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A corner of the new Anatomy Design store includes the brand’s Lindy shelving unit and many bespoke small items. -
The Robert wingback chair and stool are complemented by a chunky side table. -
The Awkward wall light hangs over a Tengile sofa. -
The Derek sofa, an artwork by Mary Visser, and the Southern Guild chair, designed by Anatomy and upholstered in fabric by Aureum.
WORDS Sarah Buitendach PHOTOS Supplied
Joburg’s much-loved Anatomy Design has brought some City of Gold glitz to Cape Town with a bijoux new showroom.
Andrea Kleinloog and Megan Hesse’s award-winning furniture brand Anatomy Design now has a delightful spot in the De Waterkant’s mini design hub. Situated next door to cool children’s haven Kids Living, across from pot-plant people Folha and just down the drag from Roche Bobois’s huge design showroom, it’s in good company.
This exact location is not a “by the by”. “We’ve learnt that having a store isn’t just about geography – it’s about who your neighbours are… and we have excellent ones,” explains Andrea. VISI spoke to this half of the dynamite duo between her trips to oversee interior projects in Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe and across South Africa. (Hesse Kleinloog, the studio part of the business, handles these sorts of gigs.)
It helps that Anatomy’s new store is also a stone’s throw from tourist-trappy V&A Waterfront. In December, and days into opening, it was swamped by overseas holiday-makers. “One international visitor bought our Christmas tree straight off the shop floor,” says Andrea.
Megan, Andrea and their team have had various retail spaces in Joburg over the years (today you’ll find them in Kramerville), so they know what works. “We pay the same rent as say, a T-shirt or trainers company, but we’re never going to be able to move the stock they do,” Andrea says. “You can sell a thousand T-shirts but not a thousand high-end couches.” Anatomy’s Mother City space is, as Andrea calls it, a conceptual jewel box for the considerate customer. In it, you’ll find some of their bigger pieces (like said couches) – but also smalls such as mirrors, vases, lights and scatter cushions. Want any of the large items not on display? They’re one quick website purchase away.
READ MORE: Design Journey: Anatomy Design
And speaking of those mirrors: they’re part of what the team see as their mission to bring some real Joburg glam to Cape Town, albeit the good-taste kind. Think reflective surfaces and loads of mixed metallics, and you get the gist. Business brains aside, “We are also trying not to be just another sensible furniture shop,” says Andrea. “We want to have some fun!”
Mixed into the fun for 2023 will be some new items and collections that have largely come about because of the big interior developments they’re working on right now – new lighting and an outdoor range included.
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