-
Play-play office : Nathan in his "workspace" designed by dad. See the full photo shoot in VISI 66 The Office. -
Mid-century living : The sconces are from Mad Men, the swans from Etsy, the clock from New York, the lamp and chair are refurbished Gumtree, and the cushions are Skinny Laminx. -
Versatile studio : “The studio has been a work in progress, and in many respects still is. It's jointly shared with my wife, but also doubles as our guest room and has to accommodate not only all of our work, but also my instruments and recording equipment.” -
Eames-style kids : “Nathan’s bedroom is simple and understated, tying in with our mid-century modern aesthetic. An old family drawer houses clothes and his Eames-style rocker keeps him busy while reading books and taking in a bit of R&R.” -
Making memories : “I'm an avid photographer and still shoot on film where I can; all of the cameras are functional and use a mix of film. In the background is an ode to my 356-day project during the first year of my son's life, taking a photo everyday for a year." -
Unique unit : "This wall unit was made by a bunch of design students called SMAC Harry. The few units were made available through Vamp and was one of my first purchases from them a few years ago." -
Danish delight : A wall unit by Danish designer Poul Cadovius is matched with a dining room table, chairs and sideboard by Duros, and the look is completed with a Louis Poulsen PH 4/3 pendant. -
Shelved friends : The shelves were decorated by talented friends during a once-off event, and actually how my blog, Curate This Space, started. Pictured here is work by Lauren Fowler and creative duo The Wild, comprising Thaya Bedford and Nicole Ravenscroft. -
Natural history : “Many of these mementos are from travels or family hand-me-downs, like the crocodile head that I bought in Zim as a teen. The butterfly collections were thrift-store finds and various skulls are from Mandibles. The typewriter was my grandfather’s." -
The mid-century dad : Matt Allison wrote about designing an office playspace for his son in our VISI 66 The Office edition, as well as the importance of bringing up children with a strong design sensibility. Clearly his home and lifestyle "walk the talk".
PHOTOS Fay Jackson
Matt Allison is an urban farmer, SAMA-nominated singer-songwriter, one-time engineer, design connoisseur and the brains behind the play-play office that he built his two-year old son Nathan, featured in the new VISI 66 The Office. VISI.co.za went behind the scenes to see how Matt himself lives and found an idiosyncratic pastiche of mid-century Danish and American collectables, handmade one-offs, and vintage keepsakes from friends and families.
That Matt is by nature a perfectionist, collector and curator who will go to the ends of the Earth to make his home just right is evident in the description of his lounge: “The brass sconces were sourced from Trifon of Palm Springs Vintage in California. You can see them on the set of the first few seasons of Mad Men. I tracked Trifon down through the set designer and had him make these ones in brass to fit the rest of our decor. The Masketeers ducks were a classic 1960s centrepiece in American homes and they still pop up from time to time, but it’s rare to still find a complete set. I bought this set from an Etsy seller in Oregon, who graciously shipped them halfway across the world to me. The atomic clock I purchased from a store online in New York. The chair was a shabby Gumtree find, which I had stained and reupholstered in a burnt orange dralon fabric. The atomic lamp was also a Gumtree find, though I had the drum shade rebuilt by The Lampshade Studio and covered in Skinny LaMinx’s Orla fabric.”
And don’t even get him started on his love for Danish design, as he describes his dining room: “The collectable wall unit is by Danish designer Poul Cadovius and was purchased from a retired couple who were scaling down, who in turn bought it from the Danish consulate in Durban 15 years ago. The dining room table, chairs and sideboard were locally made by Duros in the 1950/60s, sold as the ‘Dane’ set through Garlicks department stores. I bought the entire set from a family in Parow for R1 500, they just wanted it out and I was more than happy to welcome it into our home! The Louis Poulsen PH 4/3 pendant is an original I bought from an antique dealer in Denmark. It’s hard to believe that it looks so contemporary, but was designed in 1925.”
VISI covered the launch of Matt’s design blog, Curate This Space, here.
Get VISI 66 The Office to see Nathan’s kid-office. Featuring over 20 workspaces that are pushing the proverbial envelope, this issue is a must-have collectable. Get it in stores until 10 July 2013 or subscribe to the digital edition.
Follow Matt’s design passions on his blog www.curatethisspace.com.
1 Comment