5 Minutes With Designer Tristan du Plessis

Tristan du Plessis, founder of Johannesburg-based boutique interior architecture firm Studio A, whose work we have featured numerous times, is creating a Collaborative Roomset stand with a “Beach Cabin” theme for True Design at Design Joburg.

This exhibit will feature leading international brands Cassina, Kartell, Flos and Moroso. Here, he tells us more about what we can expect.

What will you be doing at Design Joburg?
We will be designing a “beach cabin” style space, or at least our take on a beach cabin, with Moroso, Flos, Cassina and Kartell.

Why are you a good fit with these brands?
I am personally a huge fan of these brands and the elevated craftsmanship they stand for. We recently completed a project in Rosebank, a club called MESH (which VISI featured here), where we were privileged to customise iconic pieces from Cassina and Moroso. We’ve formed a good relationship with these brands.

What can visitors expect from the stand you are designing?
Our intention is to create a slick and serene breath-of-fresh-air space in which visitors can appreciate the design details and craftsmanship of Cassina, Kartell, Moroso and Flos pieces up close.

What do you think sets Africa apart from the rest of the world with regards to design?
Growth. Africa is rapidly growing and keeping up with this growth is both exciting and challenging. This creates demand and room for the development of new ideas. Africa hasn’t reached its full potential just yet, so the possibilities are endless. While some more established parts of the globe seem to have reached a point of stagnation, the African continent is a trailblazer in original design.

Any scoops on upcoming projects for Studio A?
We have some great high-end residential projects coming up this year in Johannesburg and in Normandy in France. We are also busy with two restaurants in Miami, Florida and wrapping up a fast-casual-food concept in Dubai. In Johannesburg, we are working on a bar called Milk and Honey that is going to be a departure from our masculine aesthetic.

What trend/s are you all over for 2017? 
Detail. There is luxury in the detail of design. This is a trend I am sure we’ll be seeing more and more of. The focus is on creating a design experience and carrying this through into small, usually indistinct, or often overlooked, details.

Which international designer would you like to spend a whole day with and what would you do with them? 
Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall Design in Japan. I would spend a day in Tokyo at his office and try to figure out what keeps him pushing ahead of the rest of the design world.

JVR Architects and Generation Store will also come together to create a Collaborative Roomset at Design Joburg – you can read more about it here. Thabisa Mjo and Tempur are also collaborating. The show runs from 12 to 14 May 2017. Tickets are priced between R80 and R110 and are available here.