Tales from the Darkie side - Bali or bust
August 19, 2019

Get the lowdown on our very own Bianca's "sourcing" trip to the magical island of Bali... Yes. It was a business trip. With colourful margaritas. So pretty much business as usual... 

You've seen the images on her countless Facebook posts, you've wondered at the amazing items she spotted... And you've asked the questions - did Bianca have a good time visiting Bali? And why did she go on this, um, "business" trip...?

She travelled alone, as all the leading ladies in self-enrichment movies do. Think "Eat, pray, love" but Darkie Designs style - so more of a "Drink, buy, binge" scenario... 
Her days were spent meandering through design heaven, exploring the inner reaches of back-street manufacturers displaying their wares to eager eyes, hungry for the latest trends, desperate to find "objets" so wondrous that the hordes would flood to Hoedspruit to buy them. Her heart and mind were open to new ideas, to visions of the future. Her past was just a blur, the flights from Johannesburg to Singapore a fading memory as the humidity and cloying heat of the tropics overtook her senses, rendering her unable to resist.
"Yeah, I went for the rattan," says Ms B. A matter of fact, offhand statement barely hiding the underlying yearning for containers of artifacts yet to arrive. "No one here does rattan," she nods, eyes misting over as the memories return, of overcrowded warehouses filled to the brim.
In Bali the earth moved for Bianca, literally. Moved. Measuring 6 on the Richter magnitude scale, the earthquake shook her to her core. Reminding her of the urgency of her journey and the need to provide incredible design to her clients, waiting patiently for her so very far away. The margaritas helped to mask the fear and continue on her mission over the following eight, long days, walking the path to enlightenment and creative genius, helping her to understand a long-held secret... 
"There are people there who want our stuff..." she says. "Who want what we have." The depth of this new wisdom knew no bounds as it dawned on Bianca that she could give back what she takes, that the containers she could bring home could return full to the brim with African designs. Her mind became a whirling vortex of possibility as she wandered the Balinese streets, into which images of grassy mirrors, stoneware, rattan lamp shades, echoes of white and cream, the patterns of ancient mudcloth appeared and disappeared unbidden...
"So I'm putting a container together," she returns to the present, the here and now in an instant, her focus honed on the task that lies ahead. "I'm bringing in a range of items that reflect the latest trends, the earthy colours and terracottas, the indigo, white and creams, the woven creations in bright hues... And wonderful goggas, created from recycled silver and brass..." 
So did Bianca drink, buy and binge? She went, she saw, she came back with a container of stuff and pictures of amazing drinks with little umbrellas and palm trees overlooking beaches as well as some pretty amazing décor goodies.. So she most definitely drank and spent... "And binged. I could have come back with half of Indonesia," she says. "But my bag wasn't big enough." That, dear friends, is a woman's lot. Perhaps one day the gurus and teachers will understand our pain.

* Are you interested in the container of Balinese goodies? Chat to Bianca today about what she has bought. Items can be pre-ordered on Darkie Designs social media feeds, so watch this space, as they say!


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By Kyra Harper August 15, 2023
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!
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