Haldane’s new SuperRational collection brings Memphis energy outdoors.
WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Inge Prins
At Cape Town Furniture Week 2026, South African design maverick Haldane Martin gave us a sneak peek of the new Haldane outdoor collections, including SuperRational – a range of modular sofas with a hint of ’80s charm.
The inspiration for SuperRational stems from a very specific memory. “As a design student, I was intrigued by an image of the Memphis boxing ring sofa. Its proper name is Tawaraya designed by Masanori Umeda. The photograph showed the whole Memphis group gathered on it, headed by Ettore Sottsass. It was described as a space for intellectual sparring. But, it looked like the beginning of something far more intimate,” explains Haldane.
With its striking open wire-grid frames, the new outdoor collection tips its hat to the maximalist graphics that characterised the Memphis movement, but in more wearable finishes: light, open and geometric stainless-steel frames playfully contrast with weighty, textured upholstery and retro piping.
Comprising one-seater units, an ottoman plus a sofa clip table, the SuperRational collection offers infinite possibilities with a modular seating system that can be repeated and arranged to form multiple compositions for every outdoor space. | haldane.co.za
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