An essential guide for those dealing with the Cape Water Crisis and for general water saving in South and southern Africa, a notoriously water-scarce region.

Three provinces in South Africa have been declared national disaster zones because of drought. The way we think about water needs to change, and fast. This is especially true for those of us who have running water and flush sanitation piped into our homes. For millions of South Africans, water is already a precious resource that costs toil to collect and fuel to heat. Our middle-class expectations that water will gush steaming from our dozens of indoor taps 24/7 are going to look as bizarre to future generations as the spectacle of Cleopatra bathing in asses’ milk. Our Roman-orgy relationship with water is over.

This book will hopefully help to alleviate water panic and distress. A “can-do” compendium, it’s meant to be a guide, not prescriptive – not all solutions or tips are one-size-fits-all. Think of it as an ally in your fight to save water and part of your survival kit, along with the first-aid box; Valium for water-worriers.

A monograph on leading South African architecture studio SAOTA.

South African architecture studio SAOTA is led by Stefan Antoni, Philip Olmesdahl, Greg Truen, Phillippe Fouche, Logen Gordon and Mark Bullivant, and has designed luxury residential and commercial projects on six continents. With reference to South African Modernism, and a grounding in the International style, its projects take advantage of wildly beautiful settings, and are rooted in place by the relationship between the building and its site. The studio cites spirit of enquiry and close examination of function and form as hallmarks of its work, as well as the use of the most current technology, including virtual reality, in its design processes.

This monograph features twenty-three recent residential projects from around the world, with a particular focus on Africa, illustrated with colour photography and including a foreword by Reni Folawiyo, and project texts written by the studio.

Koketso Sylvia Milosevic runs a global business, travels the world managing her property empire, and hosts international TV shows about investing in property. How didan ordinary girl from the township of Ga-Rankuwa achieve all this, amassing considerable wealth in the process?

In Winning the Property Game, Koketso reveals how she built her property portfolio, turning it into a multi-million-rand business.

Stress-free, simple hacks to spruce up your home in a matter of minutes.

In The Five Minute Clean Routine, Anna Louisa (also known as @anna_louisa_at_home) shares her secrets to a fresh, shining home. Breaking down household cleaning tasks into 5-minute chunks, Anna Louisa shows how you can create a satisfying routine that works for you for every room - from kitchen to bathroom and everywhere in between.

Written in Anna’s trademark warm style, this book is bursting with ideas to make both everyday and deep clean tasks totally hassle free, whether it's getting rid of grease from your air fryer, vanishing limescale in an instant or using store cupboard ingredients to keep your home smelling fresh. Including:

• Over 100 cleaning techniques for the home
• Tried and tested cleaning product combinations
• Planner pages and lists to tick off as you go

The Five Minute Clean Routine promises to show how your household and cleaning routines can become easy and efficient.

Zamantungwa Khumalo is a rising star on the South African property scene. An award-winning media and content specialist, she is also a property entrepreneur who bought her first properties at age 27. Now, she wants other people to follow in her footsteps, climbing the property ladder on their way to building wealth and security.

All her passion and expertise is concentrated in this volume, which covers a range of topics vital to property ownership. She also includes interviews with leading property industry experts like Gil Sperling, Michelle Dickens, and Silindile Leseyane who is the chairperson of Sakhisizwe Property Stokvel.

This book is aimed at helping a wide range of people – women, young professionals, and also men who want to buy property but don’t quite know how to go about it – to take that first step.

As she says in her introduction: ‘My hope is that this book will help to make your property dreams come true.’

Learn how to create your own cleaning products that are better and healthier to use and keep your home sparkling clean.

What is in my cleaning products? Are these chemicals bad for my health? Do they damage the environment? How do I reduce the amount of plastic in my home? These are questions we should all be asking when it comes to cleaning our homes.

Clean Green shows you how to tackle each room and cleaning task in a natural way. From laundry detergent, toilet cleaner and furniture polish to hand wash, dishwashing liquid, stain remover and air freshener, all the recipes for natural products in this book are quick and simple to make and, most important of all, they work! They're not expensive either, many will save you money in the long term and help you to cut down on your plastic waste too.

Small steps. Big changes.

The Renovation Guide covers all aspects of alterations and additions, outlining the difference between the two, the regulations that dictate what can and can't be done, as well as sound advice on the legalities of homeownership. In addition, The Renovation Guide features a number of typical homes and renovation solutions and ideas that are not only practical, but also aesthetically enhancing. The Renovation Guide takes readers through all aspects of a home, from front garden to spare bathroom with Do's and Don'ts, regulations, ideas, layouts, what to look out for, construction guidelines, greening and energy saving tips, space planning, ergonomics and so much more.

The SA Décor and Design Buyers Guide is celebrating its 25th anniversary of showcasing the industry with a rather stylish return in the printed version that has made it such a household name as the go-to resource for décor, design and interior sector professionals and for lovers of all things chic.

Due to popular demand from the industry, the new printed version of the Buyers Guide has launched and it has been an absolute labour of love, says Marcia Margolius, well-known designer and decorator and author of the award-winning blog, “Marcia loves it”, on the SA Décor and Design website. “With our new look Buyer’s Guide, we have transformed the way buyers connect with the finest suppliers and service providers in the industry”.

“This guide goes beyond highlighting suppliers; it’s a celebration of the talent and creativity that comes to life behind the scenes. Readers can immerse themselves in captivating projects and brands through vibrant full-colour photographs that showcase true artistry and craftmanship”.

The result is a spectacular and comprehensive 504-page tome, a feast for the eyes with full page spreads, showcasing the crème de la crème of highend suppliers and retailers. The new user-friendly system of icons allows the reader to quickly identify the products available along with a convenient QR code for scanning to connect directly with suppliers.

Traditional organizing advice never worked for Dana K. White. Is it possible, she wondered, to get organized without color coding my sock drawer? As Dana let go of the need for perfection, she discovered the joy of having an organized house in the midst of everyday life.

In Organizing for the Rest of Us, Dana teaches us how to make great strides with minimal effort in organizing every room of our home. Here she offers 100 organizing tips to help us understand:

• Why changing how we think about clutter is the first step to getting rid of it
• The basics of organization for people who don't like to organize
• Why you need to get a grip on laundry and dishes before getting organized
• How living with less clutter is better for the environment, our spiritual lives, and our relationships
• Why real-life decluttering requires fewer hours and less emotional bandwidth than we imagined

Fans of Dana's podcast, A Slob Comes Clean, which has been downloaded 7 million times, will treasure this book as a resource. With her lighthearted approach, Dana provides bite-size workable solutions to break through every organizational struggle you have--for good!

More than 60 000 readers can attest to finding Making Money out of Property an indispensable guide to investing in the lucrative South African property market. This bestselling property book has been updated to include the most current tax requirements and the latest developments relating to the local property market.

Author and property expert Jason Lee sets out every step of the property-investing process, including how to find the right deals, how to negotiate and finance a property, and whether to hold on to or sell a property for financial gain. This book focuses on some of the professionals’ best-kept secrets, such as how to utilise agreements of sale, property investment structures, financing options and key economic factors influencing the property cycle. Most importantly, it explains how to make money in both rising and falling property markets.

Making Money out of Property is a must-read for any first-time property purchaser or investor, as well as for experienced investors looking to polish their skills.

101 eco-friendly home-hacks, tips and recipes from Sunday Times bestselling author and Great British Baking Show winner Nancy Birtwhistle.

One change, any change, will make a difference to our precious planet.

We all want to do our best for our homes and the planet, but it’s often hard to find the time and energy to think of alternatives. Nancy Birtwhistle makes it easy with 101 indispensable tips, ideas and recipes that will help you to live a more eco-friendly life without giving up on any home comforts.

This practical book is the ultimate guide to reducing your environmental impact while saving you time and money. Inside are tips and home hacks on everything from eco cleaning, upcycling and making the most out of your weekly shop to small-space gardening and creative crafts, plus a selection of Nancy's delicious recipes. Clearly explained, accessible and beautifully illustrated with black and white line-drawings, Green Living Made Easy is the perfect guide for anyone looking to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle but unsure where to start.

The third design book from the TV and social media star and author of Habitat and Down to Earth, Feels Like Home explores the emotional connection that a home can have to a person's life A house is a feeling. That is the conceit behind designer Lauren Liess's third book, which explores the emotional connection between the way we decorate our homes and our daily lives. She advises readers to think beyond just the objects in their homes and explore how design informs an intentional, happy, and authentic life. The book includes practical design information, with never-before-seen case studies on a variety of homes including a beach cottage, a farmhouse, a home in the woods, a Spanish colonial, and other more traditional homes. Each case study explores a hardworking design aspect (such as proportion, scale, and color), while also focusing on the emotional aspect of the home. The chapters are inspired by the following themes: comfort, calm, excitement, belonging, carefree, love, and contentment.

The Real Interior not only allows the reader a behind-the-scenes peek into the glitz and glamour of design and décor, but into a career once never considered an option for a young girl, born in Soweto.

As one of the first black and very recognisable faces of Interior Design in Africa, Nthabi Taukobong was thrust into the limelight from the very start of her profession. Spanning a career of more than 23 years she has worked on esteemed residential and leisure projects for presidents, African royalty, captains of industry and five-star hotels, to name but a few. Through the rough and often very challenging terrain of her chosen career, sprinkled generously with the high-end glamour of prestigious interiors that Nthabi has been privileged to work on, she learned that she, in fact, had to be seated right within her own interior before she could offer anything further to those in search of her creative gift.

And as she searched and explored the greater world of design, trying to grasp what it really took to be an esteemed designer, the journey unexpectedly brought her right back into her own home. Not only Nthabi’s physical home, but also to her inner-home, the place that she refers to as her ‘real interior’. It was in writing a letter one evening, congratulating herself on reaching the milestone of 21 years in her career, that Nthabi discovered she was not only writing to herself, but to every creative.

Her letter ended up being an entire book and Nthabi finally understood how her unique story could inspire and encourage others.

While all but gone today, Jamestown's furniture industry was once the second-largest producer of furniture in the United States. Manufacturing boomed from 1816, when William Breed and Royal Keyes opened their shops, to the 1920s, when Jamestown was still one of the top wood furniture producers in the country. In the nineteenth century, the thriving railroad industry allowed Jamestown's quality creations to be distributed nationwide. After the Civil War, an influx of Swedish immigrants brought their craftsmanship and skills to Jamestown, forming Morgan Manufacturing, Empire Furniture Company and many others. Then, their pieces were valued for quality and durability; today, they're coveted by collectors as beautiful antiques. Local expert Clarence Carlson uncovers the fascinating story of Jamestown furniture.

Ingrained is a love letter to trees, timber and craftsmanship – and to finding your own voice.

The eldest son of a Master Woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing craft lessons in his father’s workshop, playing amongst the sycamore, oak and Scots pine that bordered his home. In time he became his father’s apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path led him to establish his own workshop; to chase ever bigger and more commercial projects, to business meetings, bright lights and bureaucracy, to lose touch with his roots. Until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of his business, his team and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most.

In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop, and to the wood; to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it, and then pass it on to the next generation – antidotes to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature, and to the physical act of creation. Close enough to smell the sawdust, to see the wood’s grain and character and to feel the magic of furniture coming to life. At the same time, we begin to understand how he has been shaped, as both a craftsman and a son.

Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world – one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.

A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life.

In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming.

Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you’d ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children’s art projects). Digging into her late husband’s tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.

Going green at home can seem like an all-or-nothing proposition. Do you sell everything (including the house) and start over, building and buying only eco-friendly, renewable goods? Or do you take the advice offered up in this smart and sensible book -- and remodel instead? Green building expert Barry Katz makes a compelling argument for remodeling, as he guides readers through what can be a perplexing and daunting process. Too many decisions? No worries. Katz explains how different choices impact a home's overall green quotient, as well as its bottom line. Emphasizing off-the-shelf materials, the book shows how homeowners of ordinary means can "green up" a remodel, resulting in less waste, more energy-efficient homes, lower maintenance costs, and more comfortable, healthful environments. This is an essential guide for anyone who has ever wanted to go green but wasn't exactly sure where to begin.