Handmade by Jan Douglas

Cape Town architect Jan Douglas is relatively new to the furniture design game, although his approach to design would hint otherwise. Using honest materials, Jan creates pieces that incorporate contemporary aesthetics with a more established handmade praxis.

VISI’s Remy Raitt spoke to Jan about his furniture, being selected as part of the Cape Craft and Design Handmade Collection, his success at Design Indaba and why he names his products after non-existent characters in fictional local narratives.

To start off with, can you tell me a bit about how you got into designing furniture?
I see you are a trained architect; does this influence your approach to product design?

As an architect, I’ve always been interested in designing ‘complete’ environments, so it feels quite natural to be concerned with the smaller scale items that we interact with on a daily basis, sometimes in a more intimate manner than with buildings.

An interest in materials also inspires a lot of my work. I recently completed a woodworking course, and the desire to join together pieces of a valuable material such as wood in an elegant and straightforward manner that respects the qualities of the material is a driving factor in the process.

Working with smaller scale items like furniture gives me the opportunity to explore the above themes in an environment where you have complete control over the end result. Every piece then forms a part of my further education, reflecting my increasing level of skill and understanding of a material.

You’ve interned at Wallpaper magazine. That must have been an incredible experience…

Yes, it was a good opportunity to see how things work behind the scenes (I’m sure it is very similar to VISI magazine). It also made me realise that South Africa has a very rich heritage to explore: in terms of how we use spaces, materials and climate, and how we can address these factors to make work that is responsive and meaningful within a very specific context.

There seems to be a huge move to handmade furniture and products in
general, why do you think this is so?

People are fed up with mass produced items generally released to stimulate an imaginary market. Handmade items somehow feel more real. In the end, the pieces carry with them the story of their growth, as well as all the blood, sweat, tears and small imperfections that occur during production.

You’ve described your materials as being “humble”.  What exactly do you mean by this?

(At the moment) I am interested in materials that come straight from nature – wood, stone and metal – and using them in a way that highlights their inherent qualities. This as opposed to using man-made materials such as various plastics and polymers often manipulated only to fulfil a whimsical, formal ambition.

The materials, and hopefully the pieces, are humble in that they are not trying to be something they are not.

We really like the authentically South African names of your products.
What’s the rationale behind your choices?

The ‘Kantelknaap’ was the first piece in the collection, and the name was derived from its ability to swivel and the fact that it does look a little bit like a strange creature or character. The other pieces followed in this chap’s footsteps, and of course they had to be part of the family too.

I like the idea that they might all be characters in some strange narrative, although the story is only hinted at through their names. It could be a family saga in the grand South African tradition of the seminal book, Sewe dae by die Silbersteins, or perhaps something a little bit lighter like Egoli, place of gold?

Do you think your products will always reflect your nationality and heritage?

I hope so; it has shaped me, and the work I produce is a further investigation into what it means to be here, to be made here and to reflect the spirit of this place.

How was the Design Indaba and what was the response there to your work?

Design Indaba was an extremely encouraging experience, with incredibly positive feedback.

It was also very inspiring to meet fellow designers and creators, producing some interesting, thought provoking and/or beautiful work.

Also, congratulations on being selected for the CCDI Handmade Collection. What does this mean for you?

Thank you. It is always nice to get some recognition, and collections like this give one exposure beyond one’s normal environment, hopefully leading to further interesting possibilities.

What’s next?

To continue to investigate how we deal with our everyday surroundings, and the way in which these surroundings influence us and become a part of our stories. Immediate plans to expand the family of products include a very long bench and a coffee table composed of
different parts, held together by gravity.

More information: www.jandouglas.co.za