Around the World in 80 Eco Spas: Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa, Richmond, South Africa

Life & Soul Magazine’s Travel Guide to Eco Spas will whet your appetite for a vacation that brings healing to holidaymakers in accommodations that work in harmony with the planet.

15. Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa, Richmond, South Africa

The African wilderness is a place of serenity, harmony and balance where Mother Nature remains largely untouched and her animal kingdom roam freely. Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa has made it possible for holidaymakers seeking a private sanctuary to experience this unique landscape and setting at its wellness and wildlife retreat in South Africa.

Nestled in the heart of the forest valley in KwaZulu Natal, Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa is set within a 5,000 hectare reserve in Richmond, along the banks of the free flowing Mkomazi River and majestic sandstone cliffs. Around one hour’s drive from Durban, the reserve consists of undulating plateaus and hills, steep densely wooded slopes, valleys and a large central basin. As rich and diverse as its landscape, the reserve is also home to wildlife including giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, leopards, blue wildebeests and African wildcats, in addition to more than 300 species of birds including the African Crowned Eagle.

To share this space with such beings is a pleasure and a blessing for those who vacation at Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa. Naturally the eco lodge and spa exists in complete harmony with its surroundings. The lodge – which has been constructed using natural and local materials including wood, glass, sandstone and recycled bricks – operates without electricity, instead utilising a generator and solar power for its energy requirements.

The interiors of Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa, achieved using only environmentally-friendly paints and products, borrow from classic colonial African style – an inviting blend of luxury and homely comfort. Each room complete with private wooden deck serves as a window to the reserve, featuring stunning views of the river and mountains in the distance. In keeping with the way nature intended the area to be, the rooms have no modern conveniences such as air-con, TV, fridges or kettles, encouraging guests to be at one with Mother Nature and her animal kingdom.

With the great wider wilderness on the doorstep, guests can enjoy nature trails, birdwatching, star gazing and fishing self-guided or via guided trails, as well as game drives with local experts. Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa balances adventure with relaxation, offering guests spa facilities including a rock plunge pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and holistic treatments for rejuvenation or relaxation.

At Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa there is an emphasis on local heritage – the lodge itself largely staffed by locals enabling guests to experience local knowledge and wisdom that you won’t find in a guide book, and to sample regional cuisine made from locally-sourced ingredients.

Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa is one of nature’s playgrounds that the imagination can envisage and go to great lengths exploring, and to be up close and personal with it physically, whether you’re native to South Africa or from further afield seeking a special retreat, is a treasure.

Duma Manzi Eco Lodge & Spa

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com

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Courtney Mattison: Ocean advocate and artist using ceramics to depict the fragile beauty of coral reefs and threats it faces — Life & Soul Magazine

Sculptor and ocean advocate Courtney Mattison creates ceramic installations that depict the fragile beauty of coral reefs and the human-caused threats they face to “move us to value the blue planet we live on in ways that scientific data often cannot”. In her Our Changing Seas series, Courtney Mattison provides an artistic impression of what […]

Courtney Mattison: Ocean advocate and artist using ceramics to depict the fragile beauty of coral reefs and threats it faces — Life & Soul Magazine
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The Doors of Tunisia- Authentic Traveling

It’s nearly impossible to visit Tunisia without noticing the beautiful doors. They’re everywhere. I often found myself lost in an ancient medina only to look at my camera roll and realize I’d spent the last 30 minutes taking pictures of doors.

In Tunisia, doors are symbolic reflecting the fortunes and happiness of the families living inside. They are generally built of palm wood reinforced with sheet metal. They are decorated with black studded nails to create complex geometric patterns. Occasionally some doors come with more floral patterns owing to the European influence.

When I visited Tunisia, I was just blown away by these doors. They’re so beautiful, and every city I visited tended to have its own unique style and color. Most doors are blue, but I saw yellow, turquoise, red, and white.

Some of the most common symbols on the doors are the crescent star, minarets flowers, and fir trees. Some of the doors have large archways allowing for a person to enter on a horse without dismounting.

Many will claim that the best doors are in Sidi Bou Said – the Santorini-like coastal town just outside Tunis – but I found that beautiful doors are located throughout the country. You just need to wander down the right side street to find the real treasures.

Most of the doors have two knockers – one for the men and one for the women. The ones on the left are used by the women, and the ones on the right are used by the men.

Link: https://www.authentictraveling.org/doors-of-tunisia/

Dar Ya Tunisia
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STUDIO 10 Versatile colour combinations for hotels and cruise ships

The collection Studio 10 is a source of inspiration. Ten versatile colour worlds, each of which standing strongly for itself, lead to new room concepts. The collection book consists of 23 high quality articles which have been developed specially for the international contract business.

At the centre of the collections are the two sophisticated jacquards Niva and Calito; they dominate the collection with their impressive designs. Enriched by high quality wool fabrics, beautiful transparent fabrics and functional dimouts and blackout the collection becomes universally useful for up-market hotel furnishing as well as the furnishing of cruise ships.

The upholstery fabrics complement the concept perfectly. Next to the classically structured upholstery fabric Finn there is of course also an upholstery fabric from our functional DELIGARD collection (Deste DELIGARD). The 3D-knitted fabrics Flux, Drop and Haze are the eye-catchers of the collection. They differ from normal upholstery fabrics by the interaction of an innovative knitting technique and a soft voluminous weft. This gives the material extraordinary volume.

The colour themes are diverse. The trend colour coral in combination with petrol gives a modern and exciting appearance. Warm burnt colours in combination with beige give a modern statement. A deep majestic changeant blue meets blushed rosé. Deep and confident is the combination between a deep burgundy red and cool brass tones.
Pistachio and royal blue meet in a modern and courageous way. Classical colour worlds such as silver grey, nature colours and black & white complement the concept.

To order your book call 702.622.8321 or email nisha@nishadesigns.com

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On Trend: Resurrecting the Sublime

At first sight, the Pure Spiritual trend might awaken preconceived ideas about organic materials and earth-based dyes. But on closer inspection, what differentiates Pure Spiritual from other nature-based trends is its ability to go far deeper. Instead, this trend also shows how technology can be embraced for the greater good, and what opportunities exist for individuals to use technology in a way that intersects with nature.

It’s a trend which reconciles the past with the present, evocative of a recent project that similarly explores the natural world. Resurrecting the Sublime is an ongoing collaboration which “allows us to smell extinct flowers, lost due to colonial activity.” The work of many, the project is created by artist Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, smell researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas and the team at biotechnology company Ginkgo Bioworks, encompassing engineers and researchers led by Director Dr. Christina Agapakis, with the support of IFF Inc.

It all started with specimens of three flowers stored at Harvard University’s Herbaria, which each had small amounts of DNA extracted from them. Using this DNA, the Gingko team predicted and resynthesized gene sequences that had the potential to encode for fragrance-producing enzymes. With these findings, Tolaas was able to use identical or comparative smell molecules in her own lab to reconstruct the flowers’ fragrances. 

Outside its origins in the lab, the project has taken on a physical form and appeared in galleries around the world. From a solo exhibition as part of the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne to group shows at the Centre Pompidou, the Barbican Centre and beyond, previous iterations of the installation have included a vitrine with smell diffusion, limestone boulders and animations. While the project’s foundations focused on our olfactory system, the overall experience actually engages multiple senses.

In the context of today’s global conversations surrounding climate change and sustainability, Resurrecting the Sublime feels more pertinent than ever. While the collaboration began with the question, “Could we ever again smell flowers driven to extinction by humans?”, it invites audiences to not only reflect on what we’ve lost, but what we must sustain for the future.

Header photo: Resurrecting the Sublime by Christina Agapakis (Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.), Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg & Sissel Tolaas, with support from IFF Inc, Courtesy of Harvard University Herbaria © Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc., The Herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Heimtexblog

Nina Jung

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Samhain~Halloween — ravenhawks’ magazine

Samhain is pronounced sowen, soween, saw-win, saw-vane or sahven, but not sam-hayne. Other names for Samhain include Samhuin, Samain, Saman, Oidhche Shamhna, Hallowe’en, Halloween, Hallows, Hallowtide, Shadow Fest, Allantide, Third Harvest, Harvest Home, Geimredh, Day of the Dead (Feile na Marbh), Feast of the Dead, Spirit Night, Candle Night, November Eve, Nutcrack Night, Ancestor Night […]

Samhain~Halloween — ravenhawks’ magazine
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Autumn and Breeze- Nisha Desai

Witches and Cats. Fiddles and Rhymes. Trains and Whistles. Trees and Roads. Colors and Leaves. Hammock and Pumpkins. Breathtaking and Riveting. Season and Collection. My life My Style😘🍁

Picture Credits: Nomadicdestiny, Tourcanada, octoberleavess, zoltangaborphotography, earthfocus
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Wyndesong’s Daily Quote: Autumn — Wyndesong Collectibles

“Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far…

Wyndesong’s Daily Quote: Autumn — Wyndesong Collectibles
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GARDENS Flower Flashes bring much needed colour, natural life and joy to the city streets of New York- Life & Soul Magazine

Flower flashes have been bringing some much needed colour, natural life and joy to the concrete jungle of New York, transforming trash cans into larger-than-life flower vases and embellishing the subway system.

The beautiful flower arrangements come courtesy of floral designer Lewis Miller and his team who create what they call “Flower Flashes” very early in the morning, which they aim to get finished before the daily stream of commuters hits the streets.

In addition to repurposing trash cans as flower vases, Lewis Miller Design have also used flowers to decorate a public phone booth with an abundant flow of blooms making their way on to the street.

Lewis Miller came up with the concept of flower flashes to “create an emotional response through flowers” and to “gift the people of New York the same experience he gives his paying clients”.  All of the blooms used in the installations are repurposed from his company’s events. Passers-by are encouraged to admire the display and take a flower if they desire.

Lewis Miller Design

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com

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Living, is the Meaning of Life

Yuriko Takagi is a photographer who worked with Issey Miyake. Three years ago, 65-year-old Takagi met a piece of forest land in Karuizawa which covers an area of 1440 square meters. Then she passed her driver’s test, decorated the house and moved into the forest. “As a woman, you got to be independent, living your own life is a lifelong career”.

“Running your own life is a career. Living itself is meaningful enough”
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Decor: From Around The World — — Wyndesong Collectibles

Aren’t you a bit curious about decor trends from around the world? I am, and the idea of incorporating a few suggestions into our homes is actually something that’s happened for centuries in the most interesting of styles. 20 more words

Decor: From Around The World — — Wyndesong Collectibles
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