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HOMEFRONT OCTOBER 2016 WWW.BDLIVE.CO.ZA WWW.BUSINESSLIVE.CO.ZA 813 OCTOBER 2021
MUST-READ
App-solutely cool property tech PAGE 4
A mixed-use first in Cape Town PAGE 5
World-class luxury Hooked on sculpture
Steyn City brings another designer-lifestyle innovation to life with the launch of its City Centre
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HOMEFRONT 13 OCTOBER 2016 WWW.BDLIVE.CO.ZA
FOCUS ON: CITY CENTRE AT STEYN CITY ADVERTORIAL
Luxury village lifestyle Rated by New World Wealth as one of the world’s top 10 lifestyle estates for 2021, Steyn City is again challenging conventional ideas around apartment living with its flagship City Centre development WORDS AND PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
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teyn City is renowned for its ground-breaking approach to lifestyle and with the opening of sales of its City Centre on October 11, prospective homeowners can look forward to another one of the developer’ designerlifestyle innovations. A luxury apartment development consisting of more than 700 homes, from one-bedroom apartments to penthouse suites and priced from R2.3m to R35m, City Centre also offers residents a charming “old town” community lifestyle.
OLD-WORLD CHARM Instead of a traditional apartment block, City Centre consists of a number of small villages situated on an incline and grouped around delightful tree-lined piazzas where residents can meet and get to know each other, fostering a sense of community. Steyn City Properties CEO Giuseppe Plumari says inspiration was drawn from the aesthetic of the world’s most exciting “old towns” set against the backdrop of buildings that have evolved slowly over hundreds of years and many generations, and where people were centric, not cars and trucks.
CREATING CONNECTIONS
BEST ADDRESS
City Centre, with all its interleading piazzas, will emanate the same sense of dynamism and bustle as these inspiring “old towns”, inviting old-fashioned community connections in a luxury setting. As with every other Steyn City offering, the City Centre’s infrastructure is already in place, making it easy for potential investors to see exactly what they are buying into. This includes cutting edge biometric security measures, as well as facilities like rooftop pools and basement parking for 2,000 cars.
With 2,000 acres of parkland as its back garden, Steyn City offers outstanding security features and an array of world-class facilities including golf, horse riding, tennis, restaurants, play nodes, an indoor aquatic centre, a 50km cycling track, a 45km floodlit promenade for running and walking, and a recently opened 300m lagoon with beach-style facilities. It also has a helistop – a first for residential developments in SA, which reconfirms Steyn City’s reputation as a most sought-after address in the world of luxury estate living.
GET IN TOUCH People interested in making their home at this one-of-a-kind development are invited to experience our six show apartments and two penthouses at City Centre. To book an exclusive viewing visit www.steyncity.co.za or contact 010 597 1170 or email ccsales@citycentre.co.za.
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PRODUCED BY ARENA PROPERTY PUBLISHING
EDITORIAL TEAM Editor: Atlehang Ramathesele Designer: Samantha Durand
Copy Editor: Debbie Loots Production: Lucea Goosen
PUBLICATION ADVERTISING SALES Chantelle Balsdon
chantelle@augmentcreative.com
084 061 7888
R E S E RV E D PA R K I N G F O R YO U R CARS, HORSES AND CHOPPER. Secure luxury apartment living.
At City Centre, you’ll find everything you need to make every day extraordinary. Play a round of golf on a course designed by one of the world’s greatest golfers. Take the horses out for a ride to explore the breathtaking scenery. Or if you’d rather go out for the day, enjoy a coffee in our Ultimate Helistop’s executive lounge while your pilot brings the chopper around. This is City Centre, the apex of secure, luxury apartment living.
TBWA\HUNT\LASCARIS 930885
Apartments from R2.3m up to R35m. Visit www.steyncity.co.za to book your exclusive viewing.
HOMEFRONT
AirBnB app
TRENDS
Property at your fingertips We look at five property-related apps to download right now WORDS: FRED FELTON :: PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
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f you want to stay ahead of the real estate game in all of its facets, downloading the right apps is essential – they have innovative tools to help you with just about anything regarding property. Here are our five favourites.
NEDBANK MONEY Apart from the usual range of features, such as banking and payment options, on this app you can also apply for a pre-approved home loan through its Home-Buying Toolkit. Other services include three free reports with information on the value of properties, and prices of residential real estate in the various suburbs. Moreover, Nedbank Money also has a chatbot assistant named Enbi to help you with any other queries you may have. “Nedbank has long recognised that we have a responsibility to be more to our clients than just a bank,’’ says Nedbank Retail and Business Banking executive Stelios Vakis.
AIRBNB This well-known app is essential for landlords who want to supplement their income, like owners of bed & breakfast establishments, and need a portal to connect with prospective local and international guests. According to their website, Airbnb was founded in San Francisco in 2007 and since then more than 4-million hosts have welcomed about 900-million guests into their homes. Hosts also have the opportunity to
Avo Super app by Nedbank
GUMTREE If you are looking for an app to simplify all your property needs – this is it. You can browse nearly 1-million adverts on Gumtree and its instant messaging option allows you to chat to prospective buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords and service agents. You can also easily upload images of your
property, whether you are selling or renting, and it has a handy search function to find properties in your area. Since it launched in 2005, Gumtree has helped millions of people buy and sell all kinds of items. Another useful function is their free keyword tool, which helps to make an advert more noticeable. Some of the most popular property keywords are: “pet friendly”, “rooms for rent” and “flat to rent”. Buying online, for the
most part, is safe. Just take note of these tips provided by Gumtree: • Use your common sense when doing transactions. • Be careful of scams. • It is best to do your transactions face-to-face, especially where money is involved. • Negotiate any deals in a safe and public place. • Avoid doing transactions that seem suspicious. • Never reveal your personal information. • Always report any suspicious activity.
PRIVATE PROPERTY Private Property is one of the most popular apps in SA and lists properties for sale and to rent by developers, banks, private owners and real estate agents, all across SA. Instant notifications of the latest properties are also available on the app. Other features include: filters, such as pet-friendly properties, an option to share your property finds with friends, family or other investors, and a monthly bond repayment calculator. You can even search for properties in your specific price range. Also, if you are looking for a bargain, Private Property lists a wide variety of repossessed properties accompanied by quality images or videos. ‘’Better management of your money and/or property is at the heart of these apps,’’ says Nazareen Ebrahim, CEO of Naz Consulting International.
AVO BY NEDBANK Another useful option is the e-commerce app Avo by Nedbank, which allows you to purchase groceries, electricity, airtime and data, and even order takeaways. It also offers deals on buying appliances, electronics and home décor items. And, if you need a verified home service provider to do work around your home, look no further! There are even holiday travel packages on offer via its digital mall.
customise a variety of unique local experiences for their visitors from around the world.
Nedbank app
Download any of these apps free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
FOCUS ON: PINEWORX ADVERTORIAL
Making history
Rabie’s new mixed-use apartment block will be the first of its kind to be developed in Pinelands, Cape Town in 25 years WORDS AND PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
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or the first time in 25 years, Pinelands in Cape Town will become home to a modern mixed-use apartment block, PineworX. The erf where the development will be built has been empty for years. It first belonged to the City of Cape Town, then it changed hands a couple of times before Rabie bought it a few years ago.
NEW LIFE With an edgy slant to its architecture, PineworX will add a fresh and youthful energy to this quiet suburb. Its apartments are suitable for a diverse range of occupants – from those first entering the property market to people scaling
down to enjoy a more manageable living space. Due to its central location, PineworX is perfect for those working from home as it is close to commercial services. “It’s an exciting and groundbreaking first development for us in Pinelands,” says Rabie director Miguel Rodrigues. “As such, we are partnering with a stellar team of agents who are taking PineworX to market. Seeff has been a predominant estate agency in Pinelands for the past 47 years, and we could not think of anyone more suitable than Johan Meyer and his team to launch this scheme with us.”
IT’S ALL ABOUT DESIGN PineworX consists of five
GET IN TOUCH To reserve your apartment, contact Julie on 083 288 8481 or julie.meyer@seeff.com Kathy on 083 987 7673 or kathy.anderson@seeff.com For more information, visit the website pineworx.capetown
floors, with a commercial component on the ground floor, apartments from floors one to four and a communal roof terrace. The design of the building is similar to a Europeanstyle perimeter block that provides both street character and privacy. Being at the forefront of a new wave of development in Pinelands requires a building that is impressive enough to introduce a new kind of lifestyle to the neighbourhood.
TEAM EFFORT Johan and Lorraine Meyer of Seeff Pinelands look forward to a landmark partnership with Rabie. “We’re delighted to be part of this dynamic new development, and the
few teasers we released since August have garnered quite a lot of interest already,” says Johan Meyer. “My team and I are passionate about Pinelands, and we’re honoured to be launching PineworX in our hometown.” Purchasers can choose from a studio, onebedroom or two-bedroom apartment. Secure open and undercover parking
is available behind boomed access control. Available from R845,000 for a studio apartment, PineworX will have 94 apartments that are optimally designed to make the best use of space and light.
SO SMART “PineworX will be the second of our smartenabled developments,” says Rodrigues. “Some of
these initiatives include electricity and water consumption measured by smart meters, fibreto-the-home in every apartment and a lobby and parking area with electronic access control.” In terms of finishes, all apartments have vinyl flooring as standard, tiled bathrooms and fitted kitchens with a SMEG hob, oven and extractor fan. Studios
will have microwaves instead of ovens. The kitchens will all have engineered stone tops. The apartments can be personalised easily, and the offered quality finishes are a great backdrop to interior styling. Purchasers will be able to select from an architect’s selection of finishes. PineworX will be completed in 2023 and is available for sale now.
HOMEFRONT ART AND DESIGN
Art cultured
Part of Nandipha Mntambo’s new solo exhibition Agoodjie
Whether as part of home decor or as in gallery exhibitions, eye-catching sculptures are popping up everywhere, providing as much visual inspiration as debate WORDS: NICKY OBEL AND STAFF REPORTER :: PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
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one are the days when imposing sculptures could only be admired in museums or in the exclusive spaces of art collectors. Today, sculptures and large installation artworks can easily be incorporated in our homes and gardens – both as valuable investment pieces and as part of our spaces’ interior decor. Although many of us may be familiar with showcasing art on our walls, sculpture is fast becoming a popular medium to display. No matter its
shape or size, the imposing three-dimensionality of a sculpture will make a bold statement in any interior or exterior home space.
ART IN THE HOME Gina Mollé, chief curator at the Everard Read gallery in Johannesburg, agrees art in general has the ability to greatly add to the look and feel of a home, and sculptural works are no exception. She says using sculpture as an interior design element adds texture and variety to a house’s spaces and also serves as an interesting talking point
Guy du Toit’s Hare Holding Glass (Wine)
when entertaining guests. Also, don’t worry if you covet a specific sculpture for your home but it happens to be in another country. Just follow the example of committed art collectors who don’t allow distance to stop them in their quest to acquire specific works. “Collectors either ship or air freight their favourite pieces all over the world,” says Mollé. “Larger installations are cast together piece by piece as directed by the landscape gardener, interior designer or architect, but always according to the artist’s vision.”
ART IN THE GARDEN Speaking of landscapers, while sculptural works can enhance your home’s interior and garden, there is another type of sculpture that is naturally striking – sought-after trees, like the cycad. Often called “trophy trees”, they are valuable enough to even need special insurance cover, not unlike man-made sculptures.
ART IN THE GALLERY However, if you are ready to get out of the house and into a gallery space to enjoy thought-provoking art, the Everard Read gallery in Johannesburg is the place
to go. Renowned artist and sculptor Nandipha Mntambo’s new solo exhibition Agoodjie opened this month. Known for her figurative cowhide works, Mntambo’s art practice addresses ongoing debates around traditional gender roles, body politics and identity. “All the works I have made to date centered on the themes of metamorphoses, memory, life and death,” she says. Agoodjie is no exception. Meaning both “backbone” and “the one who comes from behind”, she says of Agoodjie: “On the border of
Angus Taylor’s Conduit series: Sit (Red Jasper)
Beezy Bailey’s Fallen Angel myth and reality – the story of the Agoodjie is the same. This army of women was both feared and celebrated, and how their story has been simultaneously deleted and mythologised form the building blocks of this exhibition.” Agoodjie is on show until November 6.
Deborah Bell’s The Sentinels I -XIII