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LATEST POSTS FROM MY INSTAGRAM FEED

 
Today @profurn_contracts are finally on their way to complete the eco friendly lodge that has been in process for 2 odd years! Chikwenya is the most incredible place and I was lucky to visit it, for a site meeting. During our meeting at the camp, we were visited by a herd of elephants. There were no walls, nothing to protect us. These huge gracious creatures just went about their business, 3 metres away from us, as if we weren't there. You could hear their every foot step and breath. I sat there in awe thinking how incredibly lucky I was. That experience ignited a fire in me to explore more of Africa. I can't wait for the time when that dream becomes a reality. Today my body is in Vietnam but my heart and mind are with Profurn as they bring this very special place to life. I cannot wait to see the pictures and hopefully share them with all of you! #interiordesign
Happy Women's Day to all you strong and independent women!! Today I'm reminded that it's important to have my own ambitions and strive toward them everyday. I often feel that since I left university I lost track of my goals because I burnt myself out pretty badly during that time. When I started working, my focus turned toward living a happy, healthy and balanced life which I'm very grateful I realized so early in life. Living a happy life is still my main goal but I would also like to grow in my career. It's very important to me that I give the generation after me something to strive toward just like @everonicaphillips and my Ouma did for me. Here's to empowered, ambitious women!! ๐Ÿ“ท @chrisrobertschrisroberts #womensday2018 #goals
Going super minimal today with the white and emerald green interior at @mrwishvn. This little spot in the old quarter serves freshly made smoothies which are perfectly paired with a hot summers walk around Hoan Kiem lake. I've always loved minimal design and aspired to have a minimal home of my own however as I've got older I've realized the reality of a minimal home often means you are limited in displaying your most treasured items. I've come to the conclusion that my own personal style will never be defined so I'll just have to have an eclectic mix of all my favourite things and some how make them work together! Looking forward to the day when @chrisrobertschrisroberts and I settle down somewhere and I can bring the vision to life! #minimaldesign #hanoioldquarter #hoankiemlake
Dreaming of heading back to @marouchocolate for my sweet tooth fix. My taste buds thanked me for their chocolate, lime and coconut pastry! Hope you are having a happy Monday! What's your sweet tooth craving? #chocolate #hanoi #restaurantdesign
The area that surrounds the Ho Chi Minh Masoleum is one of my favourite areas to drive through in Hanoi. It's wide tree lined streets are adorned with gracious French Colonial buildings on either side. This is the Presidential Palace which I personally believe has a whole lot of charm despite it's choice paint colour. This bright yellow facade is typical of most government buildings in Vietnam. It does give a unity to the architecture here which is pretty cool. #palace #yellow
I had lots of fun reading all the sweet notes people wrote at @thenotecoffee; to lovers, to friends and to their future selves. Literally every surface of this cafe in the Old Quarter is covered with a note. ๐Ÿ“ท @chrisrobertschrisroberts #hanoi #stickynotes
Today I'm really excited to share with you guys one of the biggest inspirations in my plant based journey ... @deliciouslyella. I've been following her for nearly a year and I absolutely love being inspired by her gorgeous recipes. This is the interior of her deli on Weighhouse street in London. I've written a little post about it on my blog as well as some info on her new book that's just launched. Can't wait to get my hands on one. #plantbasedjourney #restaurantdesign ๐Ÿ“ท @deliciouslyella
Another one from the fresh interior at @tron.vietnameserestaurant , if you missed the blog post yesterday, (cue British accent) the link's in me bio ๐ŸŒฟ๐ŸŒฟ We found out some very exciting news yesterday. @chrisrobertschrisroberts is going to be starting a position at a really rad agency in Malaysia. It's been a couple of nail biting weeks as we've waited to hear the news. We weren't sure if we'd be going to live in Malaysia or move to the coast in Vietnam. I was starting to get anxious as the days grew closer to August as there's a new tenant moving into our room. I'm very excited to experience life in a new city, eat delicious Malay food and get to hang out with our two favourite Germans, @jhenrici and @sebastian.lode. This travel life is full of change which I love but also struggle with at times. I love the exhilaration of exploring a new city but I also find the goodbyes so difficult. It's often in these times of change that I'm the most home sick. It's a strange irony. Is it just me who experiences this? Realising that as we move onto Kuala Lumpur we will sadly be leaving behind @mlunguson, @rose_myolie and Cuzzy. It's been the best few months getting to hang out with my brother and experience adult life together! Thanks for having us stay with you. Love you guys loads . Will cherish these next few days together. xx
There's a new kid on the block - @tron.vietnameserestaurant and they have a really beautiful interior. I loved this teal feature wall plus the little Delft elephants inside it! I've written a post about our experience there and the Banh Xeo that they serve. It's my absolute fav! They included ๐Ÿ and the staff were super accommodating to make a vegetarian version for me!! #vietnameserestaurant #bรกnhxรจo #hanoi #tรขyhแป“
Another one from the beautiful interior at @uudamchay, one of Hanoi's best vegetarian restaurants. I've been hooked on Chefs table lately. Even though I'm a little late to the @netflixsa party, it's so inspiring to see how even the world's top restaurants are celebrating vegetables more and reducing their meat consumption. Equally, they are focusing on the actual quality of the produce. I love the notion that a dish is only as good as it's produce. Just the same as my body is only as healthy as what I put in it. Before leaving South Africa I really started to enjoy buying organic foods and focusing on the quality of food I was eating. Shopping at @jacksons_real_food_market is one of the things I miss the most! I'm very willing to spend a bit more on something that supports local farmers making food that's actually good for our bodies! I haven't had the same passion to search for organic food here but maybe I should make a start. #hanoidesign #vietnameserestaurant #vegetarianrestaurant #awaywithmassproduction ๐Ÿ˜‹
A sneak peek of the blog post I'm going to share next week about a new Vietnamese restaurant that's opened up in our neighborhood. Today @chrisrobertschrisroberts and I had our first experience of a typically Vietnamese bathhouse with @mlunguson. It's a step by step relaxation process starting with a traditional tea bath in a small wooden tub, onto a jet bath and sauna and ending off with a vigourous massage. How the therapist can sustain such pressure throughout the massage boggles my brain?! My body is feeling super relaxed right now although I think I may be a little stiff tomorrow. My fav part of the experience was definitely the tea bath. ๐ŸŒฟ Would definitely try it again! #flower #vietnameserestaurant #hanoi
Last week @chrisrobertschrisroberts and I did a photoshoot around Hanoi. I was standing at the entrance to the temple while Chris was shooting me from across the road. The fruit vendor didn't realize and still gestured to her oranges. I love that this moment got captured. In the next shot. You see me raising my hand 'no thanks'. Chris always wants to use me as his model when he is shooting but I'm quite shy in front of the camera and really don't feel very photogenic. I want to become more comfortable with it because Chris does shoot such amazing pictures and it allows me to have great content on my feed. When I looked at most of the pictures from the shoot I immediately criticized how I looked , how I've put weight on my legs and how I'm still not sure about this short hair. I've generally always been happy with my body but as I'm going through my late twenties my body is changing. I'm more 'hippy' and I carry a lot more weight on my upper thighs. I want this to change so I'm working out a lot. It hit me that what if training won't change this, what if as I get older my body just did naturally change and the things I used to eat don't just burn off anymore. If that's the case I don't want to live my life not liking my body but rather learn to embrace it and be comfortable in my own skin. I'd love to hear your stories if you are going through a similar thing. #hanoi #vietnam #bodytalk
I've been out of action on my blog over the last two months but finally I have another post ready for you. I share a little on our life over the past few months and why I'm feeling out of bloom. This image is from @uudamchay, arguably Hanoi's best vegan restaurant. The link is in my bio. Hope you enjoy. xx
Two weeks ago Chris and I went to Kuala Lumpur for our very first visa run. We both instantly fell in love with the city. It's this perfect mix of tropical climate meeting a bustling city. In the heart of the city are the Perdana Botanical Gardens. I loved walking through this park which is also an area of preserved rain forest. In the park you'll find this cool architectural structure with its triangular forms. The yellow frame work brings me so much joy. I'm not sure if skate boarding is allowed but this looked like a rad spot to so it. There are loads of other things you can do in the huge park including visiting the planetarium, the bird park or canopy hopping. I'm currently on the way to Sapa for the weekend with @chrisrobertschrisroberts , @mlunguson , @rose_myolie and Cuzzy. We are sneaking Cuz with us on the bus.๐Ÿ™Š She's going to love the fresh air just as much as I am. Chris is super amped to fly his drone there. Look out for all our footage in our stories ๐Ÿ˜‰
Up on the blog today, our high tea experience in the Orchid Conservatory @themajestichotelkl . A beautiful afternoon where we checked out from reality. Thanks again to @hello_raya for the suggestion!
I'm becoming so mindful of the effect that a space has on my mood and my energy. Stepping into @dreamers1a on Au Co today was exactly as the name says, a dream. This beautiful home decor store is a wonderful escape from the chaotic streets of Hanoi. It's this effect on a person's mental well-being that is driving me to continue creating beautiful interiors where people feel they can breath in. I've become so keenly aware of the effect in Hanoi, purely because the streets are so overwhelming. They're full of motorbikes and noises and smells and signage. At night they're full of bright lights trying to attract your attention. It's not only Hanoi that has this problem though. I feel all cities are chaotic and on the go, pushing us to shop, to eat, to stress, to beat the traffic, go a little faster or try a little harder. I want to create spaces where the chaos of life comes to a pause and you can just have a moment to yourself while surrounded by beautiful things, calming scents and ambient lighting. I'm driven to help brands create these mood changing spaces.