What’s catching your eye right now? As you can see in our Urban Issue, currently on shelf, I’m loving everything to do with urban rejuvenation – from street style to recycling of inner-city spaces. There’s a [...]]]> The latest issue of ELLE Decoration is the first under  our brand new editor. Ladies and gents, please meet Laureen Rossouw:

What’s catching your eye right now?
As you can see in our Urban Issue, currently on shelf, I’m loving everything to do with urban rejuvenation – from street style to recycling of inner-city spaces. There’s a palpable energy in our cities right now, as we gear up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and I find it utterly irresistible.

What’s catching my eye right now is cityscapes, primary colours and all the emerging talent we have in South Africa. DECO  is committed to bringing hot new talent to the forefront in our mag.

Favourite shopping destination
Kalk Bay Trading Post. I love the element of surprise that you find in secondhand shops and fleamarkets – the things you see tell stories of the culture of that city.

Best holiday spots?
The Kalahari, The Karoo and the Wild Coast.

How do you bring zing into a room?
With paint. It’s an inexpensive and highly effective way to change everything in a room, from furniture to walls – and you can do it in a flash. Some pieces in my house have been painted many, many times and each time in a different colour.

What makes Elle Decoration special?
It is unique in the market, as it has a strong local voice but with a global outlook. Both the local and international editions of Elle Decoration have always been a part of my creative frame of reference. We specialise in décor but we’re also a great platform for architecture, art and design, as well as for showcasing exceptional local talent across many fields.

The magazine’s strongest point is ideas – we inspire our readers but never lose sight of giving them useful information. We feature only the most beautiful and most interesting houses that tell a story about the owners.

Can you share your editorial vision with us?
2010 is set to be one of our most historic dates, and as the world turns to Africa, and to South Africa in particular, my vision is that Elle Decoration will play a key role in establishing our country as a leading design destination.  This is a country with great possibilities and enormous potential and I feel I could not be in a better place at a better time.

So expect to see tons of fabulous ideas and features that capture the dynamic energy of SA design right now – for example in our Designer Showcase feature. And we are honing our status as the go-to source for what’s hot and happening on the international scene.

Why do you think your designs have [...]]]> Furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue is well-known for his unusual, handmade and eco-aware designs, many of which are carried by South African interiors store, Weylandts. Last month he was in South Africa, where he chatted to our deputy editor, Lauren Shantall, about his design ethos and future projects:

Why do you think your designs have proved so popular here?
The climate is really suitable for my designs and although I have only been to very few homes here, the aesthetic is very similar to my own.

Would you ever consider dveveloping any products here in South Africa? Especially as we have such a strong weaving tradition of our own…?
I have some South African telephone wire baskets – which I bought in Paris and I find them really beautiful, and really intricate. I was surprised by the similarities with my own work, which is also complex with an incredible amount of work put into it.

What’s the secret of your success?
If you look at China, it’s a factory, with very few individual designer names. So 10 years ago I decided to change that and sell my designs under my own name. I have had a lot of offers to make generic Asian products but I stuck to my belief that a designer should be recognised for his work.

This is my first visit to South Africa, so I am really here to get inspired and share my philosophy. I’ve worked with Weylandts for a long time now and it’s an eye-opener to see the store and the city. It’s really impressive – such an incredible country!

Read the rest of this interview with Kenneth Cobonpue in our Celebrate Issue, coming onto a shelf near you on 29 October.

The hallmark feminine style of our uber-talented stylist, Tracy Lynch, is all over this issue, so [...]]]> We’re back from our descent into blog purgatory, thanks to tech issues way beyond my ken. Apologies for the absence, but do hope you’re ready for more Springtime inspiration (no matter what season your part of the world is having).

The hallmark feminine style of our uber-talented stylist, Tracy Lynch, is all over this issue, so where better to feature her superbly creative and ever-changing home? Pages 84 – 91 are a feast of stencilled, repurposed, juxtaposed inspiration, and we have even more pics from the out-takes here to share. Enjoy!

Production: Tracy Lynch

Photographs: Mark Williams

What I love about being a stylist is that I get to go to inspiring places to find beautiful, new and old hidden gems. My favourite place to source things for shoots are David [...]]]> We asked Cape Town style blogger, Kim Gray, to do a guest post on what’s been inspiring her. Take it away, Kim!

What I love about being a stylist is that I get to go to inspiring places to find beautiful, new and old hidden gems. My favourite place to source things for shoots are David Bell’s three Cape Town shops. He owns Onsite Gallery in the Palms Centre, Woodstock, Coco Karoo in Chelsea Village, Wynberg, and he also has a hidden treasure of a warehouse at the Wynberg Military base. I chatted to David about his stores, his inspiration and what makes him tick:

Kim Gray: Tell us a bit about how you started out.
David Bell: My first store was a wholesale trading venue to supply retailers. Now I sell a huge range of items, both contemporary and old. My idea is to create a lifestyle and I source the items from all over Africa and abroad.

Would you say that your three stores all aim at a different clientele?

Very much so. Onsite Gallery is primarily aimed at places like boutique hotels and for people looking for larger-than-life objects to bring a wow! factor into their architectural interiors. It is more of an architectural shop than an interiors shop, with things like salvaged gates, giant doors, extra large mirrors, chandeliers and tables.

On the other hand, Coco Karoo is an eclectic mix of contemporary and old furniture and objects sourced primarily in southern Africa (which is the Karoo part) with the glamour and glitter of European style (that’s the Coco part) but still quite restrained and presented in a lifestyle setting.

What inspires you, and is there a particular design style or genre that you’re particularly attracted to?
I get inspiration from all sorts of things; travelling, change in seasons and natural beauty, light and dark, colour, diversity, aesthetic qualities in objects from just about any genre.

The integrity of a design and the story told through its patina, is what makes me finally choose a piece. A piece must be powerful enough to stand alone – whether it be an Art Deco decanter, a contemporary couch, a gilded mirror, or a salvaged French door – because it represents the best qualities of its own genre. This is what allows me to display a range of styles and eras in one space, managing to remain coherent and innovative at the same time.

What makes you choose certain pieces?
I like objects to be either minimal, reduced to their simplest, or completely over the top. When I talk about simplicity, I mean something thoughtfully and well crafted, with a meaningful function and aesthetically exciting, whether it is a simple bench or a dining room chair.

What is your favourite item from your stores?
My favourite item changes by the week. At the moment it is two large Tamarind wood cubes that I brought home to use as stools or side tables. They are a brilliant combination of function and form with exquisite, multi-toned wood. Another current favourite object is the industrial steel framed mirrors we have at Onsite.

Tell us a bit about your personal style at home.
I like decorative things and I like colour, but right now, my own home is a palette of naturals and white, glass and lightness.

Do you have any hot tips for buying antiques?
Forget what other people say, and buy what gets your heart pumping. Buy what you will enjoy.

Any plans to open more stores?
You never can tell!

Thank you to David for his time in answering my questions and for sharing his wonderfully eclectic mix of finds with us. Next time you’re in Cape Town, do pop in to one of David Bell’s amazing stores! There really is something for everyone, and I hope you may find a hidden treasure exploring here too.

For more design, fashion and lifestyle articles, visit www.kimgray.za.net

Pamela studied [...]]]> “A hobby that consumed my life” is how Pamela Sunday describes the exquisite ceramic sculptures she makes in the studio in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn that she cycles to every day. Her iconic pieces have been embraced by the interior design world here in the U.S. and as far afield as India, Japan and Singapore.

Pamela studied economics and math at college, did a stint working on Wall Street, and then became a stylist and art director at Bergdorf Goodman. She discovered she loved clay while taking a class with some colleagues. “We decided to try different classes after work instead of going for drinks,” she said.

She’s been at it full-time for eight years, during which her style has refined itself into a bold, highly crafted expression of her love for natural forms. Her current work was inspired by microscopic forms such as plankton and algae.

Pamela often uses metallic glazes fired to a high temperature. The result resembles metal more than clay.

“I’m working on the edge of my materials,” she said. She works very methodically, labouring over her pieces for weeks sometimes.

While some pieces are lustrous and glossy, others have a more matt texture. “I play mad scientist with the chemicals,” Pamela explained while showing me the different kilns she bakes her pieces in.

The beauty of her pieces to me is that they evoke so many different kinds of forms. Many of her orbs look like intergalactic objects.

“Everything starts with an orb and then I either add or subtract elements,” she said.

Pamela is experimenting with oval forms now, so watch her website for updates on those. And read about her husband Paul Sunday’s paintings on my own blog here.

What is [...]]]> After showing Rupert Smith and Warren Matthee’s home in Wednesday’s post, I thought it might be interesting to show you more of their boutique store, o.live, Chemistry of Living. I went to the store to take some snaps, and also managed to pin Rupert down and get him to answer a couple of questions:

What is concept behind o.live ?
Warren and I started o.live about 10 years ago, and the idea was that is would be an outlet for local creatives, and also somewhere we could show the things we are attracted to. It started out as a tiny shop that was going to be a “hobby” for when we were not busy. But 10 years later, i’s become something a lot bigger and more time consuming.

I’m always unsure how to pronounce o.live. Can you help?
o.live is pronounced like the word “olive”. The spelling is a play on words, highlighting the word “live”. We included the unusual punctuation as a bit of a joke, because we came up with the name at the time of the .com boom.

How much of what we see at o.live reflects in your home?
There is definitely a crossover between our house and the shop. Both are filled with things that we love, and we’re often torn between what to keep and what to put in the shop.

What are you noticing in terms of trends, reflected in your store?
I do think that retro / vintage is very big, and combining it with new and old makes for an interesting mix. Of course, these days we need to be thinking green, and o.live embraces this by finding and updating old furniture, as well as having tables and benches manufactured from reclaimed wood.

What are some of your favorites in o.live right now?
Vintage gold porcelain tea set , framed vintage horse prints , feather inner pillows for lounging and elongated reclaimed wooden table and benches re upholstered 50’s and 60’s lounge suites.

Thanks, Rupert (and Warren too)! Visit o.live, chemistry of living at the bottom of Kloof Street in Cape town.

Lula Fabrics is a pretty new venture for you, but you’ve been involved in textiles and design for a while. Tell us about your background.I’ve had a long-term fascination with fabrics. [...]]]> Recently, I visited the Lula Fabrics showroom to take a couple of snaps, and also to interview the brains and style behind Lula, Melissa Kerhoff.

Lula Fabrics is a pretty new venture for you, but you’ve been involved in textiles and design for a while. Tell us about your background.
I’ve had a long-term fascination with fabrics. As a schoolgirl, I’d venture into Cape Town on a Saturday morning and buy shwe-shwe fabrics off the market on the Grand Parade, and make them up into into fun baggies, skirts and dresses. My high school artwork was always vibrantly coloured and intricately designed, and so my art teacher suggested a career in textile design. After school, this is what I studied as the Ruth Prowse School of Art.

I started my career in the decor industry at Mavromac, where I got fantastic insight into the world’s most beautiful textile collections. I also worked at Home Fabrics, selling their imported ranges, and then at Tessa Sonik, before starting Lula Fabrics in March 2007.

Tell us about the collections you’ve designed for Lula.
The first collection, Damask and Paisley, was inspired by traditional paisley and damask designs, printed with an Indian block printed feel in soft, romantic, monochromatic colours on sheer linens.

My second range was very graphic and bold, called Delicious Monster Leaf with a co-ordinating stripe and Indian ornamental design. The colourways are both sophisticated and also cheerful, and the fabrics work well in outdoor areas and living rooms.

My latest range is called the New Tribal Collection, and it moves away from the traditional designs I started out with. I’ve used various linen basecloths and included a bold contemporary stripe.

What’s the inspiration behind the New Tribal Collection?
This collection has been brewing since 1996, when I visited Turkey and encountered Suzani textiles for the first time. Suzanis are hand-dyed and embroidered textiles in vivid and intense colours. They come from Uzbekistan, and are a true work of art.

While in London last year, I visited the Haymarket Hotel, where the designer Kit Kemp had upholstered a wing back chair and large square ottoman in Suzanis. These magnificent pieces made me decide it was time to use this long-held inspiration in my own work.

Suzanis have provided inspiration to many other big names, like Christian Fischbacher, Manuel Canovas, Pierre Frey and Robert Kime… and now Lula too!

Who are your design and style icons?
Tricia Guild, for her love of colour and romance, and for her whimsical and sometimes funky design. I also respect and admire the growth of her empire, producing fabrics, gorgeous soft furnishings and bedlinen, as well as her hugely inspirational books!

Pierre Frey, for his panache and fantastic attitude: he produces designs that he loves, and not just what’s fashionable or on-trend.

Kathryn Ireland, because her middle name is Melissa… not really! Actually, I feel a kinship with her, as the same things drive us both – the love of family, friends, animals, cosy comfortable living spaces adorned with beautiful fabrics. Her range, like mine, was borne out of her love of fabrics and her passion for beautiful things.

Tell us about a few of your favourite things
I love…
… my daughter Erin’s laughter. It comes from her gut and is completely contagious.
… the adoring nature of my cat, Lula-Cuddle-Cat
… my Grandmother’s 1940’s rose-cut diamond engageme
nt ring, because it symbolises the great love my grandparents shared for 63 years.

What are the plans for the future of Lula Fabrics?
Our website is under construction and will include a blog. Visit www.lulafabrics.co.za and sign up for our newsletter about upcoming events on the Lula calendar.

In many ways, Heartworks has pioneered South African crafts, really putting them on the map, and so I’m thrilled to be able to post this interview with Margaret Woermann, the visionary behind the three Heartworks stores in Cape Town.