Local Design: Dor+Kie [O]bjects

WORDS Lindi Brownell Meiring


Dor+Kie [O]bjects is a collaborative project between husband and wife design duo Diana and Andre James.

We love to explore conventional materials in un-conventional ways, but with a firm focus on keeping true to our backgrounds,” explains the team on their website. Andre is an industrial designer while Diana’s expertise lie in jewellery design.

Their oversized sculptural creations, while predominantly made from wood, remain light and easy to wear. The range includes a selection of stylish pendants and statement rings.

The Fa[c]et rings and pendants are all hand carved and available in a variety of different woods, which are byproducts sourced from Cape Town-based suppliers and carpentry companies. Woods include African Mahogany, Cedar Wood, Dark Walnut, Knysna Black Wood and Tropical Wild Olive. Clay[ed] pendants are also hand carved with the addition of brass detailing and colourful Polymer clay beads (the clay is sourced locally from Filani Clay in Cape Town).

Diana and Andre also collaborated with designer Anne Hodgson, known for her hand carved wooden utensils, on a range of sugar spoons, cheese knives, knives, serving spoons and salad servers. “We shared a workshop before she moved to her new premises,” says Diana. “We always had these ideas of integrating our objects to create a range together, since we both work in wood and love it so much as a material.”

Diana uses the same metal facets seen in Dor+Kie’s jewellery collections to complement Anne’s carved designs. “Each piece that we make is unique and I try to place the metal facet or inlay of each piece in a unique way. It’s quite a laborious process: first Anne roughly shapes the piece, then I facet my part and add the metal facet (which is riveted on), then Anne does the final carving and shaping on her part and ‘lifts’ the grain, then I do the final sanding on my part and polishing of the metal facet, and then Anne does the final finishing and polishing of the wood.”

Dor+Kie [O]bjects jewellery and the Anne Hodgson collaboration are available via 1hoh.co.za and annehodgson.co.za.