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Fun furniture : Lina shelving -
Fun furniture : Arne side table -
Fun furniture -
Fun furniture : Lina desk and bench -
Fun furniture : Lina horizontal shelving -
Fun furniture : Play cupboard -
Fun furniture : Play cupboard -
Fun furniture : Play cupboard -
Fun furniture : Lina desk and bench
WORDS: Remy Raitt
VISI loves the multifunctional, child-friendly designs produced by Cape Town based label Designwerkstatt. With a name like that and the brand’s distinctly European aesthetic, we weren’t surprised to learn that the lady behind it all is German born.
Judith Klingebiel started Designwerkstatt after she had her first child. “I could never quite find the right furniture piece – something simple, affordable and of good quality. So I took off to my workshop and started designing and making things myself.”
Since the family lives in a small space, good storage solutions were important. “Most items had to be space saving and multifunctional,” she says.
With a degree in architecture and eight years’ experience in international and architectural design, Judith originally moved to Cape Town in 2006 search of a new challenge – which she’s now created.
She designs and makes all the Designwerkstatt products with the help of a small group of local tradesmen. There’s also a focus on keeping green: although she now gets her plywood from overseas, the metal is sourced and worked locally and she uses lead-free paints.
“My design philosophy is ‘less is more’, and it’s very much influenced by my architectural background. I enjoy the process of developing a product from inception through to site installation, and it gives me great pleasure to see that a product can give somebody else hours of play time and fun.”
Designwerkstatt’s space-saving Lina design is a fine example of this philosophy in action. Made from plywood, the piece doubles up as a desk and a bench for kids’ activities and was designed specifically for small people in small spaces. The bench fits snuggly under the desk, while the shelf below is perfect for storing crayons, books and games. With matching shelves available too, Lina is perfect for a child’s bedroom or to take out into the garden during play time.
We’re also impressed with the Play cupboard, designed to create a stimulating play environment that doubles up as a storage facility. Kitted out with everything a child would need to enjoy cooking, cleaning and playing shop, the cupboard is also designed so that when the kids outgrow it, the play equipment can be taken out and it can be used to store other items.
A large range of other functional, child-friendly pieces, as well as custom designs, is also available.
More information: www.designwerkstatt.co.za, info@designwerkstatt.co.za , 074 416 7357
