A must Read: Design233 Website

 **Credit: Photography by Charles Lawson

“The Swaniker residence, designed originally by Gizella Agbotsui for the Swaniker family, is a house full of delights and surprises. The original plan for this lovely four-bedroom house was slightly altered by the older Swaniker lady, Constance's mother, adding on a lobby into the house, a formal seating area as well as a front porch. It was important to the Swaniker women that once the architect sketched out the basic plan, the design was flexible enough to make the necessary changes to their satisfaction. Constance has been residing here over a decade with her mother who comes in periodically from her long-term residence in Botswana.”  Design233 Website

To read the rest of the above text and sneak a peek at artist/Sculptor/entrepreneur Constance Swaniker’s beautiful residence in Accra, Ghana visit the Design233 Website via: http://www.design233.com/works/artist_in_residence.html#.UjrPU4pwbIV

 

Paulina says: My goodness there are some uber beautiful homes in Ghana –no? Think Ghana Rising faves architects Joe Osae-Addo and Lesley Lokko’s beautiful homes in Ghana and you’ll know what I mean –but you never get to see or read about the designers behind them until now..

Design233 Website is doing for Ghana what Architectural Digest has been doing for the rest of the world and has as you can see above --allowed us a sneaky peek into the rustic/Ghanacana lush home of artist/Sculptor/entrepreneur Constance Swaniker --which I’ve discovered by reading the above article is designed by Gizella Agbotsui, –where else will you find out much-needed info like this???

Design233 Website is a daily must-read and a fantastic hub for all things relevant, contemporary and high-end architecture/design in Ghana and beyond... It also showcases people we all admire and want to know more about like: beloved Lagos based artist El Anatsui, Ghanaian writer, filmmaker and historian, Nana Oforiatta Ayim, film director Akosua Adoma Owusu, Ghana based international renowned architect Joe Osae-Addo and of course the ever beautiful artist/Sculptor/entrepreneur Constance Swaniker who’s beautiful home is the subject --above.

I’m truly impressed with the Design233 Website and the above piece written by Korantemaa Larbi and can’t wait for the next designer home. For more info or the read the full text and see the rest of Constance Swaniker's beautiful home visit: http://www.design233.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Design233

 

More Info

Design 233 was born out of the need to showcase Ghana’s art and architecture and present notable design professionals who have helped build and shape the country since independence. The name simply represents design work in ’233′ – Ghana’s international country code. This showcase aims at generating awareness and conversations on the underrepresented architectural and design society of Ghana. Post colonization and fast-forwarding to 2011, the general view within Ghana’s architectural community is that current designs are highly westernized with little consideration of our unique climate and culture. Ghana’s climate is highly stratified with six ecological zones. The ten regions fall within these. From the mangroves on the southern coast to the sub-Saharan deserts of the North, each location traditionally has a distinct way of building and living. The social lifestyles, rich with colourful fabrics, symbolic motifs, rites and festivals are translated into the spatial dimension. Aside these, new crops of buildings (multi-storey offices and housing estates) are springing up all over the country. The built environment of Ghana has become highly diverse and like its ecology, considerably stratified-contemporary versus traditional.

Design 233 will journey through time to the present looking at unique buildings, projects, and art together with their authors. History is pertinent here so the pioneer architects and their projects will be featured under ‘The Legends’. Their designs, not being touted as solutions but as case studies, will be dissected based on concept, design process and spatial organization with respect to context. Architecture is definitely not without art. Artistic works which play a role in defining spaces, particularly public art pieces, will be of great interest here. In Design 233, architects, artist, designers, projects, books and events, within the design community of Ghana will be featured. Here, we will explore design as a catalyst for development, seek out projects that are sensitive to our unique culture and climate and that act as spring boards for innovation and development.

With the hope that the discovery and exploration of oil brings is the hope that new developments would be sustainable and locally sensitive, where contemporary meets traditional.