Tales from the Darkie Side - how Jana gets her brown on!
September 24, 2019
She's never been accused of being pale and interesting. Well, not pale. We're not so sure about the interesting bit. So let's find out more about Jana's legendary tan...
Tall. Very tall. Statuesque, in fact. With exceptionally long, perpetually brown legs. No, we're not talking about the next winner of the Durban July or Naomi Campbell. Which means there's only one alternative - our very own Jana Winterboer - she of the lofty heights and limbs that seem to go on forever. And that are always, without fail, a darker shade of sunkissed.
Jana's a sun worshipper of note. And if she's not throwing a towel on the floor and baring flesh to barely filtered UV she's running about in it. Literally. She runs. A lot. With shorts on. Or cycles. With shorts on. In fact, in the middle of winter when the rest of us are making soup, Jana has shorts on. She'll be bundled up like a bug in a rug up top, but those legs will be bare as a newborn baby's bum. And tanned. Always tanned.
"I love the sun," she says. Yup. We got that. And being outside. And doing energetic things like warrior races, assault and obstacle courses... She's doing sit ups, push ups and pull ups while the rest of us are having top-ups. Usually with skimpy clothing on. And then she goes to these amazing places like the Maasai Mara and Mozambique and runs all over the place there too. Getting even browner and putting the rest of us in the shade. Just by standing next to us. Seriously. We all look up to Jana. We have to. Unless she's sitting down.
And that old saying about making people look pale in comparison really rings true in her case.
"What's all the fuss about," says Ms J. "I've always been sporty. And outdoorsy." Indeed. Before she came to Darkie Designs she made a living showing people the great outdoors as a safari guide extraordinaire. In really posh lodges. Which is where the love affair with great lodge décor started, fed by a childhood appreciation for art and design. It's fuelled a talent for style and an eye for beautiful things. And the ability to name random African animals in latin (which always comes in handy, of course).
So don't be intimidated by the length of the legs or the depth of the tan, pop into the Darkie Designs shop and look Jana up. Or look up to Jana. You won't be disappointed!
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Back in March of 2020, Bianca and Jana were dusting off their Fez’s and grabbing the pashminas out of storage in preparation to Rock the Casbah! However, as we all know and vividly remember - with March, came the eventual Covid shutdown, and instead of frolicking down the Moroccan streets, we all shut ourselves inside and watched the days tick by… 3 Years later, and now we can finally say - with conviction - that they’re going to Morocco at the start of September! This blog, filled with excitement and curiosity about all the weird and wonderful curios they might find, and endless sourcing they’ll do, stays as a reminder that sometimes plans change, things go awry and there’s not much you can do about it other than persevere - and that we did! So, here’s Bianca and Jana’s innermost thoughts about the trip, 3 years before it came to fruition, enjoy :) We've got our passports out and Jana has already picked out what she's going to wear each day… Come March [September] we'll be heading north with Air France to the Kingdom of Morocco, bright eyed and bushy tailed as we make our base in the ancient city of Marrakesh (also known as Marrakech to the French, but we're not French, so we'll go with the English version until all that fuss about Brexit is sorted out) - This turned into a year long negotiations trade, and now us outsiders would pay nearly double what we used to if we visit the UK - thankfully our flight is direct!! We'll be looking for inspiration and will be investigating what's there that we could possibly bring back to The Hoed. We can't wait to experience the atmosphere and afro-arabic influences of this amazing place as we visit the celebrated souks and off-the-beaten track artists and craftsmen that make Marrakesh so special. We're desperate to see the beautifully hand-crafted furniture, textiles, fabrics, rugs, carpets, objets d'art, accessories, lighting… anything that catches our eye and could possibly be brought back south. Berber mats and rugs are definitely on our list, as are the kind of furnishings you might find in a gorgeous Bedouin tent. If you think about it, the Bedouin refined the art of "glamping" into an artform - fabulous carpets on the ground, soft, billowing fabrics hung here and there, plump cushions spread on the ground, intricate leatherwork and carved wood, patinated metal… Total Glamping vibes! We just love all of it and will be tracking as much of it down as we can. We'll also have an eye or three out for wonderful ceramics and glassware and wonderful lamps that give off soft, filtered light. For us it's about workmanship, so we'll hopefully be finding the people who make furniture and ceramics using techniques that have been passed down over countless generations meaning that everything we look at will have its own, and its own special story. Our mission is to share those stories with you and, if it's feasible, bring some of that special workmanship home to the Rainbow Nation. We're most definitely inspired and are sure this is going to be a truly special trip! Counting the sleeps till then! Less than a month to go now - we will be keeping the updates going on our social channels as well as another few blog posts to explain in detail our wild adventures - Stay tuned!
A safari theme never really runs out of viewing time and is particularly popular for interiors at the moment. The warm, earthy tones give a sense of comfort and the accessories offer the anticipation of travel and adventure.
Stay protected from mosquitoes with top quality mosquito nets. Buy online in South Africa for the best deals. Shop now and sleep peacefully.
