Remaking classics

WORDS Nikki Benatar

Morphosis Design Studio from Pretoria exude fresh talent. Just think of the term “modern classic” and you’re likely to imagine their layer ottoman – a 21st century version of the long-forgotten riempie stool.

Like its predecessor, the new version is bursting with personality. The ottoman is the brainchild of long-time friends and landscape architects Warno Rüde and Werner Venter, who decided to enter it into Design Indaba’s 2012 Emerging Creatives Programme. Not surprisingly, their design was selected to be shown at last year’s expo and that’s when they decided to go into furniture design.

“It was a big jump,” recalls Warno, “but thrilling to take something from a scribble on paper through to a manufactured product.” Werner adds: “Our advice to young designers is: don’t wait! Start building prototypes out of cheap or recycled materials. Enter design competitions; get your designs out there.”

www.morphosis.co.za

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