WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Jan Ras

Millennial beige is not something you could ever associate with Cape Town-based interior designer Roxanne Ferreira. Her Arrange Studio designs – and, as you can see, the clothes she wears – are all about colour. “We believe colour can make you happy,” she says on her website, reaffirming the brand’s mission “to transform surroundings into somewhere that exudes joy”.

We paid Roxanne a visit to get a sense of the personal objects that have informed her aesthetic. Many of her traditional keepsakes are in storage – “We’ve moved quite a lot during the past few years, including onto a sailboat!” – but these are the everyday keepsakes she holds dear.

My ring

“This ring belonged to my husband’s grandfather – he found it in the glove box of a second-hand car he had just bought. He tried his best to find the original owner, with no luck. It was then passed on to my husband’s mom, but it didn’t fit her. And then my husband (then boyfriend) gave it to me for my birthday 10 years ago. It fits perfectly; I’ve been wearing and cherishing it ever since.”

Set of chairs

“My parents were gift ed these for their wedding more than four decades ago. I love them – they’re light and foldable, so we’ve had many picnics in the garden on them. They’ve travelled to three different cities with us, and hopefully we can pass them down to our daughter one day too.”

Missibaba bag

“Chloe Townsend of Missibaba custom-made this hold-all baby bag for me just before our daughter was born, and I’ll cherish it forever. The colours make me so happy! There are compartments inside for bottles, and even a custom striped changing mat.”

Hats

“These are just some of the hats my friend and milliner Albertus Swanepoel made for me. He passed away last year and I miss him every day.”

My mom’s jeans & dungarees

“I’m so lucky that my mom kept many of her clothes from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, and that my sisters and I get to wear them now. These jeans and dungarees are some of my all-time favourites – how great is the striped lining on the hem of the jeans?”

Sea shells

“I’ve been collecting shells since I was little. The rush of finding a whole sea urchin in a rock pool is unmatched! As I’ve grown older, the collection has grown to include shell-shaped bowls and plates too.”

Stickers

“My love for stickers started when I was young, and my sticker book was one of my prized possessions. My collection includes fancy stickers bought in Japan – but also some cute ones found at local stationery shops. I’m always adding to this collection because I love using stickers when making birthday cards for friends. My daughter recently discovered them too, so the stash will soon get depleted if I don’t store them somewhere safe!”

Small plates

“These are a few of the many small plates and painted ceramics I bought in Japan. I try to use them often, not just keep them for ‘one day’ – they bring back wonderful memories of that country with each use.”

Pins

“Some were gifts, some used to belong to my parents… They’re such a fun way of personalising your wardrobe.”

Prototype of an Arrange Studio light

“This is the original prototype for Arrange Studio’s Paradise light. I’ll always be thankful to this light and its design, and the joy and pride it’s brought me.”

Crocheted blanket

“My mom crocheted this for me years ago – it reminds me of a Missoni pattern. There’s something about a gift that took many hours and lots of love to create that makes you cherish it even more.”

Bracelets

“I inherited these from my mother-in-law after she passed. She loved dressing up and had the most incredible jewellery collection. I’ll keep these for my daughter.” | arrangestudio.co.za

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Conceived as a quiet alternative to industrial hardware, Urban Toolshed creates elevated fittings that highlight materiality and craftsmanship. Founded by two architects and a homeware buyer, the Cape Town-based studio prides itself on creating considered hardware that serves both structure and ritual.

The newly released Gerrit Giebel Collection, designed by Gerrit Giebel, foregrounds Urban Toolshed’s commitment to elevating fittings into objects of lasting purpose.

Consisting of five knobs, formed in aluminium and anodised in four colourways, the Gerrit Giebel Collection presents a playful yet functional twist on graphic lines.

Named for their geometry, the five designs in the collection are architecturally considered but not austere: the Bulbous, rounded and generous, invites touch; the Pitch tapers to a point, offering precise geometry with a quiet confidence; the Stack layers horizontally; the Parabol arcs outward from its centre, catching light differently with every shift in angle; and the Invert turns the familiar form inside out, concave where others are convex.

The collection is produced in 100 per cent aluminium, anodised for lustre and longevity. Each colourway is anodised into the aluminium, not applied over it. The permanence of this process ensures that the colour does not just ‘sit’ on the surface of the knobs – the colour becomes the surface.

• Ochre – a warm amber tone, suited to kitchens and studies, to unlacquered oak and honed stone.
• Mussel – a muted coastal teal that reads quietly against pale cabinetry and natural materials.
• Pure – an off-white hue that allows the form of the knob to take centre stage.
• Plum – a deep, dusty mauve, perfect for bedrooms and wardrobes.

The Gerrit Giebel Collection, along with Urban Toolshed’s other minimal and graphic ranges, is available online. urbantoolshed.com | @urbantoolshed

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Founded in 2021 by Chelsea and Andrew Makin, the design studio produces sculptural yet functional objects that explore texture, geometry and balance through sustainable thinking and experimentation.

Designed by Chelsea, ‘Gathered’ exemplifies the brand’s approach to creating tactile, collectable designs shaped by material play.

The pendant’s design sits between the botanical and the architectural. Taking its name from the act of folding – the gathering of pleats in cloth, the gathering of petals around a stem – ‘Gathered’ fans outward from a central point in deep, radiating flutes that cast their own shadow play, depending on the angle of light.

Like Alkaline’s WAYST pendant, ‘Gathered’ doesn’t shy away from the marks of its making. The surface carries the horizontal texture of a 3D-printed original – a record of the process, preserved in the casting rather than sanded away. Chelsea began with a 3D-printed prototype but, confronting the material limitations of printed plastic near heat, chose to scale up the original form, make a mould and cast it in resin and gypsum instead. The result is a shade with the surface memory of its digital origin but the weight, opacity and permanence of a cast object.

‘Gathered’ is available in four colourways, each with a colour-matched textile cord. alkaline-shop.com | info@alkaline-shop.com

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WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Supplied

When the original Volkswagen Golf launched in 1976, it quietly rewrote the rules of performance design. There were faster cars, and more luxurious ones, but none blended everyday usability with sharp-edged intent so convincingly. Over five decades, the GTI has evolved from a stripped-back experiment into a design icon, its visual language continually refined without losing the DNA that made it instantly recognisable. Red pinstripes, tartan cloth, subtle aggression – these cues have been reinterpreted across eight generations, each reflecting its era’s tastes and technologies. This is the story of how the Golf GTI grew up without ever losing its youthful edge. 

THE ORIGINAL STATEMENT: Mark I (1976–1983)

The first GTI was never meant to be a design revolution, yet it became one through restraint. Based on the clean, geometric lines of the standard Golf, its designers introduced a new visual vocabulary for performance: minimal but deliberate. The (now legendary) thin red grille surround offered just enough flair to signal intent without excess. Black plastic wheel-arch extensions gave it a grounded, purposeful stance, while the absence of chrome hinted at modernity.

Inside, the tartan upholstery added personality to an otherwise functional cabin – an early example of performance design extending beyond mechanicals into lifestyle. The Mk1 GTI’s genius lay in its clarity: it didn’t shout; it sharpened.

REFINEMENT AND MATURITY: Mark II (1984–1992)

Reflecting a broader 1980s shift towards rounded forms, the Mk2 GTI softened the original’s starkness. It grew in size, too: a more substantial silhouette, with larger glass areas and smoother transitions between surfaces. Yet, crucially, the GTI identity remained intact.

VW’s designers retained the red grille accent and black arch trims, but integrated them more cohesively into the body. The proportions grew, lending the car a more mature presence without sacrificing its sporty stance. Inside, the tartan continued, reinforcing continuity. This generation marked the GTI’s transition from rebellious upstart to established icon, its design less raw and more resolved.

SUBTLETY TAKES OVER: Mark III (1993–1999)

By the early 1990s, the GTI’s design language became more conservative, mirroring a broader industry trend towards safety and aerodynamics. The Mk3’s rounded, almost softened face reduced the visual aggression of its predecessors. The red detailing remained but felt less pronounced, while the body lost some of the crispness that had defined earlier models.

This was a GTI that blended in more than it stood out. The restraint signalled an important shift: the GTI was becoming less about visual rebellion and more about everyday integration. Design became quieter, almost understated – a theme that would echo in later generations.

PRECISION AND QUALITY: Mark IV (1998–2004)

The Mk4 GTI marked a turning point in perceived quality and design precision. Its surfaces were cleaner, tighter and more sophisticated, reflecting VW’s push into premium territory. The design language became minimalist, with subtle creases replacing overt detailing. This generation was modest in terms of styling, and was the first and only GTI to do away with the iconic red strip in the radiator grille. Nevertheless, the vehicle still became an icon, celebrated today as the starting point of a new, cleaner era of vehicle design.

Aluminium accents and improved materials inside elevated the cabin, moving the GTI into a more upscale space. This generation prioritised cohesion over character, losing some of the earlier models’ playful edge, but gaining a sense of solidity and craftsmanship that would define Volkswagen design for years.

THE RETURN OF ENERGY: Mark V (2004–2009)

The Mk5 GTI reintroduced visual excitement after the restraint of the Mk4. Its design embraced contrast and texture: a bold honeycomb grille, the red pinstripe was back, and sculpted bumpers gave the car renewed vitality. The proportions felt more athletic, with a wider stance and stronger shoulder line. The circular fog lights embedded in the grille became a defining feature, adding a playful yet aggressive touch. For the interior, tartan upholstery returned with confidence, reconnecting the GTI to its roots. This generation struck a balance between heritage and modernity, reminding the world that the GTI could still have fun.

EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION: Mark VI (2009–2013)

Visually, the Mk6 GTI refined the Mk5 rather than reinventing it. The lines became sharper, the detailing more precise, the overall aesthetic more polished. Slimmer headlamps that introduced LED lighting, a narrower front grille with the iconic red pinstripe and simplified taillights all made for a more angular and aggressive design compared to its predecessor.

This was design as iteration: careful, considered and controlled. It was a more “premium” look that avoided over-styling while still maintaining the “hot hatch” identity. The Mk6 didn’t seek to surprise; it aimed to perfect what already worked.

SHARPENED IDENTITY: Mark VII (2013–2020)

The Mk7 GTI embraced angularity, reflecting a shift towards sharper, more technical design language in the 2010s. Built on a new platform, its proportions improved dramatically – it became lower, longer and wider.

Crisp character lines ran along the body, giving it a taut, almost architectural quality. The front end became more assertive, with a wider grille and more integrated lighting elements. Inside, a digital interface began to reshape the cabin experience, although traditional GTI cues remained. This generation successfully modernised the GTI’s design without diluting its identity, achieving a balance between heritage and innovation.

DIGITAL MINIMALISM MEETS TRADITION: Mark VIII (2020–2026)

The latest Mk8 GTI represents the most radical shift in interior design while maintaining a familiar exterior identity. The exterior evolves the Mk7’s sharpness with slimmer headlights, a lower grille and more intricate lighting signatures, including illuminated elements that redefine how the GTI is recognised at night. The red stripe persists, now integrated into a broader lighting narrative. Body surfaces are cleaner, almost minimalist, reflecting contemporary design trends.

In the new interior, physical controls have given way to digital interfaces, creating a futuristic environment that contrasts the tactile charm of earlier generations. Yet touches like tartan seats remain, anchoring the car in its history.

The latest version of this storied performance hatchback launched in South Africa towards the end of last year. Dubbed the GTI 8.5, it features new LED Plus headlights and standard 19-inch “Queenstown” alloy wheels. Inside, the cabin has ergonomically designed supportive seats, a new 12.9-inch infotainment system and a fully digital cockpit.

We’ve purposefully kept performance out of this design-focused feature. But to underline the Golf GTI’s evolution, the Mark 1 boasted 81kW and 140Nm from its fuel-injected 1.6 litre engine, while the Mark 8.5 offers 195kW and 370Nm from its turbocharged 2.0-litre power plant.

There’s more to this latest GTI than mere performance figures. It’s a car that demonstrates how a design icon can adapt to a digital age without losing its soul – proof that evolution, when handled carefully, can be just as powerful as revolution.

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WORDS Jo Buitendach PHOTOS Courtesy of Strauss & co, Supplied

Art jewellery pushes beyond traditional jewels and gold to focus on ideas, creative expression and one-of-a-kind pieces that act as sculptures for the body. Often made with unconventional materials, it challenges expectations of what jewellery can be.

In South Africa, the movement emerged in the mid-20th century and grew through generations of makers who blur the line between art and adornment. Its defining feature is an emphasis on the artist’s vision over the intrinsic value of materials, resulting in unique, meaningful pieces rather than mass-produced objects. Its significance was underscored in October 2025 when auction house Strauss & Co (straussart.co.za), together with Stellenbosch University’s Creative Jewellery and Metal Design division, presented “Origins & Legacy of Art Jewellery in South Africa” – an online auction and exhibition that traced the movement from its Mid-century pioneers to contemporary leaders.

South African art jewellery took shape as European goldsmiths arrived after World War II and began to experiment with more modern ideas, new forms and materials that were unconventional. Early figures such as Erich Frey, Else Wongtschowski, Dieter Dill, Kurt Jobst, Egon Guenther, Eone de Wet, Mauro Pagliari, Margaret Richardson, Maia Holm and Frida Blumenberg helped to establish an exploratory, artist-driven approach that connected jewellery to wider creative movements.

Today, the local scene may be small, but its makers are exceptionally inventive. We spoke to a select group about what drives their work:

Dr Khanya Mthethwa is an award-winning South African artist, jewellery designer and academic.

Khanya sees art jewellery as “sculpture in motion, carried by the body” – a form that moves “beyond ornament into a space of cultural memory, identity and political presence”, where adornment becomes a kind of language, and the body becomes part of the artwork. Her practice reframes indigenous African knowledge systems that have long been marginalised or reduced to craft. Moving fluidly between jewellery, sculpture and new media, she works with metal, beads, alternative materials and digital processes.

“South Africa is a site of layered history, rupture, resilience and cultural multiplicity,” she says. “It shapes my sensitivity to questions of erasure, survival and reinvention.” This awareness underpins her expanding engagement with African dialogues, both conceptually and materially. Khanya is currently deepening her sculptural and digital practice while developing new bodies of work that engage African archives and memory. She is also preparing for upcoming international exhibitions and research-led collaborations across the continent and abroad. @changingfacets

Geraldine Fenn and Eric Loubser own Tinsel Gallery in Melville, a space that serves as their studio and a showcase for South Africa’s contemporary jewellers. Together, they create, exhibit and champion innovative jewellery.

“We create all kinds of jewellery. As manufacturing jewellers we produce commercial pieces – but everything is handmade and bespoke, so almost every piece is unique. We also make art jewellery, experimenting with materials and concepts, and the two approaches feed into each other creatively,” say Geraldine and Eric.

“Sharing a studio means we constantly influence each other, even while working on separate pieces. Our aesthetics are shaped by our environment and our South African childhood. Living here can be challenging… But it also encourages resourcefulness and experimentation.

“Geraldine is preparing for a solo show at Montreal’s Noel Guyomarc’h gallery in June 2026, supported by a grant from the Art Jewelry Forum.” @ericloubser | @geraldinefenn | @tinselgallery

Joani Groenewald is a lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts at Stellenbosch University, and a jewellery designer, goldsmith and artist.

For Joani, the beauty of art jewellery resists neat categorisation, challenging conventions of value, function and wearability. She uses scale and weight to explore land, ownership and social politics in South Africa, creating pieces that range from large, conceptually heavy forms to smaller, wearable works. Her practice is closely tied to place and materiality, oft en incorporating found objects, clay and plant matter that carry memory and history. Living and working in South Africa informs both her materials and her ideas, while her dual role as researcher and practising artist allows her to move fluidly between thinking and making. She is currently preparing a chapter on activism, and developing a new body of work in her studio. @joanigroenewald1

Dr Bongani TP Mashange is a Zimbabwean-born contemporary jeweller and academic, currently lecturing and pursuing postdoctoral research at Stellenbosch University.

Bongani calls himself “a contemporary art jeweller” – a perspective that shapes everything he does. He sees contemporary jewellery as far more than decoration or craft; for him, it’s an artistic practice that blends traditional and modern techniques to explore ideas. His work delves into the complexity of African identity, with “Afropolitanism” at its heart. Drawing on his Ndebele and Shona heritage, his Zimbabwean roots and life in South Africa, his pieces resemble sculptural objects rather than conventional jewellery. Looking ahead, Bongani plans to deepen his exploration of African identity through the Afropolitan aesthetic, and create new work that reflects diasporic identities and the nuances of trauma. @bonganimashange

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WORDS Jo Buitendach PHOTOS Supplied, Wolfgang Stahr, Robert Rieger, Supplied

Berlin-based architect and designer Gisbert Pöppler has little patience for conventional solutions. His motto – “All or nothing at all” – drives an approach defined by bold colour, eclectic contrasts, and an effortless mix of high-and low-cost elements. This sensibility informs every discipline his studio spans, from architecture and interior design to custom furniture and fittings, lighting design and colour concepts. Gisbert is known for weaving these threads together seamlessly, pairing broad spatial vision with attention to detail.

Having trained at the California College of Arts and Craft s in San Francisco and at the Technische Universität Berlin, he earned his engineering diploma in 1996. Working in several Berlin studios during a period of renewed architectural activity, he gained a foundation that shaped the direction of his own practice. In 2004, he established a boutique full-service studio; today, his team is known for creating commercial and residential spaces that balance tradition with contemporary expression.

Whether it involves sourcing unique vintage pieces or collaborating with local artisans on custom furnishings, each of Gisbert’s projects is tailored to the client. The process begins with observation and conversation – understanding how clients live and work. The result is always a design solution in which function, atmosphere and artistry are tightly integrated, producing spaces that feel considered, personal and beautifully resolved.

“Good design is like a tailor-made suit,” says Gisbert. “It should fit perfectly without being the centre of attention.” And nowhere is this more evident than in The Village, a rooftop pavilion/ apartment that he and his team reimagined in the heart of Berlin. Set atop a 1930s building, the space centres on a large glass enclosure within which three intimate rooms are arranged like standalone structures, dividing the volume into subtly defined, semi-public zones (and inspiring the project’s name). The apartment feels open and generous while remaining warm and inviting. Gisbert achieved this by layering materials, surfaces and textures, with lacquered wood panelling meeting a matte milk-white linoleum sideboard, teak accents and limestone relief. Each element adds depth and character without overwhelming the space.

His own home, the Border Center, sits in an up-and-coming area of Berlin’s historic core. The apartment showcases Gisbert’s eye for underappreciated pieces, each with its own story and provenance, often reflecting the dramatic changes Berlin underwent at the end of the Cold War. Inside, he’s assembled a treasure trove of objects, including a heavily customised conductor’s chair rescued from a dumpster and a travertine marble display table salvaged from a former department store. Each item carries its own sense of history.

Not content with interiors alone, Gisbert has also turned to custom furnishings and product design. Since 2006, his studio has craft ed bespoke pieces for select clients, filling gaps where nothing on the market could complete the vision. With Gisbert’s love of delightfully irregular forms, skewed lines and oval shapes, the ideal object is often easier made than found. Every piece, from storage cabinets to dining tables and couches, is realised through collaboration with artisans across Europe. Many of the designs also showcase his signature colour flair, making each creation a statement.

In collaboration with porcelain producer KPM (Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur), Gisbert reimagined classic porcelain in a contemporary way to create bowls in fashionable colours that he describes as “independent, exciting and great fun”. Presented in duos, each set features two colour combinations with reversed placement. Originally created in 1929 by Wilhelm Löber, whose simple, elegant forms have long inspired Gisbert, the bowls are brought to life through his signature colour-driven spatial thinking. Targeted accents highlight subtle details such as the rim and foot of each piece, giving the classic forms fresh, modern energy.

On the textile front, Gisbert’s Dadi cashmere bed throw offers versatile styling possibilities by folding the contrasting colour combinations of its two sides. This luxuriously heavy blanket is handwoven in a small Nepalese manufactory just outside Kathmandu, on a traditional loom that was custom-built for Gisbert. | gisbertpoeppler.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Alix Rose Cowie, Justin Patrick

Debuting at the RMB Latitudes Art Fair x Design Week South Africa Design Store, PICHULIK’s ‘to move’ collection builds on the series of limited-edition embellished bags first launched at this year’s Cape Town Investec Art Fair.

Drawing on the ancient arts of knotting, crochet, and weaving, the collection explores the language of rope – not just as a material but as a vessel for feminine knowledge. Bright colour, varied weaves, and sculptural fringe create a visual pulse, with each piece marked by a signature cast-brass symbol denoting its edition.

There are five editions in the ‘to move’ collection:

• Bloom – beige woven bag featuring vibrant red-fuchsia fringing and a Bloom Bag Charm.
• Cosmos – black woven bag featuring black fringing and a Cosmos Bag Charm.
• Enso – black and beige woven bag featuring black fringing and an Enso Bag Charm.
• Helix – beige woven bag featuring brown, turquoise, acid yellow, and a Helix Bag Charm.
• Sahara – beige woven bag featuring beige fringing and a Sahara Bag Charm.

The ‘to move’ collection will be available at the RMB Latitudes Art Fair x Design Week South Africa Design Store from 22–24 May and online at pichulik.com.

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WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Supplied

As Italian cities go, Milan isn’t high up on tourist’s list of must-sees. Unlike say Rome or Florence that entertain travellers for a living, Milan is a working city. Of course it is the home to a number of celebrated Italian heritage icons – the great Duomo di Milano cathedral, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper mural at the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent, and the OG of posh shopping malls, the glass-domed Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II – but that aside, most folk are here to earn a living.

Home to Italy’s national stock exchange, Milan is a financial hub, but more famously, also home to the famously stylish nation’s fashion and design industries. There are a lot of very cool people walking the streets… especially during one week of the year in April when the city hosts Milan Design Week and its crown jewel, Salone del Mobile.

Salone is the name given to the world’s premier furniture and interior design fair held at the massive Fiera Milano exhibitions grounds. Think CTICC or Nasrec times ten, with hall after massive hall occupied by the world’s top luxe interior brands, along with a number of independents, and up-and-coming young designers. There are 16 halls and you’ll do well to cover two or three properly in one day. Salone has been going since 1961 and in the late 1980s various city-wide pop-up events started to happen too that that have now grown into what’s known as Milan Design Week.

So that’s the back story. I spent five days in Milan – dividing my time between Salone and the various pop-ups –  and these are the trends that caught my eye.

TREND #1. THE MAKERS MARK

Core

A standout at Salone was the Core range designed by South Tyrolean designer and architect Hannes Peer for Milanese brand SEM. We know “craft” is a global trend in furniture design and Hannes is very intentionally displaying the handmade nature of his Core range through the carved-wood bas-reliefs on each piece. Inspired by a visit to MoMA in New York and the work on display by the late American sculptor Louise Nevelson, the Core range references her 1970s stacked wooden assemblage sculptures. It features eight pieces wrought in solid mahogany, rosewood and cherry with the rough forms milled with a CNC carver, before each element was refined by a carpenter, who treated the surface with a beeswax finish to achieve the collection’s warm, honey-coloured tone. sem-milano.com

TREND #2. SOFT NATURED

Nature’s palette – softer shades of browns, blues and especially green – was the clear furniture trend when walking through Salone’s massive halls at the Rho Fiera Milano venue.

Muted

German design brand ClassiCon worked with Singaporean designer Gabriel Tan on a round-cornered modular sofa range called Soft Stone. Taking his cues from both sculpture and architecture, Tan was inspired by the staggered stone terraces in Porto’s Parque da Cidade, along with as the work of American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. It reminded me too of the incredibly precise pre-Inca stone walls of Cusco and Machu Picchu in Peru. classicon.com

Glossy

Shiny accents added a little punch to the muted palette – especially with high-gloss tables as statement pieces. Here Philippe Starck’s Bonheur Du Jour armchair for Kartell is shown with the Milanese design brand’s glossy Neutra pendant and K-Top tables with high-gloss lacquered legs and tops with a variety of finishes. kartell.com

TREND #3. BOLD NATURED

And then there were nature’s party people. Proof that nature also likes to unfurl its party blowers and throw coloured festival powder was an explosion of bright greens, browns, mustards, and THAT blue. Bright cobalt blue was prevalent as the statement piece among the greens and browns.

Caruso cabinet

Designed by Paolo Cappello for Miniforms, the Caruso Cabinet features a built-in Bluetooth speaker housed in its ceramic horn. The trumpet-shaped speaker references the gramophones that once played scratchy 78s, ushering in their to their digital-age version. miniforms.com

Yve chair

I loved this indoor/outdoor armchair by Piero Lissoni for Kartell. Simple, rationalist, reducing form to the essential, it features a bent line that traces the base, armrests, and backrest support, creating a lightweight tubular structure. kartell.com

Minform Amia chair

Flying the flag for cobalt blue was the Miniform’s Amia chair designed by studio E-ggs. Padded and upholstered, the chair was “conceived like a sofa” say Miniforms, who also describe it as having a “piquant personality”. It does give off zesty vibes. miniforms.com

Bosa cermics

Italian ceramics brand Bosa celebrated their 50^th anniversary at Salone with a joyful range that would be at the front of the party’s conga line. Designed by Elena Salmistraro, they were inspired by the plant world and especially succulents. bosatrade.com

Doric

From Greek industrial designer John Kravaris was the Doric collection is – a series of seating and tables inspired by the structural logic and simplicity of ancient Greek Doric columns. The collection consists of a chair, stool, bench and tables that share a common modular system. Krv-designs.com

Blå Station

I remember this Swedish brand’s Able range of furniture catching my eye at Salone in 2024. This time around is was the Rutan range, and especially the way they employed that blue accent. The Rut range cleverly uses a modular slender steel leg base that the cushioning slabs rest on, allowing you to move, reconfigure and adapt seating requirements. blastation.com

TREND #4. DARK MATTER

Representing the weirder side of nature is dark matter – reported to make up 85% of all matter in the universe. Except no-one has actually seen this mysterious stuff or even really knows what it is. The design community are onto though and I did see a fair amount of black interior design, especially in blackened wood

Verce Studio

From Japanese duo Toshitaka Ando and Takuya Shiotsuki of Verce Studio is this striking high-backed chair made from chestnut wood. Chestnut wood is susceptible to insect damage, and embracing this imperfection, Verce Studio 3D scanned these pieces, using the damaged areas as clues to create a form that combines the curves of hardwood (natural) with digital (artificial). vercestudio.com

Clash

South African Interior design brand OKHA, headed up by Adam Court collaborated with Swedish makers of luxury rugs Henzel studio to create Clash, derived from Adam’s original drawings. The abstracted bracelet motif, represents his take on the energy of punk and youth and is hand-knotted in a mix of fibres. A limited edition, just 20 will be made. okha.com | henzelstudio.com

Fringe

Nigerian rooted, US born and Portuguese residing artist and sculptor Dozie Kanu’s debut collection for Knoll, infuses a current of contemporary culture into residential interiors. His approach is to take a typically static object and transform it into an animated console, coffee and side table. The tables’ steel rods contrast smooth taut leather and fringe tassels that give fleeting glimpses of objects underneath or adjacent. “A formal expression of exploration and desire,” is what Dozie calls it. knoll.com | doziekanu.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Cass Collett/Courtesy of Black Betty Designs

Rooted in the idea that adornment is a form of self-expression rather than mere decoration, Black Betty Design’s new I AM collection explores grounding through materiality and symbolic forms.

Cast in gold with an earthy palette of intentionally selected stones – Garnet, Red Onyx, Smoky Quartz, Black Spinel and Pearl – each piece is designed to sit close to the body, embodying a simple idea: adornment is not decoration; it is a declaration, a ritual.

“Jewellery has never been about decoration for me. It has always been about meaning. About what you choose to carry on your body. With I AM, we are finally naming what Black Betty has always been. A place where adornment becomes something lived, not just worn,” says founder Kristin Weixelbaumer.

The new collection was brought to life in collaboration with Justine Barnes, an Ashtanga practitioner, Yoga Nidra guide, breath and energy teacher with more than 25 years’ practice. As a model, muse and spiritual anchor for the collection, Justine embodies the philosophy I AM was built around: the idea that jewellery is more than a seasonal expression.

“We’re not designing for trends. We’re designing for the body and for what people are going through internally. Most jewellery is about how something looks. For us, it’s about how it feels to wear it and what it represents when you do,” explains Kristin. This ethos is echoed not only across Black Betty Design’s jewellery but also across its physical spaces, with ritual-based experiences such as piercing. “We are not just creating jewellery anymore. We are creating moments where people choose, mark, and carry something meaningful on their body.” | blackbettydesign.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio IMAGE & VISUAL DEVELOPMENT Merchants Studio x Your Best Friend Agency PHOTOGRAPHY & PRODUCTION Merchants Studio

Merchants on Long has evolved into simply Merchants – a more gallery-led, contemporary space that champions installation-based storytelling through African design. Reflecting this evolution, the launch of FIFTEEN signals a broader vision while remaining rooted in craft and design discovery.

“Merchants has always been about presenting design that feels authentic and thoughtful,” says Jeanine Benjamin, COO of Merchants. “FIFTEEN felt like a natural way to mark this milestone, a collection that reflects the sensibility we have cultivated over the past fifteen years.”

Designed by Merchants’ new creative director, Tiaan Nagel, the collection features directional proportions and thoughtful construction.

“FIFTEEN reflects the kind of clothing we believe in, pieces that feel considered in proportion and materiality,” says Tiaan. “We wanted garments that move naturally between different environments while maintaining a strong sense of form and ease.”

The capsule collection draws on Southern African landscapes – sculptural silhouettes, natural fibres, and a restrained palette shaped by places like the Chilojo Cliffs, the Karoo, and Vingerklip.

“I began with photographs of these organic forms and reduced them to basic geometric shapes,” says Tiaan. “Through that process of reduction, three silhouettes emerged and repeated. Vingerklip’s reverse triangular form shaped the kaftan silhouette – broader at the shoulder and narrowing to an engineered, tapered hemline. The top silhouette collapses at the shoulder and tapers to the hem.”

For the trousers, Tiaan applied the same logic to the inside seam, creating a subtle arch. “I was also interested in how vast plains can condense into contained volume.” Looking at the fractured forms of the Chilojo range, he developed a shirt and a shirt dress with enough inherent volume to stand alone, but which can fold and be controlled with a belt, creating a silhouette similar to the mountain range.

All of this is considered in relation to movement and space. No item is engineered to cling to or fit too closely to the body, allowing room for different shapes. “Smaller details like drawstrings and shaped construction lines create a more ergonomic approach to the body, accommodating different proportions within a single silhouette and size,” he says. “We have also deliberately renamed the size curve to I, II, and III to move away from conventional perceptions around size and body.”

Subtle construction details create quiet confidence. “The silhouettes are sculptural, strong, and graphic. In natural linen, those same forms soften, relax, and become human,” says Tiaan. “It’s in that tension between hard and soft that quiet confidence lives.”

FIFTEEN is available for purchase in-store and online. | merchantsonlong.co.za.

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