On The Road...

with Lisa Lindblad

Category: Cape Town

Coming Home to Ellerman House

I am privileged not only to travel as extensively as I do but also to be able to see and stay in some of the world’s most beautiful hotels and houses.  I have learned over time, however, that aesthetics are simply the point of departure for real appreciation.  Great service is an essential attribute of any property but, even beyond that, there is a further quality that separates the truly great from the merely lovely.  That ineffable quality, so rarely found, is an ambiance that migrates from the property and its staff into the soul of the guest.  It translates, at least for me, into the feeling of “coming home.”

Ellerman House, Bantry Bay, staggering views, deliciously comfortable rooms, wide verandahs.  Ellerman House, thoughtful staff, happy staff, gentle staff.  Ellerman House, truly a house, with no check in formalities, a basket in which to leave my room key, a pantry to raid when I need a sweet.  Accompanied by art in my bedroom, in the drawing room, in the lovely gardens, and now in the contemporary art gallery soon to open on property, I am, for the time of my stay, at home in my most gracious surrounds.
Ellerman House has a total of 13 rooms, ten of which, in the main house, look out over Table Bay.  Each has a wide balcony where a charming table can be set for dining, affording the guest the best views available in Cape Town.  Bedrooms are comfortable and serene, bathrooms are huge and light-filled.  The restaurant, both indoors and outside in the garden, serves superb food and is rightly considered one of the “must dine” venues in the city.  A small gym and an excellent spa with two therapists complete a menu of offerings that anyone would want before or after a safari or before or after a long flight.

Ellerman Villa, a fabulous 6-bedroom private dwelling, is located across the garden.  Formerly the residence of the hotel’s owners, it  has now become available as an exclusive use property.  Sleekly luxurious, it has its own pool and some fabulous art to compete with the even more fabulous views.  What a dream this whole property is, and one I want to return to over and over again!
www.ellerman.co.za

by on November 6, 2009
filed in Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town Craft, Design and Art

I spent yesterday in the company of a most interesting Capetonian woman whose knowledge of her city’s history, architecture, food and art is rich and presented with anecdote and authority.  Cape Town has a broad scope of craft work to offer; much of the most interesting work is “project” work initiated by an artist, designer or otherwise interested person who sets up the business structure and then teaches the production skills  to a community of poor men and women.  The craft ranges from Tea Bag art (tea bags are emptied, ironed flat, decorated with paints and then glued, like decoupage, on to trays, coasters, picture frames, cards, etc) to the ubiquitous wire work (Streetwires Studio) and animal beadwork (Monkeybiz Bead Project).
Two very successful projects are both HIV/AIDS projects – one group embroiders pillow cases and larger pieces with a long stitch and is known for its cow image while the other makes nesting bowls out of great printed papers.  There is also a wonderful production of potato-blocked fabric and another of San-inspired fabric, both of which come in upholstery weight  and in colorways that would work beautifully in any country (sources: Africa Nova and Kalk Bay Modern).  Ceramics seem to me to be some of the most inspired design occurring and the Light from Africa Foundation, located in a marvelous studio in Noordhoek, has fostered skills and passion in young men and women to create one-of-a- kind pieces that are exhibited in the studio but that have also been sent abroad.  Likewise, the Potter’s Workshop has already spawned talented ceramists who have started their own studios with good success.

There are three really interesting and sophisticated venues where one can look over the full array of product, both “project” and individual artist production.  Africa Nova, located in the Dutch Quarter, is a fabulous shop with an extensive array of craft from all over the continent that has been edited by the impressive Margie Murgatroyd.  Kalk Bay Modern is another inspired, carefully curated collection the best of Southern African Fine Arts, Design and Craft under the direction of two remarkable women, Yvette Stephen and Cheryl Rumbak.  Finally, the Montebello Design Centre is a collection of studios located in the old stables of a nearby estate and additional meticulously painted metal containers.  Some house textile crafters like Mielie, others showcase jewelers like Beloved Beadwork and Sitali Jewelers.  There is also CAMA, the Contemporary African Music and Arts Archive and the wonderful studio of David Krut Publishers which sells fine art and books. 
www.africanova.co.za, www.kaultbaymodern.com  Montebello Design Center Tel +27 21 685 6445, 31 Newlands Avenue

by on October 27, 2009
filed in Cape Town

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