Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts

THE ULTIMATE RES ROOM CHECKLIST

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Apart from lecture halls, libraries and clubs, your res room is the place you’ll end up spending much of your time, so make it somewhere you really want to be with these small tweaks that won't break your student budget.  
Written by: Emma Follet-Botha
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DOUBLE UP ON BEDDING

Make laundry days easier by investing in two sets of bedding, so you can still enjoy a neatly made-up bed while the one set of linen is in the wash. A padded comforter and plush throw also do a great job when it comes to last-minute sleeping arrangements!

BE BOLD WITH SCATTER CUSHIONS

Scatter cushions, which have a great way of brightening up an otherwise dull space, are also super easy on the pocket. Choose ones that complement your duvet design or fit in with the dominant colour scheme of your room. Since you probably won’t be able to paint your walls, this is an area you are free to experiment with, so don’t hold back.
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MAKE USE OF STOOLS & OTTOMANS

Your res room doubles as your bedroom and study, but it's also a space you’ll want to host friends in. A small stool or ottoman in the corner of the room not only adds to the overall aesthetic but serves as additional seating when you have guests over.

WARM UP YOUR ROOM WITH RUGS

Res rooms have a nasty habit of coming across as cold and clinical. Create some warmth – both visually and practically speaking – by laying down a small rug near your bed. Opt for one with a graphic design to really modernise the space. 

SAVE SPACE WITH STORAGE BOXES

Avoid cluttering your space by stowing away old assignments, notes and any odds and ends you’ll undoubtedly accumulate in stylish storage boxes. Stack them on top of each other to save even more space.

SIZE UP A GOOD SIDETABLE

A sidetable, aside from being the perfect place to keep your books and night light, also lends itself to a little accessorising – think picture frames and scented candles or diffusers. A metal sidetable is not only on trend but is also easy to clean. 


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ADD FLAIR WITH FRAMES

Framed pictures are a great reminder of your family and friends who may be living far away – and they're more affordable than professional artwork, but just as impactful. Prop up a few frames of different sizes against the wall on your shelf – no extra drilling necessary – and keep your most treasured picture on your bedside table. 

CREATE AMBIENCE WITH CANDLES & DIFFUSERS

When you’re burning the midnight oil, scented candles can provide just the right kind of ambience needed for a long night of studying – they're also necessary for when loadshedding hits! To really make your space inviting, position a scented diffuser near your door for maximum olfactory pleasure every time you enter your room.

PERSONALISE YOUR SPACE

Now that you’ve got the basics down, you’re free to decorate your room with whatever feels most “you”. Pot plants, pin boards, stationery holders are just some of the ways you can personalise your space even more.




Fashion editor: Rushana Burton. Fashion Assistant: Primrose Skolo. Stills Photography: André Wepener.

All items subject to availability. Prices may change.

The smoothies these local foodies swear by

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It’s a new year, so what better time for a health reboot. Power up your mornings with one of these super smoothies from local foodies and wellness experts.

PURE POWER CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE BY LISA RALEIGH

Serves 1 | Ready in 5 minutes
'This is one of my favourite smoothie recipes because it’s packed with all the healthy stuff, yet it tastes absolutely decadent. You won’t believe you can have it on a detox or a cleanse! It’s also rich in fibre and additional probiotics, thanks to my Super Scoop, an organic plant-based drink mix, which makes it a healthy, filling breakfast on the go.'

Ingredients:
1 heaped tablespoon pumpkin / sunflower seeds
1 heaped tablespoon goji berries
1 teaspoon raw cacao
2 tablespoons pea protein powder
1 scoop Super Scoop Raw Cacao or Very Berry flavour
½ frozen banana or regular banana
A few blocks of ice
1 cup coconut water (no additives; you can also find coconut water in the bottom of coconut milk or cream tins when the cans have sat and not been shaken)
Sugar replacement (recommended: xylitol syrup)

Method:
Pop all ingredients into a blender and blitz, until you have achieved the desired consistency.

This recipe is from Lisa’s Elimin8 Cleanse programme. For more click here and follow Lisa on Instagram @lisaraleigh.


Raspberry Smoothie Bowl by Lebo and Tebo Ndala

Serves 2
'This is a super healthy, vegan-friendly recipe that really fills you up. We love smoothie bowls as they are great energy boosters.'

Ingredients:
½ banana, frozen
1 cup strawberries, frozen
1 kiwi
1 cup mango, frozen
½ cup mixed berries, frozen
2 1/2 cups coconut water

Topping:

Fresh strawberries
Halved
 mangoes
Sliced
 kiwis

Method:
Put all the ingredients together in a blender. Blend till smooth.

Divide into bowls and garnish with toppings.

For more recipes from the sisters visit withlovefromthetwins.com.


Mango, Lime & Coconut Lassi by The Delish Sisters

Serves 4 
'This is one of our favourite simple smoothie recipes, especially now while mango is in season. It’s cool and refreshing and makes a delicious tropical breakfast or summertime dessert.'

Ingredients:
500g fresh or frozen mango (if fresh, make sure that it’s nice and cold for the best Lassi)
3 tablespoons lime juice
tablespoons lime zest
1 lime cut into wedges
1½ tablespoons honey (or 2 tablespoons, dependent on how naturally sweet your mango is)
⅓ cup coconut milk
Optional: a small handful of ice

Method:
Place all of the ingredients into a blender or NutriBullet except 1 tablespoon lime zest, blend until thick and smooth.
Add the ice blocks and another squeeze of honey to taste and blitz one last time.
Pour the lassi mixture into glasses and garnish with the lime zest and some wedges of fresh lime, serve immediately. Delish!

This recipe is extracted from the Delish Sisters cook book Delish Sisters: Tasty Food Made With Love (available at Exclusive Books and Takealot.com). Follow them on Instagram @DelishSisters


For all the kitchen essentials you need to make the perfect breakfast smoothie, click below 

Exploring mixology and South Africa’s best cocktail bars

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We dive into a world of cocktails, secrete and exclusive speakeasies and the art of mixology in South Africa.
Trevor Crighton learns more about the world of cocktails, secret speakeasies and mixology. No longer ‘just a cocktail during cocktail hour’, the world of mixology has had a much-needed update and is far more respected than it once was.

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a terrible cocktail. Saccharine concoctions in lurid colours that invite headaches at a glance were once standard-issue at what passed for a ‘cocktail bar’, in most places in South Africa.

Thankfully, the cocktail revolution is upon us and has spread across the country. The venerable art of mixology has given the drinks some fine dining credentials, with smart application of flavours, taste-boosting techniques and presentation that adds sensory layers to the experience.

There are now secret speakeasies dotted around the country, often hidden behind unassuming facades and requiring more than a reservation to get into. Cocktails are about theatre, so it’s a joy that the dedicated bars that serve them are putting on a show – which often comes with live music and a sense of mystery. It’s a welcome change from a swirl of cheap, colourful ingredients in a mildly whimsical glass, topped with a tragic paper umbrella spiked into a piece of ageing fruit. Viva the cocktail revolution!

The Art of Duplicity (Cape Town)

The origins of the cocktail may be the subject of much debate, but the perfect place to drink one is simple – a smoky speakeasy. With just enough of a nod to Prohibition-era rule-breaking, the motif of the 1920’s speakeasy is making a comeback around the world – and Cape Town has its own example.

The Art of Duplicity is a hidden cocktail bar in the East of the CBD, accessible only via booking and a secret password which needs to be whispered through a slot in a nondescript door at the end of an alleyway. Once inside, the Roaring ‘20s unfold against a backdrop of live jazz, warm mood lighting and possibly the best cocktails in the country.

The drinks are the perfect blend of theatre and substance and the high concept menu is born of the mind of multi-awarded mixologist Brent Perremore, who often does duty behind the bar. Try the signature ‘Hillbilly Breakfast Flip’, with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Averna Amaro, Smoked Maple Syrup, Espresso and Free Range Egg. Want to blend the ultimate hangover cure with a killer drink to get you there? The Tennessee Well is comprised of Jack Daniels Single Barrel, Capertif, Fernet Branca and a creme soda reduction.

Location: A Secret

Saigon Suzy (Johannesburg)

It’s big, it’s bright, it’s loud and it has a karaoke bar upstairs. But do they make a mean cocktail? The answer, in Saigon Suzy’s case, is a resounding ‘yes’.

Part of the reinvigoration of the property on the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and Bolton Road in Rosebank, Saigon Suzy is an Asian BBQ and Rock 'n Roll Bar which celebrates the quick fix of Eastern street food. Decked out to resemble a pan-Asian back alley, complete with cobbled floors, Insta-famous neon signs and giant murals, Saigon Suzy is just on the right side of brash – but honestly and unpretentiously so.

There’s plenty of soul to be found – not least in the upstairs ‘No Tell Motel’ karaoke rooms, complete with dress-up boxes for impromptu styling. The food carefully treads the line between respectful replication of typical Asian street food and fusion flavours – and the cocktails have to be relatively hardy to stand up to the bite and spice. The ‘China Girl’ is a blend of Vanilla Vodka, Plum Liqueur, Cranberry Juice and Lime that sounds a lot tamer than it really is. Sip delicately, and then head upstairs to sing loudly!

Location: 144 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood


The Chairman (Durban)

It used to be really tricky to find a decent cocktail in Durban and surrounds, with most of the hotels which make up the beachfront strip focussing more on the stock-standard rainbow renditions than anything innovative. Fortunately, the cocktail revolution has arrived in KZN (on the back of an impressive craft beer boom) and there are now several great options where visitors can enjoy smart drinks in classy spaces.

The Chairman is a sophisticated jazz bar that has set out to bend some rules – starting with their location! Finding a home in previously less than salubrious Point, The Chairman is leading the charge to help regenerate its surroundings. The owners say they chose the worst possible building in the worst possible area of Point to make their… point – and it works. Housed in the same block as the legendary Smuggler’s Inn, The Chairman is home to some of the city’s best music – and best cocktails.

Sink back into a plush leather sofa, surrounded by a fusion of mid-century modern, Asian and Ethiopian décor and sip on the house special, ‘Surrender Your Booty’ – a mix of Bombay Sapphire Gin, Martini and Cointreau with Strong Ginger, Pineapple and Lemon Grass.

Location: 146 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Point

The Mixologist

Twenty-six-year-old Evert de Jong is an award-winning mixologist, having placed as a finalist at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 World Class competition as South Africa Regional Finalist. He also finished third, globally, in the 2017 Remy Martin Bartender Talent Academy competition.

He joined Molecular Bars in 2015 as a bartender and rapidly progressed through the ranks to become a director in 2017. He has consulted on mixology and bartending with venues including Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Fridays, Tashas, Tonic Lounge, Alice & Fifth, 54 on Bath, Tsogo Sun Hyde Park, The Course, MESH and many more. Follow him on Instagram @evertdj.

Here’s his recipe for a signature ‘Sunday Funday’ tipple:
• 50ml Jose Cuervo Traditional Plata
• 50ml granadilla juice
• 20ml fresh lemon juice
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Pinch of salt
• Top Sunday IPA

Garnish: Fennel flowers & wax flowers (any edible flowers)

Method: Build in glass or shake all ingredients excluding beer and then strain into glass with ice and top.

Want to dabble in the art of mixology?

There’s no better place to start than in your home. Get a variety of gorgeous cocktail glasses and start impressing your guests with your newly acquired skills.
Luigi cocktail glasses (set of 4) 449.95
Luigi martini glasses (set of 4) 599.95
Luigi Spanish & gin glasses (set of 4) 599.95

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