being on their own. In the beginning our team simply carried on as usual. After all, we have all been working alone from our…

what’s new

💮 NEW SHOPS, DÉCOR AND CRAFT dala@ideasfactory.co.za 💮 FOOD AND RESTAURANTS ideasmagazinefood@gmail.com WINTER GLOW FROM ITALY Italian skincare and make-up range RVB is known for being exceptionally skin friendly and safe. It contains no parabens, heavy metals, animal products or gluten and is also vegan friendly. The range includes RVB Into the Woods Eyeshadow Palette (R595) with four powder shadows in a matt and pearl glow finish in natural colours; Eye Pencil in 13 Dark Green (R250) with a soft texture that won’t stretch the eyelid; Infinite Nature Highlighter (R570), a 3D highlighter that makes the face look brighter and more radiant with a healthy glow; and Velvet Matt Liquid Lipstick (R310) with a matt finish and intense colour that can last up to 12 hours. WINE TALES The picturesque Journey’s End wine farm is…

floral romance

LIVING ROOM In the living room, the large painted canvas acts as a background for the fabric and flower compositions. The old wrought iron garden planter (left) is a little rusty, but becomes chic juxtaposed with a beautiful flower painting. KITCHEN Above the counter is a work by the Italian artist Ubaldo Franceschini, Laurence’s husband (see also the page overleaf).‘We wanted to keep the rustic character of the kitchen with its stone fireplace and the dark grey walls, and we added a note of elegance with the addition of the three crystal chandeliers,’ Laurence explains. The rustic table is three metres long and can seat up to 14 people - ideal for dinners with friends and relatives. TIP To customise candleholders for the dining table, adorn them with flowers, leaves and twigs, just…

imperfectly undone

TAKE A SEAT Nothing looks more comfortable than a big slouchy armchair. We put our cover on the chair with the raw edges outwards to add texture, but if you need a break from the undone look, turn it through to the right side. DIFFICULTY: advanced TIME: one day Use some old fabric or sheets, or paper, to cut and sew a mock-up cover to fit the chair. Sit on the chair and cut the fabric to fit that section, and pin the pieces together as you go along. When you are happy with the fit, use the mock-up pieces as your pattern to cut the cover pieces from sturdy linen or cotton and sew them together. Chair cover by Terena le Roux ORGANISER Keep all your craft goodies close at hand with this easy-to-make organiser. DIFFICULTY:…

imperfect tiles

DIFFICULTY: medium to advanced TIME: one day YOU WILL NEED ♥ terracotta tiles (250 x 250mm) ♥ chalk paint in the colour of your choice (we used white) ♥ undercoat (optional) ♥ paintbrush ♥ tile cutter Paint the tiles with chalk paint. If you are using the tiles in a place that will be used frequently, it’s best to apply an undercoat first. Leave the tiles for about 24 hours to dry before starting the next step. Once the tiles are properly dry, insert a tile into the tile cutter and score the cutting line down the centre. Press the tile cutter down to break the tile along the scored line. Take one half of the tile, turn it sideways and insert it into the tile cutter again. Score and cut. You will now have…

cupboard love

FRENCH CHIC Give an old shop cupboard a new lease of life by adding curvy legs and a coat of shiny black lacquer paint. We found our cupboard in a second-hand store as a sand-coloured melamine unit with no legs, but the mirror at the back and the art deco-like grooves on the sides appealed to us. DIFFICULTY: advanced TIME: 2-3 days Sand the cupboard down before painting it with a layer of undercoat. Leave it to dry then spray paint a coat of black nondrip varnish over the undercoat. Wait until it is touch dry before applying the next coat. Repeat until the colour is solid. Be very patient with this cupboard as it needs quite a bit of time to dry in between each of the coats of varnish. CUPBOARD LEGS FROM…