PHOTOS: Greg Cox | WORDS: Michelle Coburn
She may have left our shores years ago, but Denise Zidel returns regularly to snap up African furniture and crafts for her chic Toronto showroom.
Opening a new shop at the start of a global recession is quite a step to take.
Making the venture so successful that expansion to other major cities is on the cards a mere three years later says a lot about Denise Zidel’s business skills – and a whole lot more about the quality and appeal of the work she sources, promotes and sells.
A former radiographer who “lived only in black and white”, she says colour returned to her life when she visited South Africa four years ago after a long absence.
With the help of childhood friend Steve Simon, Denise began to develop a symbiotic relationship with local designers and craftspeople, promoting their businesses along with her own.
Visitors to Snob will find Haldane Martin’s Zulu Mama chair and Fiela Feather Light alongside Ronel Jordaan’s felt pebbles, gorgeous Egyptian pierced metal pendants and hand-carved stone objects by a Zimbabwean street artisan.
Each object is distinguished from the rest by the story behind it – hence the name of Denise’s business. “I like pieces with history and I love beautiful, handcrafted things,” she explains, which is why friends and family teasingly call her a snob.
Snob’s display at last year’s Toronto Interior Design Show made a major splash and Denise’s growing clientele base includes designers, hotels, restaurants and homeowners, many of whom own custom-made pieces resulting from collaboration between Denise and the artisan or designer.
If one of South Africa’s most valuable resources is the talent, optimism and entrepreneurship of her people, then it’s safe to say we’re exporting it across the Atlantic by the container-load thanks to Denise Zidel – curator, collector and Design Ambassador At Large.
