Gifted: Juliet Kavishe

What is your ultimate luxury?

Being able to travel the world.

What are your essential grooming products?

Over the years I have started to pay particular attention to my skin’s health, and so cleansers, serums, eye creams and, most importantly, sunscreens are essential.

What about a building attracts your eye first?

The details. A door-handle design will captivate me as much as a brise soleil on the façade of a building, and even the simplest fold of a napkin aligning with a menu on a restaurant table will make me smile. It’s all in the details.

Favourite scent?

Delina Exclusif by Parfums de Marly. It is the perfect balance of luxury and femininity.

What is your all-time favourite place to eat out?

What do you order there? I love breakfast and brunch, so this is an easy question to answer for anyone who has eaten at Nice on 4th in Parkhurst, Joburg. They make the best breakfast and I always order off the Half and Half section of the menu.

If money were no object, what would your dream buy be?

A villa somewhere remote and surrounded by rolling hills and a forest.

Your all-time favourite clothing brand?

It’s not a clothing brand, because I love too many to pick just one, but I love Pichulik jewellery. I have a few pieces from the range and whenever I can I buy a few more. The brand creates accessories that align well with my lifestyle and general aesthetic.

And what are you listening to?

I have been obsessed with the song Falling (I Just Wanna Know) by South African artist The SN Project.

The architect you have your eye on?

I am intrigued and inspired by Mariam Kamara’s ethos on design and architecture in Africa by Africans. I listen to a lot of her lectures and enjoy her approach to architecture, centring local skills and context.

Your favourite way to spend a Sunday morning?

In silence and prayer.

Your favourite summer haunt?

Barcelona in summer is the best place to be, but Zanzibar is a close second.

Your favourite room in the house?

My lounge. I love being surrounded by love, so whether I’m reading a novel or hosting loved ones, my lounge is where I gather commune, and commiserate.

Your most challenging assignment to date?

In all honesty, each interior architectural project I embark on has its own unique challenges because no two sites or clients are the same. The strategy is to turn these challenges into launchpads for new inspiration or learning moments.

Are you a collector of anything?

I was once advised to listen to music using the medium it was meant to be played on. This was the start of my record collection.

What makes you happiest?

Cuban salsa music and dance.

The best travel tip?

Travel only with hand luggage whenever you can. Your travel experience will change significantly.

A colour that is underrated?

A few years back greige hit the catwalks, façades, and interiors and, in all honesty, it was the best of grey and beige. Its popularity has diminished since, but it has become a favourite “neutral” colour of mine.

Minimalism or maximalism?

Minimalism with a dollop of hygge.

The last travel destination that knocked your socks off?

I have just come back from Taipei and I was impressed with the architecture, design, hospitality, food, historical landmarks, and landscape.

What is the one thing you will NEVER find in your fridge?

Milk chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate.

A great gift you’ve received recently?

A pair of Sony noise-cancelling headphones. I never realised how much sound overwhelms me. Now I can’t travel without them.

What inspires your work?

I get a lot of inspiration from the continent of Africa, from music, fabrics, traditional architecture, indigenous writing systems, and fashion.

The one indulgence you would never forgo?

A mani-pedi!

• From the November edition of Wanted, 2023.