Condé Nast House & Garden November 2020

Like birthdays, anniversaries and any other calendar-marked milestones by which we measure ourselves, the year’s denouement brings with it an all-too-familiar sense of introspection and evaluation. ‘Unprecedented’ has certainly been this year’s most popular epithet, justifiably and, often, not meant so kindly. The world has been turned upside down by a pandemic, protests and political tensions dominate the news, and the climate change doomsday clock ticks ever closer to midnight. Closer to home, the design industry has also had to face some hard truths: how, still today, are representation, meaningful inclusion and equity not innate parts of its fibre? Why is opportunity only afforded to the privileged? And when will these lamentations become actions towards real and permanent change? That’s why, this month, the team at House & Garden set out to…

Lifestyle blogging was a hobby I got into while I was studying, a way to live virtually and still maintain my creativity,’ says Lulama Wolf, real name Lulama Mlambo, about her fashion blogging and social media influencer beginnings. ‘Fortunately, it turned out to be a good business opportunity down the line.’ And good it was – she was featured in campaigns for brands such as Woolworths and H&M. She stood out from the wave of colourful print-on-print-on-print, more-is-more vibe that many influencers and bloggers gravitated towards thanks to her minimalist aesthetic and functional style which she describes as a reincarnation of her mother’s timeless style. It helped her get over 100 000 Instagram followers. When I first started following her on Tumblr around 2013, I was drawn to her well-curated reblogs…

Black Artists + Designers Guild Malene Barnett, USA What was it that made you think, ‘This is it, this is the time’ when it came to establishing the Black Artists + Designers Guild? There were a series of events that led to establishing BADG. The idea had been brewing in my mind for some time and the concept became clearer during a sabbatical from my rug business. Since I was no longer hustling to gain new clients, launching collections or attending industry events, I was able to analyse the industry from a different perspective. It was the absence of Black creatives at What’s New What’s Next, a major industry event held in New York, that drove me to call out the industry’s inequities in an Instagram post. Soon after, the Black Artists…

The Technology School of Guelmim Where: Morocco Who: Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani and Mohamed Amine Siana Striking a profound balance between rectilinear restraint and theatrical light play, the Technology School of Guelmim by architects Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani and Mohamed Amine Siana is an inspired facility in the country’s south. While the school’s geometry serves as a modern interpretation of the Moroccan architectural vernacular, it also functions in a very practical fashion: cantilever overhangs and voluminous forms serve to create cooling planes of shade and ventilation to counter the region’s extreme heat. There is an undeniable academic gravitas to the monolithic structures, from familiar clay-toned facades to the all-white interiors of the classrooms, amphitheatre, workshops, TP rooms, administration buildings, library, lecturer’s offices and staff accommodation. The Botswana Innovation Hub Where: Botswana Who: SHoP Architects When…

HERE’S HOW 1 DOWNLOAD THE APP Visit the App Store or Google Play and download the free Zinio or Magzter app. If you’re browsing on a desktop or laptop, head to zinio.com or magzter.com. 2 CREATE AN ACCOUNT Once you’re on the app or web page, click on the icon in the top right-hand corner to create a new account. Once the form is complete, you’re ready to shop. 3 FIND YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE Search for GQ South Africa, Glamour South Africa, or Condé Nast House & Garden using the search icon at the top of the page. It’ll show you the latest and previous issues. 4 BUY IT When you select the latest issue, you’ll see two price options: one for that issue only and another for a one-year subscription. Online editions, for both single copies and…

MPENDULO DLAMINI Architect, South Africa Before his career in architecture that now spans a decade, it was the residential niche that captured Mpendulo’s attention as a final-year university student. A phone call from a Gauteng-based medical doctor to design his new home at Eboste Estate changed his life’s trajectory. And upon the completion of the project, the good doctor’s friends, stokvel members and relatives were all lining up to make use of his services. ‘I had about 20 projects lined up at the time, which was enough to launch my small studio in Rosebank.’ With each new project, he dedicates more time to the client in order to understand them better, learning about their values and the significance of his contribution to their lives. ‘We brainstorm ideas around their lifestyles, family dynamics and…