In occasion of Design Indaba 2019, a lot of creatives and design enthusiasts will be heading to Cape Town for the Design fair. South Africa will be the host of this exciting event and as such will be offering its visitors so much more to see, experience and explore. Though the South African city has enjoyed a reputation as a destination for the design lovers since being named World Design Capital in 2014, several new projects have further increased its appeal. So here is our Cape Town Design Guide.
Toghether with its avant-gardist design, South Africa has produced a unique environment of multicultural creativity, and the recent spotlight on Cape Town is indicative of the city’s bright future. So, in occasion of the Design Indaba conference and in honor of its host city, we are bringing you the ultimate Cape Town Design Guide!
CAPE TOWN DESIGN GUIDE
WHERE TO STAY IN CAPE TOWN
Besides the multiculturality, one of the city’s best-known aesthetic of contrast of old and new, of the complex history and the modern city that has drawn from it. Nowhere is this ambivalence more obvious than in the city’s hotel landscape. Visitors to Cape Town have at hand a broad choice of anything from old, restored colonial-era villa to trendy new boutique hotels.
The Silo Hotel
The Silo Hotel has been built in the grain elevator portion of the historic grain silo complex occupying six floors above Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) which houses Africa’s largest collection of contemporary African art. The exterior of the building was designed by Heatherwick Studio. From the outside, the greatest visible change to the building’s original structure is the addition of the ingenious glass windows inserted into the geometry of the hotel floors.
These multi-faceted structures glisten like diamonds during the day while at night the building transforms into a glowing beacon in the Table Bay harbour. The Silo Hotel is a celebration of art, style, architecture and design. A tribute to timeless glamour and contemporary luxury offering the highest levels of personalised service synonymous with The Royal Portfolio.
Cape Heritage Hotel
Contemporary chic meets gracious history at the Cape Heritage Hotel. Situated in Cape Town’s fashionable Heritage Square, this intimate boutique hotel offers access to the city’s vibrant street life, business precinct, shopping and restaurants. The Cape Heritage hotel is an integral part of the restored Heritage Square, which dates back to the 18th Century. Our central courtyard is shaded by South Africa’s oldest known fruit-bearing grapevine, a calm oasis from which to explore the Mother City.
Pod
A cocoon-like ambience envelops the Pod’s guests in a warm embrace of tranquillity and luxury. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, a weekend breakaway or a longer stay, the Pod is completely in tune with the needs of our guests. They believe in striking the perfect balance between relaxation and refinement. The luxury and privacy offered at POD is unrivalled. The intimate nature of this boutique hotel expresses their to making your stay nothing short of remarkable.
WHAT TO SEE IN CAPE TOWN
The Zeitz MOCAA
Though many visitors to Cape Town come for the breath-taking nature, there’s no shortage of great art and design. The most buzzworthy, of course, is the Zeitz MOCAA , which, is the first major museum dedicated to contemporary African art. Spread over nine floors carved out of a grain silo by Thomas Heatherwick, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is a public not-for-profit contemporary art museum which collects, preserves, researches, and exhibits twenty-first-century art from Africa and its Diaspora.
The Zeitz MOCAA hosts international exhibitions; develops supporting educational and enrichment programmes; encourages intercultural understanding; and guarantees access for all. Over one hundred galleries, spread over nine floors, are dedicated to a large cutting edge permanent collection; temporary exhibitions; and Centres for Art Education, Curatorial Excellence, Performative Practice, Photography, the Moving Image, and the Costume Institute.
Southern Guild
Since being founded in 2008 as the sole gallery representing locally made limited-edition design, Southern Guild has birthed a new category for artists and designers in South Africa. In 2011 it became the first African gallery to present at Design Miami, and in 2015 it was the first to be featured at Christie’s London’s annual design auction.
Southern Guild has spearheaded the high-end design category in Africa, propelling its artist-designers to make spirited, challenging and complex work. Its highly curated exhibitions have redefined global perceptions of African design and escalated its value on the international market.
WHERE TO SHOP IN CAPE TOWN
THE WATERSHED
The Watershed is a beautiful and vibrant space where over 150 tenants offer more than 365 brands to visitors. These include ceramics, textiles, furniture, fashion and jewellery. Many of the traders sell unique products and arts and crafts. Exhibitions, live entertainment and workshops are also hosted here. The Watershed is located on Dock Road, next to the Two Oceans Aquarium and is open daily from 10h00 – 19h00.
SKINNY LAMINX
Heather Moore’s simple, clean pattern designs and unusual colour palette are inspired by everyday things, her love of midcentury style and a dose of African chic. In 2007 she started screenprinting her patterns onto fabric, just for fun. Next thing, her hobby had become a business called Skinny laMinx, and the things she’d designed could be found in stores & homes around the globe. But of course, there’s a bit more to the story than that.
WHERE TO EAT IN CAPE TOWN
THE SHORTMARKET CLUB
For lunch, We will start you off with perfect West Coast oysters with Asian accompaniments or beef carpaccio with a miso-cured egg yolk, Randles enthuses. The Shortmarket Club is the type of place where we want people to linger, have fun; where lunch turns into drinks at the bar, or an after-work get-together turns into a languid dinner.
MULBERRY AND PRINCE
Mulberry and Prince’s aesthetic speaks for itself. Born from the eclectic and good taste of two travelers, the talent of Adri van Zyl and the art of incredible local artisti Kurt Pio. Visit once and you will want to go back all the time, drawn by the incredible food, the millennial pink, the stylish marble and the diamonds.
