Turn up the heat
Dishing up our directory of the brands bringing you warmth (in both degrees and mentality) this winter.
You’ll be feeling the chill no matter where you are in South Africa at the moment. Whether that means a mild dip in temperature (we see you, Durban) or the bone-rattling cold and dry of Joburg’s winter climate, we’ve got you covered with a countrywide roundup of the top suppliers in wintry warmth. Our selection includes brands who specialise in rugs, throws, candles, scatters, lighting and everything else that has the potential to bring an element of cosiness to your interior.
THE BEDROOM SHOP
What: stockists of local and international bedding and bedroom accessories.
Loved for: their one-stop online shop with nationwide delivery.
Down duvets, chenille throws, microfibre bathrobes…how’s that for a song of seduction to sufferers of the cold? We mentioned The Bedroom Shop previously for their prowess in the kids’ sector, but they do big people’s bedrooms just as well. The local company who stocks a wide range of bed linen, inners, throws, towels, accessories and even bedroom furniture is the SA stockist of the much-loved Australian brand Linen House.
The Bedroom Shop’s Royal Comfort Hungarian Down Duvet Inner in summer, winter or all-seasons weight sounds about right for a supreme night’s sleep. We’re also eyeing out their Lyndon Duvet Cover Set with its oversized check pattern in tufted ivory cotton. Their Elka Basics range also speaks to us for its wide selection of separates (sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases) in a 500-thread count bamboo and cotton sateen mix with a luxuriously silky soft handle.
www.thebedroomshoponline.co.za
SHF HOME
What: luxury handcrafted furniture for the living room
Loved for: its status as a one-stop interior shop for the design-savvy.
Launched over two decades ago, SHF Home has answered the call for stylish, handcrafted furniture and homeware that suits the gamut of interiors styles, from ethnic to urban. What they’ve done is create a destination for everything from sofas to scatters, all of it expertly styled in one place. In fact, so diverse is their offering that we’ve featured them twice in our shortlist!
With around 75 sofas currently on offer, it’s safe to say that SHF Home has one that’ll speak to you. Our pick of the bunch though is their Kingston 3 division Sofa in either fabric or leather; it has a classic chesterfield feel with updated lines. Add to that one of their plush feather inner scatters, some brass and gold details for glamour and one of their rugs (we’re crushing on the Blizzard Daybreak Rug for its contemporary Beni Ourain vibes) and what you have, my friends, is a lounge you’ll be hard pressed to leave.
HAUS
What: considered homeware
Loved for: the sense of low-key luxe they’ve brought to everyday items.
Ever since textile company Hertex launched Haus, we’ve been treated to a keenly curated, hand picked selection of homeware and accessories that makes the grade every time. Founded on the principle that home should rank as the most inspiring place to be, Haus’ now vast selection of home goods spans rugs, bed and bath, scatters, tableware, lighting, furniture and smalls.
Their Koala Rugs are our idea of heaven underfoot and top the charts for wintry warmth thanks to their silky soft, super plush Tencel composition. Meanwhile, their stonewashed Belgian Throws and plush Rib Cord Towels will both add a dose of texture to quotidian pursuits. And their Nouvelle Napery, in a soft stonewashed linen-cotton blend, would be our pick for a tablescape with subtle sophistication. We should add that the colour palette for all of these ranges is an earthy, muted mix of ochres, army greens, milky whites and neutrals that’ll introduce calm and comfort to the scene.
AMANDA-JAYNE
What: home fragrance products including candles, reed diffusers, home fragrances, essential oils, sanitisers and body products.
Loved for: their use of all-natural ingredients.
This is a brand we can easily recommend you check out as it’s a personal favourite of ours and embraces many of the pillars that we at Lifestyling.co.za promote. That means their products are made by hand in small batches, using 100% natural ingredients, sans the artificial stuff. Amanda’s candles, for example, are hand poured in an indulgent 100% soy wax, and are scented using a blend of pure essential oils. Careful scent combinations produce blends like the earthy yet spicy Ionian Dusk or this season’s favourite: Winter Rose.
Those battling extra dry conditions right now will love her body lotions. Backed by wholesome ingredients like jojoba and coconut oil the scents include Night Bloom and Greenhouse. Amanda Jayne’s products are as good to look at as they are to use. Fans of clean typesetting and classic profiles will appreciate her keen eye for design detail.
SIMPLY COLOUR
What: an exciting new low VOC paint brand
Loved for: its curated offering of enduring colours
This new entry is quickly turning the paint landscape on its head. Simplifying the business of paint selection, this woman-founded brand brings customers a plug and play selection of only the most popular shades. There are 48 of them, according to Simply Colour’s founder Megan Shave and her team (enter: the colour psychologist, trend expert and interior decorator) including a sharply curated palette from blues and greys to greens, neutrals and more which can be chosen by colour field or by mood. Cosy, for example, would be our pick for winter with hues like Sage Green, Terracotta Brown and Burnt Orange in the offering.
They boast a heap of innovations too: peel and stick paint swatches forgo the arduous tester pot, low to no VOC emissions mean a clean, green job and an online shop that means business, think paint, brushes, drop sheets, trays and the gang all shoppable at the click of a button, no more queuing with the building contractors at your nearest hardware.
LE CREUSET
What: heritage French cookware.
Loved for: its quintessential cast iron cookware and extensive colours.
We challenge you to find a word that speaks to winter as definitively as “casserole” and when we think casserole, we think Le Creuset. The go-to on just about everyone’s wedding registry and a perennial favourite since 1925, Le Creuset has found its way into the kitchens of most cooks and chefs the world over.
One of the brand’s originals – the enamelled cast iron Signature Round Casserole – is still a top seller, but the brand has kept up with the times by adding new materials (think stoneware, silicone and stainless steel) and a vast array of new colours to the collection – their colour range being one of their top selling points. We’re particularly loving their latest soulful green colour entitled Artichaut. The array of products today has also expanded to include such items as glassware, kettles, cookbooks, textiles, knives and a whole lot more.
SOMETHING GOOD STUDIO
What: a local luxury textile design studio.
Loved for: their strong focus on local collabs and conscious production.
Stand-out textile pieces for life – that’s the promise of Something Good Studio. As a brand who’ve championed high quality, local, community production, creative collaboration and products with a purpose they really align with our own values of conscious consumerism. Founder Zydia Botes has collabed with a slew of prominent talents the likes of Sarah Grace, Tara Deacon, Ben Eagle, Lulama Wolf to produce her collection of luxury blankets, throws, rugs and wall hangings.
Speaking of Lulama Wolf, the brand’s latest collab with this visual artist has produced a mohair rug called Coalition with a strong graphic identity rooted in the notion of unity and peace among humanity. This handwoven rug is made up of 100% mohair sustainably sourced from local farmers and features an abstract graphic that would fit into most interior spaces.
THE BEDROOM SHOP
What: stockists of local and international bedding and bedroom accessories.
Loved for: their one-stop online shop with nationwide delivery.
Down duvets, chenille throws, microfibre bathrobes…how’s that for a song of seduction to sufferers of the cold? We mentioned The Bedroom Shop previously for their prowess in the kids’ sector, but they do big people’s bedrooms just as well. The local company who stocks a wide range of bed linen, inners, throws, towels, accessories and even bedroom furniture is the SA stockist of the much-loved Australian brand Linen House.
The Bedroom Shop’s Royal Comfort Hungarian Down Duvet Inner in summer, winter or all-seasons weight sounds about right for a supreme night’s sleep. We’re also eyeing out their Lyndon Duvet Cover Set with its oversized check pattern in tufted ivory cotton. Their Elka Basics range also speaks to us for its wide selection of separates (sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases) in a 500-thread count bamboo and cotton sateen mix with a luxuriously silky soft handle.
www.thebedroomshoponline.co.za
SHF HOME
What: the bedroom as a winter bolthole
Loved for: its status as a one-stop interior shop for the design-savvy.
Backed by their experience in the restoration trade, SHF Home produces more than 80% of its products right here in SA…if you’ve been to one of their warehouse-sized galleries (what SHF aptly calls their stores) you’ll know that the value of that stat is nothing to sneeze at.
Sleeping in over the weekend is one of life’s most delicious indulgences and the colder months only call for more of this pleasure. So why not create your own private sanctuary? SHF’s wide selection of bedroom ranges caters for just this. Our suggestion would be to explore the dark side through the rich wood tones in their engineered oak Colony Bed, their suitably named Panther Fur Throw or their brass lighting. These are the tones and textures that spell warmth.
We’re also looking forward to the opening of their new Cape Town store, so keep your eyes on their feed for more about that.
