HUT Design Challenge: “Tall Boy Locker” by Tandem House Design

INTERVIEWED BY Steve Smith PHOTOS Jan Ras

Outlining the creative journey behind their unique design, Josh  McNally and Pia  Findlay of Tandem House Design share insights into their Tall Boy Locker created for the HUT X Always Welcome Design Challenge.

Launched at Cape Town Furniture Week 2024, the HUT x Always Welcome Design Challenge invited seven innovative designers to create limited-edition pieces using material reclaimed from the iconic Muizenberg Huts, which were undergoing refurbishment.

We chatted with Josh  McNally and Pia  Findlay of Tandem House Design to dive deeper into the inspiration, design processes, and challenges they faced while working on this exciting project.

What was the inspiration for your piece? And were there any aspects of the beach huts that inspired your design? 

Do you remember that moment when you sat on a weathered wooden bench, gazing out at the sandy shores, while a breeze carried the familiar scent of saltwater and suncream? It was the kind of memory that lingers, like grains of sand between your toes after kicking off your plakkies. Those were the days of building sandcastles, collecting seashells, and savouring endless cones of melting ice cream under the summer sun. And who could forget that rush of summer love, a stolen kiss shared with a tall boy whose smile made you blush? 

The Tall Boy locker design is a homage to those cherished memories, inspired by the iconic Muizenberg huts that have stood the test of time, long enough to have witnessed your Ouma’s summer crush on a tall boy as well. With its weathered wood finish and vintage charm, it captures the essence of lazy beach days and youthful romance, inviting you to reminisce about the simpler times spent by the sea. Whether it’s storing your beach towels or stashing away souvenirs from summers past, the Tall Boy locker is more than just furniture, it’s a vessel for nostalgia, a reminder of the fleeting moments that shape our fondest memories. 

How would you describe your personal design aesthetic … and how have you incorporated that with the bold colours and history of the Muizenberg beach huts into this piece of furniture? 

Tandem Design House is a designer-maker duo proudly based in the heart of Johannesburg, within the vibrant, urban artisan complex, Victoria Yards. As our name suggests, collaboration is at the core of what we do – a fusion of ideas, materials, and people that reflects the dynamic and diverse energy of our South African context. Johannesburg, with its rich industrial history and urban edge, inspires our approach to design and our use of materials, grounding our work in a strong sense of place and identity. Our design aesthetic is guided by a philosophy of honesty and openness. We believe in showcasing the beauty of the materials we use and the manufacturing methods we employ, making the construction of our pieces visible and easily understood. This transparency not only celebrates the craftsmanship behind each piece but also encourages a deeper connection between the user and the object. 

The Tall Boy locker drew inspiration from the bold colours and enduring charm of the Muizenberg beach huts, South African icons that evoke memories of carefree summer days. The locker features wood with a weathered finish to echo the tactile warmth of the beach huts, paired with bold accents that pay homage to their lively colour palette. We emphasise construction methods, such as exposed joinery so that it is visible and appreciated. This approach aligns with our broader commitment to creating furniture that is both functional and meaningful. By making the construction methods part of the aesthetic and celebrating the natural character of the materials, the Tall Boy locker becomes more than just a cabinet. It’s a tactile reminder of South African heritage and the simple joys of summer by the sea, blending nostalgia with contemporary design to create a piece that is as evocative as it is practical. 

Do you feel you have preserved the story and character of the Muizenberg beach huts in your piece, while also ensuring the design remains sustainable and functional? If so, how? 

As product designers, we are deeply aware of the impact our creations have on the world, making sustainability a cornerstone of our practice. Every decision we make, from the materials we choose to the methods we employ, aims to minimise waste and maximise the lifecycle of our designs. For us, sustainability is not just a concept but a guiding principle that informs how we work and what we create. 

One way we honour this commitment is by incorporating reclaimed materials into our designs and transforming them into meaningful, functional pieces. Whether it’s cladding a cabinet with rusted corrugation or crafting kitchen counters from old Oregon floorboards, we find beauty in materials that carry history. The Tall Boy locker exemplifies this approach. The salvaged wood from the Muizenberg huts, with its weathered texture and colourful remnants of paint, serves as a canvas for storytelling. 

In addition to celebrating the material’s history, we ensure our designs are functional and enduring. The Tall Boy locker is built with heirloom quality in mind, designed to be cherished and passed down rather than discarded. This focus on longevity reduces waste and aligns with our goal of creating furniture that grows with its owners, and is functional, beautiful, and timeless. 

As a small company, we take pride in our hands-on approach, engaging with every step of the design and manufacturing process. This allows us to produce pieces with the utmost care and attention, ensuring they meet both our aesthetic and sustainable standards. With the Tall Boy locker, we’ve preserved the story and character of the Muizenberg beach huts, crafting a design that is as environmentally thoughtful as it is rich with meaning. 

Walk us through your design process when working with reclaimed materials, particularly those as unique and iconic as the wood from the huts? 

We received the salvaged wood from the Muizenberg huts, only to discover it soaked in Cape seawater. At first, we questioned its origins; could it have come not from beach huts but perhaps from a sunken ship? Panic set in as we realised the challenge ahead: how could we possibly restore this weathered timber into something worthy of representing such iconic structures? 

Thankfully, the dry and sunny Highveld weather worked its magic. As the planks dried out, we began planning away layers of flaking paint, unveiling a beautifully preserved woodgrain beneath. It was as though the wood itself carried a story, one knot at a time, guiding the direction of the design. Each plank seemed to suggest its place in the final piece, making it feel less like we were imposing a design and more like the huts themselves were shaping our Tall Boy. Once the wood was ready, our carpentry instincts kicked in. We carefully glued up panels before assembling the cabinet which began resembling both our own design aesthetic and that of wood shaped by years at the sea. 

To honour the huts’ vibrant history, we decided to leave a few particularly colourful panels in their original, weathered state for the cabinet door, completing the piece with nostalgia and authenticity. The Tall Boy locker was a complete collaboration, crafted in Tandem with the Muizenberg huts. It captures the spirit of the sea, the resilience of the wood, and the enduring charm of South African heritage. 

What emotions or memories do you hope your piece will evoke in someone familiar with the huts? 

The Tall Boy locker is designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth, stirring memories of sunlit summers and carefree days spent by the sea. For someone familiar with the iconic Muizenberg beach huts, this piece aims to bring back the joy of walking along the sandy shore, the sound of crashing waves in the background, and the vivid colours of the huts standing in perfect contrast to the blue sky and ocean. 

We hope it transports you to a moment where time felt slower, perhaps sitting in the sand with salty air in your lungs, or the simple happiness of dipping your toes into the cool water after a day of building sandcastles. The design speaks to shared South African childhoods, filled with sticky fingers from melting ice cream cones, the excitement of collecting shells, and the warmth of a family gathering under the sun. 

The Tall Boy locker captures these memories through its weathered wood finish, reminiscent of driftwood smoothed by the sea, and its vibrant accents, which mirror the bold, cheerful colours of the huts. By emphasising honest craftsmanship and materials, it connects to the tactile, handmade quality of these beloved structures, invoking not just memories but the emotions tied to them, a longing for simpler, carefree times, a smile at the thought of a first summer crush, or the enduring beauty of South Africa’s coastal heritage. 

In essence, this piece isn’t just furniture, it’s a vessel for storytelling, offering a chance to relive personal histories while celebrating a shared cultural icon. 

Visit the Exhibition

All the pieces from the HUT x Always Welcome Design Challenge are currently on display at Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral for several months and will be accessible to holiday goers, locals, press and creative communities alike.

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