House & Leisure - Issue 1

Launched in 1993, this iconic South African decor and design magazine has inspired and influenced generations of design lovers. After 296 issues (plus many more supplements and directories, awards and events), House and Leisure closed under its previous publisher in May 2020. 

In the same year, LOOKBOOK was founded, a creative content studio and independent media company that’s passionate about print and showcasing, spotlighting and supporting the decor and design industry.

‘COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work dramatically,’ says House and Leisure‘s Publisher Pieter Bruwer, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of LOOKBOOK. ‘New opportunities inevitably open up, but one needs to pay attention and remain optimistic about the long-term future. In a time when we’re craving a sense of stability and the familiar, and when screen fatigue is so prevalent, we have confidence in the longevity of print. But it couldn’t have been just any magazine – House and Leisure has a respected reputation and legacy and is strategically focused on the right niche.’

In her publisher’s note in the very first edition 28 years ago, Jane Raphaely wrote, ‘This magazine is a vote of faith in South Africa’s future. It is based on the assumption that a great many people here are interested in a new way of looking at living.’