Cosy up to your AGA Fireplace this Winter

A warm fire is one of the great pleasures of Winter, and an AGA fireplace is the one you want to cosy up to. The iconic brand is synonymous with quality and innovation. For over 90 years AGA has remained at the forefront of engineering excellence. With timeless design features and excellent heat retention, an AGA fireplace the best money can buy.

The AGA range of fireplaces embodies the best AGA traditions and employs the very latest technology. It is an iconic centrepiece and has features which you don’t see, that makes all the difference. Such as the Active Airflow Technology that delivers the most efficient use of energy and protects the environment from harmful emissions. Fresh air is channelled below, around and about the fire box to create the optimum conditions for combustion. Any solid particles and gases produced are re-ignited and burnt off before they can enter the atmosphere. This process not only guarantees maximum heat output from your chosen fuel but also keeps the window clean and clear so that you can enjoy the ambience of the flames.

The AGA range includes a wide variety of styles to suit all tastes - from traditional to contemporary: 

Made from cast iron, traditional AGA fireplaces are not only beautiful to look at, but practical to run because cast iron is renowned for its heat retention properties. The heat stored while the fire is lit continues to be released into the room long after the embers have died away.

Made from high grade steel which allows for truly inspiring modern designs that will attract attention in any space.

The perfect blend of old and new, combining cutting-edge and traditional designs, AGA fireplaces are an investment for your home and a lifetime of warm winter nights.

For more information visit
Aga Living

The AGA range is available directly from AGA South Africa and a selection from Bergzichts Furnishers, Euro Appliances, Gas & Equipment, Metelerkamps, Melvill and Moon and Décor Fires.

More about AGA Living

Recognised as the world's best cooking appliance, the AGA oven commands a level of adulation more often associated with the glitz of Hollywood fame -- and generates similar devotion. It's deemed the number one luxury appliance brand and is revered as one of the top three design icons of the century. It's the kitchen centrepiece of Celebrities, Professional Chefs, Royalty and discerning Homeowners across the globe. AGA represents a lifestyle, one that owners embrace and share fervently with others.

De Hoop Collection - The Nature of Luxury

Tucked away behind the Potberg Mountains you’ll hardly believe this vast expanse of land with its captivating fauna and flora exists. Down in the valley De Hoop Nature Reserve beckons, experience the tranquillity of nature. 

Only three hours from Cape Town in the Overberg region, near the southernmost tip of Africa along the world renowned Garden and Whale Routes. It’s a destination favoured by hikers, cyclists and bird watchers the early winter and summer ideal for whale watching. Few other reserves offer as complete an outdoor experience as this. Sea, sand dunes, the vlei, a floral sensation of rare fynbos plants, diverse antelope and the Potberg Mountains. Nothing less than a three night stay will do.

Experience it best in the lap of luxury at the Melkkamer Manor house. Fully-catered 5-star service in a beautifully restored “Ostrich Palace” built from indigenous limestone. The perfect destination for discerning guests who seek the privacy of sole-use villa accommodation, comprising four magnificently appointed en-suite bedrooms. All meals are included and prepared in the manors kitchen by a private chef with butler service the ideal base for a tailor-made De Hoop experience complete with a private guide and transportation. Update (According to their website this feature is no longer available.)

With a very rich history, favoured by government officials as a well kept secret it only opened to the public many decades later. The Potberg Mountains are home to the only remaining breeding colony of the rare cape vulture. Hikers and cyclists have close-up encounters with bontebok, cape mountain zebra, eland, baboons and ostrich. The many terrestrial habitats support 86 mammal species, most notably the grey rhebuck, yellow mongoose, caracal and the occasional leopard. Famous for its variety of resident and migratory bird species more than 260 species have been recorded.

The Wetland Area 

Catch the morning sun while enjoying a delicious breakfast on the spacious veranda overlooking the cottages and wetland area called, the vlei, a Ramsar site and birders paradise. Observe wading birds on its shores while setting off on the vlei trail, workup and appetite and have lunch on the banks. 

If you skipped the cruise a chose the hike instead the perfect unwind awaits at the De Hoop Spa or take in an Art workshop for those artistically inclined. The Guided Eco Boat Trips provides a sunset cruise, paired with champagne, 

canapés, great company, and guides to both inform and test your wildlife knowledge.

The Coast 

The adjacent De Hoop Marine Protected Area extends three nautical miles (5 km) out to sea, one of the largest marine protected areas in Africa. Providing a sanctuary for a vast and fascinating array of marine life mammals such as dolphins and seals occur in the waters off the coast and southern right whales calve and mate in the sheltered bays of De Hoop each year between May and December. 

At least 250 species of fish occur in the marine protected area. When to go Summer time preferably at the new or full moon when the tides are high enough to expose the magnificent rock pools at the coast line. Explore it with a Guided Interpretive Marine Walk. World-renowned as one of the best land based whale-watching spots this coastline is transformed into one of the world's most important nursery areas for southern right whales. Whale watchers regularly stand in awe at the sight of more than 50 of these sea giants lying a mere kilometre from the coast. 

World-renowned as one of the best land based whale-watching spots this coastline is transformed into one of the world's most important nursery areas for southern right whales. Whale watchers regularly stand in awe at the sight of more than 50 of these sea giants lying a mere kilometre from the coast.

My Favourite Activity by far 

The perfect after dinner experience, stargazing, merely a few metres from the lights of the manor house enveloped in total darkness with nothing but the night sky glittering above. The stars loom so close and luminous it seems you can reach out and touch. With our guide pointing his laser beaming up into the night sky we start our informative star gazing activity. 

What to expect 

Some of the greatest celestial sights, the nearest stars to our solar system, two close dwarf galaxies, and some drop-dead gorgeous clusters. South Africa is right above the Antarctic a mere 15 degrees from the prime meridian the galactic centre of the milky way providing a view of billions of stars. The Southern Hemisphere has 11 circumpolar constellations including six first-order magnitude stars. The Northern Hemisphere has only five none of which are very bright. 

Showcasing our closest star system the Centaurus constellation with the third brightest star in the night sky, Alpha Centauri comprises more than one star — Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star, and its companion, the slightly less massive Alpha Centauri B, actually form a triple with Proxima Centauri (technically the nearest). All three stars appear as a single point to the naked eye, but a 3-inch telescope with 100× magnification can split Alpha Centauri A and B. 

Circumpolar constellations appear closer to the North and South Poles and are only visible in its corresponding hemisphere staying above the horizon all night orbiting the poles. The Southern Cross is the brightest and most iconic constellation in its Hemisphere. Within it the jaw-dropping Jewel Box Cluster showcases colourful stars that look like precious stones twinkling in the night sky. The colours come from a red supergiant amongst very bright blue supergiants and other brilliantly coloured stars, some of which have luminosities 80,000 times that of the sun. 

Milky Way’s Largest Satellites 

The large and small Magellanic clouds tare the largest dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way arguably the most amazing objects in the night sky anywhere in the world. Easily mistaken for ordinary clouds they are big, white, and puffy, until you realise they are in the same spot night after night two entirely different galaxies visible with the naked eye. So close they appear much bigger than anything else visible from Earth. The larger cloud is a gigantic view of the fourth largest galaxy in the universe. 

Because it’s brighter in the Southern Hemisphere the dark nebulae within it are more pronounced. Situated between the two brightest stars of the Southern Cross is the most prominent nebula the Coalsack best viewed with the naked eye or binoculars.  A brighter nebula Eta Carinae is home to the most massive star in the galaxy which is one of the most exciting stars because it is unstable and thought to be the next star to die in a supernova. 

Other constellations include Vela harbouring a neutron star, the Vela Pulsar, rotating 11 times per second its intense magnetic field emits audible pulsating radio signals. Centaurus boasts the greatest number of visible stars. Next to the Jewel Box is Omega Centauri, the second brightest globular cluster in either hemisphere with the most massive concentration of stars orbiting the centre of the Milky Way. 

The reserve provides nature lovers and the outdoorsy with unique comfortable overnight accommodation situated at spectacular locations. East of Bredasdorp the reserve can also be accessed via Swellendam and is an ideal stop over enroute from the Cape Winelands to Plettenberg Bay.

Fundudzi - Eco Luxe Couture

Clothing with a conscience is the mantra behind Africa’s premier eco luxe label, Fundudzi by Craig Jacobs.

Appointed one of 50 global Range Rover City Shapers along with Georgina Chapman of Marchesa, Henry Holland of House of Holland and Francesca Versace. 

The spring/summer 2012 collection draws inspiration from growing global disillusionment from Moscow to Tunis, London to New York and was simply titled: Protest.
“As a designer I cannot ignore what is happening around me, so this collection is simply my way of encouraging people to step up and make their voice heard,” says Jacobs, who founded the label in 2004.

Washed out prints with statements including “Eat The Rich” (inspired by a poster seen at Occupy Wall Street), “Revolutionary Road” and “Nationalize Your Mind” (a play on calls to nationalize the country’s mines to reduce economic inequality) punctuate tank tops, t-shirts and t-shirt dresses made from organic cotton sourced in Lesotho. Another print, featuring an African mask with a taped over mouth, graphically evokes the mood of the collection. The pristine white of the t-shirts is complemented by a muted palette (which continues into flowing sorbet pinks, mints and powder blues in the softest chiffons and hemp fabrics) is juxtaposed with tribal optical prints.

“You can calmly make your point, even when the subject matter is quite charged, so I gravitated towards a relaxing pastel palette moving to greens, cobalt blues and fuchsias to add interest,” Jacobs explains. Channeling spirited, individualistic women who enjoy wearing pieces which reflect a modern African aesthetic. The Protest spring summer collection will also soon be available in key independent boutiques in South Africa from August. Follow on twitter @Fundudzi

Also  available online in the US through JP Selects the e-commerce marketplace for socially aware and eco-friendly brands and products. The label has grown out a desire to help change the perception of Africa and has shown in Paris, Stockholm, Maputo and Luanda and most recently, SA Fashion Week. In 2009 Fundudzi formed part of an international exhibition on sustainable design in Copenhagen, as part of the World Climate Summit.

Wherever possible, the label incorporates ecologically sensitive and locally sourced materials including cashmere/lamb’s wool through a project in conjunction with the CSIR in the Eastern Cape, and organic cotton sourced from Lesotho. The label also actively supports sustainability through a host of initiatives including collaborating with local crafters to highlight indigenous artisanal skills, upcycling projects and philanthropy (supporting Cheesekids for Humanity, CANSA SA and The Trust). Fundudzi on Facebook

Providing a capsule wardrobe for free spirited individuals seeking pieces with a distinctive signature. The name Fundudzi is inspired by a body of water, Lake Fundudzi, which is one of our most precious ecological treasures as well as being a sacred site for the vhaVenda tribe.

Fundudzi milestones:

Featured twice in Womens Wear Daily, the world’s most influential fashion newspaper and showcased as part of C’est Couture at Paris Fashion Week (an SA Tourism Initiative) in July 2007.