Studio Sneak Peek : Head On Design

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

We were fortunate enough to spend some time chatting to Joanna Orr, the talented hands behind Head On Design, in her sunlit showroom in Canterbury Studios where she shared some of the history of her animals and many amusing lessons she's garnered along the way from being a small-scale start-up to a streamlined business able to cope with multiple large orders.

Jo's elegant sculptural pieces are a play and an ironic twist on the traditional "hunting trophies". She has taken a concept so tainted in our green, eco-conscious age and transformed it into something beautiful, iconic and earth friendly. Both the ranges of trophy heads and the free-standing animals stocked at KIN are made from sustainable materials - Xanita (a strong, recycled cardboard which is 100% re-pulpable), a thinner recycled paperboard for the smaller sculptures, or bamboo.

Instead of being symbolic of man's power, Head On Design's figures celebrate the inherent beauty of African animals, and highlight Joanna's innate understanding of form and flawless expression of it. Through her design work, Jo is also cultivating an understanding of how precious these creatures are, and the most recent addition to the range, the rhino, has been created to bring awareness and funding to the right people, with the hope that of saving these majestic creatures from extinction.

The muted, natural colours compliment the ethos of the company and enhance any interior space - indeed we have spotted the trophy heads in glossy magazines, boutique restaurants and even at the high-fashion J&B Met.

The animals are made up of laser-cut 2D pieces that slot perfectly together to create the exquisite 3D sculptures. Each comes flat-packed with full instructions for fun and easy assembly. There is something wonderful about opening a small, neat cardboard box full of abstract shapes and transforming them into the complex animal structures of the Nguni, Kudu, Elephant and Rhino.

Browse or buy Head On Design items online here

Follow Head On Design on Facebook here

Studio Sneak Peek : Inge Marais Jewellery

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

Last year we were lucky enough to spend some time in the exciting studio of Inge Marais where she expertly demonstrated how she makes her "I Love You Like..." Heart Pendants right from a blob of silver all the way to a carefully hand-coloured piece of beauty hanging on a chain.

 

A little more about Inge and her passion for what she does:

I studied for my BA in Jewellery Design and Metal Technique at the University of Stellenbosch. It’s an all encompassing jewellery course where we learn how to make jewellery from scratch: from granules of metal to a finished piece, with some gemology, drawing, printmaking and photography thrown in for good measure. After completing my BA, armed with all the skills I’d need, I decided to do my MA in visual arts, specialising in jewellery design. This was 4 years of jewellery-making bliss where I could experiment and play to my heart’s content, culminating in my MA exhibition entitled ‘Transformation’ at the BLANK projects gallery in Cape Town. I then worked as a manufacturing jeweler and goldsmith in London, mostly for one British designer, while doing my own bits on the side. This was a wonderful experience but now I’m back in SA and making my own jewellery full time.

The content of my new work grapples with what it means to be back living in South Africa - it is starting out with having quite a bit of focus on nature and what I take from being outdoors - the freedom, the space. Where I see this going is me re- exploring my culture, mixing in the Afrikaans. I also draw inspiration from my loyal partner in crime who would sometimes just come to me out of the blue and say – hey you should make a sputnik.

I work with sterling and fine silver, some copper and brass. I oxidise and leave some pieces  un–pickled so that the traces of the heating process remains. I’ve used enamel paint in the past – that might make a comeback.

My jewellery can be fun, humorous, ironic and clever but always beautiful and delicate. It is personal, whimsical and honest, sentimental and romantic. I use image and text in some ranges but in other ranges I use repetition and pattern to create objects that are tactile. Movement and where the piece sits on the body is very important to me.

It's been so wonderful to get to know Inge, her dedication to her art-form and her love of the extraordinary found in everyday moments. Her ranges have grown to really reflect the light-hearted, spirited artist that she is, and we can't wait to see what is in store for Inge Marais Jewellery in the year ahead.

Follow Inge on Twitter here

Find Inge on Facebook here

Studio Sneak Peek : Sharon B Design

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

 

With a background in film and advertising, Sharon Boonzaier is an established artist and designer, who explores a wide variety of creative mediums ranging from drawing and oil paintings to murals and lighting. There is magic in the simplicity of her tea-light shades which effortlessly turn her sketches into quiet, contemplative 3D objects.

Sharon often creates artwork that celebrates South Africa’s indigenous fauna and flora and urges the viewer to make steps towards protecting it. She is one of the founding members of The Concious Art Collaborative, a group of artists, designers and film makers who contribute to finding solutions for conservation.

Sharon's studio is an enchanting space to visit! Shelves are stacked high with palettes, textured papers and canvases, and work tables decorated with glass bottles of coloured inks and paintings paused in completion while layers dry. She often holds art classes there, and it's a treat to hear her talk about her own work, the new directions she is exploring and the passion she has for portraying the beauty of nature.

To follow Sharon on Facebook click here
To browse her gorgeous tealight shade range click here

Studio Sneak Peek : judith+kevin

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

judith+kevin – one part American, the other part South African – met in New York and immediately connected over their love of stories. Three years later, they moved to Cape Town, their love carefully packed up in their carry-on luggage, and decided to settle by the lighthouse.

Their work reflects the things they love most – books, beautifully printed cards, writing, graphic design, illustration and typography. Although Kevin will tell you that their mutual love of writing and reading out loud often leads to silly poems – it’s their easy, light-hearted spirit that infuses even their simplest products and makes their work so irresistibly charming.

We had the lucky chance of catching up with Kevin over a cup of coffee, and we were able to take a peek into the creation process of his typography and design work. All Kevin's ideas are first hand-drawn and edited over and over until he is completely happy with design, and only then does he begin to work on it digitally. We all sat enchanted as Kevin showed us his old-school, leather-bound sketchbooks and designs-in-progress on sheet of translucent paper. His natural passion for typography as an art form is so evident in the layers upon layers of penciled versions he explores as he searches for that sweet spot in the process when the design balances and becomes whole. In a world of tablets, screens and printers, it was a rare treat to see all this beautiful, hand-drawn design work!

Follow judith+kevin on Facebook here
 

Studio Sneak Peek - Simple Intrigue

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

Treasure hunter, hoarder, maker of stuff, collector, browser, day dreamer, walker, traveller and owner of a vivid imagination. A lover of all things old and new, colour, silence, design, paper, forgotten items and spaces, the Karoo, buildings and structural lines. Keri Muller is a maker of stuff – a lot of different stuff.

She folds, glues and cuts paper and old books into artworks, traditional origami shapes and more abstract pieces. Collecting and hoarding abandoned objects and books and giving them another life as artworks forms the basis of much of her work. Her range of drawings, thought cards and pop-up cards are light-hearted, encouraging and whimsical.

The rapidity of Keri's thoughts can clearly been seen in her beautiful studio in Muizenberg. Her workspace feels as though it's ready for the next project, the next inspired thought - it has the materials at hand, the space ready. What a treat to visit such a place!

Visit Simple Intrigue online.
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Studio Sneak Peek : MOKO

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks.

Dagmar Grimmelikhuysen, owner and sole designer of Moko has always been inspired by the beauty of Mother Nature and all things earthy. She enjoys working with wood and natural mediums and loves the variety of textures, patterns and smells she deals with on a daily basis.

MOKO began with a range of children’s toys and has now taken a turn into homeware and decor design which is Dagmar’s latest passion. All pieces are made using recycled wood or wood from sustainable forestry.

Although her main medium is wood, Dagmar also incorporates bits of leather, water-based paints, and varnishes into her work. She often experiments with other mediums as a way to spark creativity and growth.

Visit MOKO's website

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Studio Sneak Peek - A Bird Named Frank

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers, and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks.

Caryn Fourie and Peter Campbell are the complimentary creative forces behind A Bird Named Frank. With backgrounds in fashion design and fine art respectively; together they produce a jewellery range that has become known for its minimalist aesthetic and clean geometric focus.

Their designs have always been refreshingly simple, and A Bird Named Frank is characterised by subtlety, muted tones, fine detail and quality in craftsmanship. Each item is made with a determined focus on creating wearable pieces and to a standard bordering on perfectionism.

Visit A Bird Named Frank's blog
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Studio Sneak Peek - My China

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

The name "My China" is a play on words with roots in Cockney slang: My China referring to a mate or friend from "My mate, my china plate" and China simultaneously referring to high quality ceramic ware originally made in China.

Frances Kierman launched My china in 2008 as a business which fused her love of drawings, colour and ceramics. She loves South Africa's fascinating bird life, unique Fynbos and all the other wild & strange creatures that live in it. She doodles her thoughts, and her drawings become the irresistible transfers that brand her work. My China's range of ceramics has grown and developed, but as the shapes and sizes evolve, it's easy to spot those clean white vessel with their signature hints of a bright, bold palette.

Like many fellow designers, Frances' talents have more than one avenue of expression - Flick Glass is the part of her business for which she makes jewellery from captivating, liquid-looking pieces of dichroic glass. All the glass is cut by hand in her studio, stacked with micro-layers of precious metals or oxides, and fused to form the intricate layers of shifting colour.

KIN, of course, stocks both My China (bowls in three sizes, vases, bottle stoppers, bunnies, milk jugs, sugar bowls, S&P sets, mugs, espresso cups and platters) and Flick Glass (studs - tiny glass squares mounted onto sterling silvers posts) at both Kloof and V&A.

Visit My China and Flick Glass online
Support My China and Flick Glass on Facebook