Durban love: Freedom Cafe

On my last day on the job with Portfolio, I was treated to Lunch at Freedom Cafe.  After having read a great deal about it, I was super excited to finally go see the creative genius Neil Roake's brainchild. 

This lovely restaurant is housed by two shipping containers, and the layout and handling of the minimal space is nothing short of impressive - a big high five to Egg Designs there.  Attention has been paid to every detail, every corner and ever letter within the space - from the continued sausage dog motif's (including the biscuits that come with the cappuccino's) to the mirror appliqué's to the merchandise labeling and the lace detailing in the fences.

Be someone different, depending on where you sit...

So sweet.

The service was friendly and the food was great - I had the Freedom Burger Trio, which included a falafel burger with tzatziki and feta, a coriander and chili beef burger and onion marmalade, and a lime chicken burger and avo salsa.  It was delicious.  (Download their menu from their website and you'll see what I mean - you'll be smacking your lips in no time.)

Nomnomnom...

Make a turn - you can find them at 37-43 St Mary’s Avenue, Greyville.

Here are some great pics from their website - so happy and shiny, like Niel's cook book:

Do it.  It will make you smile.

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Kid in a candy store...

There's nothing quite so exciting for a design student as being taken into a fabric house showroom for the first time for a project.  Not open to the general public, these showrooms are magical places filled wall to wall with glittering fabrics and wallpapers - the employees flit among the shelves and hangers like knowledgeable butterflies, offering café style cappuccino's to glossy industry folk.  They feel like the department stores on Sex in the City, only with fabrics instead of clothes.  They feel like rooms filled endless possibilities.  There's no knowing what amazing things will happen from there on.

This was how I felt on stepping into the Home Fabrics showroom in Morningside.

There were so many beautiful textiles - I can't wait to get back there to launch back into the design industry.  Here are some of my favourites:

Adorable embossed wallpaper

So sweet

My new favourite fabric.

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Mermaid hair...

I finally got round to posting about the D.I.Y pink hair...  After raving about it previously, I actually got round to doing it for real. 

Thanks to some blogger instruction and armed with the most violently pink conditioner I've ever seen, I got started.

 

If I had to imagine with Flubber would feel like, this would be it.

I found it easiest to separate me hair into sections and apply the conditioner.  I'm a bit chicken, so I only did the tips of my hair. 

After ten minutes I rinsed, blow dried, and admired.  Happy face.

I feel like a mermaid.

Playing around with my candy floss hair...

DIY addition number two, to Number Eight on The List.

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Life and times of a working girl...

In the legitimate way, of course...

I was fortunate enough to become involved with a wonderful designer during my time in Durban - she became a wonderful mentor, and I'm truly grateful to have connected with her.  I feel that we share the same aesthetic, and are very much on the same wavelength, which is a fantastic way for me to grow into the designer I hope to be.  Finding someone to look up to is so valuable and allows a person to really move in the right direction.  I hope to continue our relationship in future.

I have gotten fairly involved with her blog, so while I haven't been writing here, I have at least been writing there.  To have a peek, go here.  I'm responsible for the Design Series, Decor How-To and the industry interviews - go me!  The whole blog is a very interesting read regarding all things design and decor, and will hopefully grow to be something very exciting.

Cheers to continued relationships...

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Durban snapshots...

My time at home was lovely - when my family moved from Jo'burg to Durban I was so upset, but the longer I live there, the happier I am to call it home.  The weather, the humidity, everything.  I love being able to knock off work and head to the beach.

I wondered around taking photo's of things that made me smile, and reminded me of just how much I love it there:

Promenade

Mini Town

I firmly believe this is THE most beautiful stadium

After work walks on the beach

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I'm back!

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After a solid hiatus, I have returned with full blogging force.  I had a wonderful time at home, but wasn't able to access a comfortable blogging environment.  Plus my internship kept me busy (more on that later) and then I was thrust back into school work on my return to Snor City.  

Now that my excuses and my holiday days have come to an end, I can jump back - there has been a lot of planning! So now I can hopefully treat my readers with some meaty posts.

Planning...

Good to be back!

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Homeward bound...

What a hectic week.  I have a bumper crop of posts planned for the weekend to make up for my absense this week, but today is dedicated to one thing, and one thing only - going home.

I wish I could describe how homesick I get during term time.  Today I get to go home for my holidays, and for the first time in years I get to spend my mothers birthday with her.  For the first time during my long distance relationship, I actually get to spend an anniversary with my person.  I get to hug my dogs, breathe in the Natal humidy, and see my brother fully functioning for the first time since his major back operation earlier this year.  I am unimaginably excited - I feel like a different person at home.  All the unhappines and stress experienced in a city that I really don't enjoy too much (sorry Pretoria) literally gets washed away as I head back home, to the rainy Midlands.

Have a great Friday everyone.

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List update...Books, part one.

I promised myself to find some time to fit in some reading this year.  Literature is really my first love, (I'm such a nerd) and I would spend all my time drowning in books.  I decided to limit myself to one book a month, so that I don't get swallowed up and lose all grip on reality.  Here is what's kept me busy so far:

1, 2 and 3.  The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins.  I'm cringing a little.  Not too sure that I can quite classify it as "literature," but it was gripping and a fun, quick read.  Totally addictive, and totally predictable.  Luckily, there was a bit more character depth than the last Tween Novel wave (*cough* Twilight. I hate thinking that I got sucked into a high school romance about vampires, especially one that has the character depth and development of an overflowing shower.). 

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4.  I, Lucifer, by Glen Duncan.  It's all about Lucifer telling his side of the story, and receiving a chance to go back to Heaven, should he be able to competently complete a month on Earth as a decent human being .  He's this smooth talking playboy type - think Chuck Bass. (Only more of an asshole.)  I enjoyed it; it was funny and tongue in cheek, and just cheeky in general.  My only issue is that I felt that Mr Duncan was a little overzealous with his Word Thesaurus function - kind of like the smart kid at school that uses really big words that nobody understands to show off.  Reading was kind of a double process that had to be undertaken with a dictionary nearby.

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5.  Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts.  This novel is excellent, beautifully written and took me FOREVER to finish.  Written about the authors life on the run in Bombay, it fills me with wanderlust.  It's about life in the underbelly of Bombay, filled with fights, drugs, smuggling and the odd love story.  Naturally.  I highly recommend reading it, but it takes some focus.  Maybe that was just me.

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6.  The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.  Narrated by Death, "It's a small story, about: a girl, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery."  I loved this book - I thought it was interesting and thought provoking.  A little slow on the get go, but I enjoyed it regardless.

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7.  The novel I'm currently busy with is The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.  I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I'm only reading it now, but rather late than never, after all.  Wish me luck...

So far so good on the reading list front.  My birthday is starting to loom on the horizon, and the deadline for my list with it.  I've made pretty good progress with it so far - more posts to follow!

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An interesting gadget...

This is quite a cool toy - I really enjoy the overall effect.  I could see a whole wall of these portraits looking amazing.

Blind Self Portrait from Kyle McDonald on Vimeo.

P.S. Who knows how to embed Vimeo video clips so that they're centred?

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Artist love...

The artist that I'm loving this week is Jonny Shaw - as someone who is a black and white still life/portrait enthusiast, I absolutely adore his work.  I love the contrast between his highly detailed work, and the blank white negative space.  I'm thinking to use a similar idea in my potential future work.

 

 

I love the quirky expressions.

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Illustration love...

Monday's illustration love goes out to Caitlin Shearer - Her work is so playful and girlie, and I am completely jealous of her.

 

This one is my favourite.

 

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Song of the day...

I have always loved this song, and I was reminded of my love for it while watching an old episode of 90210.  I find it so beautiful.

Can you slow dance to this song?

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Movie excitement...

I'm such a literature nerd, so I'm very excited to see this movie:

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Sale!

I received an email last night notifying me that my beloved Kate Spade is having a Mega Sale.  I've made it quite clear in previous posts that I am besotted with Kate Spade, and so I did some drooling over the sale pages.  

My favourite Kate Spade items tend to be the accessories.  I am completely in love with their idiom bracelets, and want them all.  Their printed tshirts are adorable as well.  Here are a few of my sale favourites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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