Designers We Love: Nicky Levenberg

INTERVIEWED BY Lindi Brownell Meiring

Textile designer and fine artist Nicky Levenberg of contemporary homeward brand, AUREUM DESIGN chats to us about her new Johannesburg-inspired range.

Your hometown of Johannesburg is the inspiration behind not only the name of your brand, but also your latest collection. Tell us a bit about your new range.

My launch range, The Gold Collection, has a strong connection to Johannesburg. Through both personal and historical narratives about the City of Gold, I wanted to embed a Johannesburg story while still keeping the design aesthetic contemporary and universal.

The Highveld print is an abstracted depiction of the flat grasslands that dominate our landscape, while Strike is reminiscent of the spectacular Joburg lightning storms. Jungle harks back to the travel narratives and exotic representations of the first explorers in South Africa. Both AUREUM and this collection directly reference gold, which is depicted quite literally through the use of gold ink, creating a precious and luxe quality.

You’re a fine artist, as well as a textile designer. Do you love one more than the other? Or do you consider being an artist and a designer one and the same?

For me art and design are completely inseparable from one another. I love drawing and painting and textile design allows these images to be transformed into more accessible and functional products. My creative process always starts with a hand-drawn image that then develops into a design or pattern. Often this initial starting point is a successful art piece in its own right.

You love to collaborate with other local favourites, like Dokter and Misses and Anatomy Design. What do you think is the best thing about collaboration in design?

Collaboration in design is endlessly inspiring and challenges designers to move beyond their comfort zones to create something entirely new that could otherwise not exist without this diverse input of talent and skill. It pushes the boundaries of possibility. A wonderful collaboration I participated in was with Anatomy Design for Southern Guild where I created a bespoke blue and white handprinted fabric to adorn their beautiful walnut and brass clad armchair. The marriage of simple form with detailed print worked so well. I still get excited every time I see it!

Visit aureumdesign.com to view more of Nicky’s work.