After months of judging and then manufacturing, the seven final pieces of the HUT x Always Welcome design challenge are on exhibition at St George’s Cathedrals’ Church House in Cape Town. 

With VISI magazine the media partner, the HUT x Always Welcome design challenge was launched at the 2024 Cape Town Furniture Week. Seven designers were invited to design limited edition pieces using material reclaimed during the refurbishment of the iconic Muizenberg Huts. Discover all the Hut Design Challenge entries here.

For those not familiar with it, Always Welcome is a multi-brand collective retailer local design and their HUT project celebrates sustainable design, repurposing of found materials and compact living solutions from the unique perspective of African designers. More than mere salvage, AW is inspiring African designers to re-imagine the wood as a living material imbued with a deep sense of our shared coastal heritage. 

Local designer manufacturers were invited to submit a design proposal at Cape Town Furniture Week 2024 where a limited-edition piece by local design outfit Kino was displayed. Setting the tone for the level of output of the challenge, Kino designed and manufactured a vanity stand from the reclaimed Beach Hut material. Their limited-edition design preserves and highlights some of the original iconic color paints on the timber and integrates recycled and upcycled material knowledge. 

After Kino’s piece was exhibited at Milan Design Week, a local judging panel, including VISI’s editor-in-chief Steve Smith, selected a final six from the entries who’d then go ahead and make the furniture pieces. Included in the selection were both recognised design studios and student designers. This inter- generational curation sparks a dynamic between the established and up and coming designers in our African design community.  

Here are the seven and their works … and, by clicking on each, you can read more about each piece, the inspiration behind them and the design methodology employed. 

• Inland X Stripped Collective – “The Muizenbar”
• Studio Kalki – “The Kalki Drinks Cabinet”
• Kino – “Vanity Stand”
• Tandem House Design – “The Tall Boy Locker”
• Sky Designs – “The Surfer’s Curtain”
• Cara Turner – “The Everyman Chair”
• Amy Claire Arthur – “The Balamory Bench”
• Priyanka Verma – “The Shark Attack Table”

The final exhibition of limited edition pieces was launched at the Circular Squared hub located in the Church House heritage building connected to the Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral.  

The pieces will be on display there for several months and be accessible to holiday goers, locals, press and creative communities alike. In addition to being housed in CT, the HUT team looks forward to exhibiting at future exhibitions held in various cities in Europe in 2025.  

The HUT pieces will be auctioned in collaboration with Strauss & Co in June 2025.  Proceeds will go to The Beach Hut Trust, as well as other charitable causes based in Muizenberg and a percentage will also go to the designer in the form of a royalty. Strauss & co are committed to building a collector’s market for our local design community. 

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post Muizenberg Icons Reborn appeared first on Visi.

Outlining the creative journey behind their unique design, Nikhil Tricam and Nindya Bucktowar of Studio Kalki share insights into their bespoke drinks cabinet 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 Nikhil Tricam and Nindya Bucktowar of Studio Kalki and Kalki Ceramics 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? 

Our intention was to incorporate the iconic beach hut profile into the door design motif, which also serves as the only element of colour on the piece. This creates an emphasis on the doors, which are made from the painted planks that clad the exterior of the huts. On a more conceptual level, the timber that formed the primary structure of the huts has now been exposed, unpainted, forming the main structure of the drinks cabinet. 

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? 

As artists and makers, our personal design aesthetic draws heavily from the tactile nature of the materials we choose to use. The visual representation becomes secondary to the overall sensory experience, which emerges from interacting with the pieces. When we do incorporate patterns, such as those on our ceramic murals and furniture pieces, the shapes and forms are elemental rather than representative, allowing the viewer to form narratives of their own by filling in the spaces between perception and actuality, with their respective lived experiences. This is evident in the pattern represented on the doors. 

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? 

Yes! We have made use of only reclaimed and repurposed materials. The internal carcass is half an oil-drum – a homage to the legendary informal braai stand! 

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

We identify the strengths of the materials, first, as a harmonious design is one that draws on the inherent properties of the materials rather than going against their nature. Once the ‘mode of working’ is settled on, or understood, the primary design is workshopped between us. Then, supplementary materials, hardware and fixings are sourced, all of which need to be complimentary to the initial brief and material set. These come together in an organic process, where changes are made as the piece emerges. 

What challenges did you anticipate when working with these specific materials, and how did you overcome them? 

We understood that the materials would be old, and therefore embedded with nails and stains. We leaned into this, allowing the textures and imperfections to reveal the story of the huts. 

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

We really hope that the piece will allow people to share the joy that these huts brought to so many, by bringing the textures, forms and sunshine into their space! 

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.

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post HUT Design Challenge: Bespoke Drinks Cabinet by Studio Kalki appeared first on Visi.

Outlining the creative journey behind her unique design, Priyanka Verma shares insights into her Shark Attack Table 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 designer Priyanka Verma to dive deeper into the inspiration, design processes, and challenges she 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? 

My inspiration was to design something that embodies neat functionality and reflects the vibrant essence of the Muizenberg beach huts. I drew inspiration from the triangular shapes of the Muizenberg beach huts’ triangular roofs, which you can see translated into the form of my stacking tables. The alternating bold colours of the huts also influenced the colour palette, creating a visual rhythm that reflects the spirit of the beachfront. 

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? 

My design aesthetic is a fearless blend of contrasts—mixing bold colours, rich textures, and sculptural forms to create spaces that feel ageless. I draw inspiration from my culture, the environment, history, and art. For this piece, I embraced the primary colours to honour the boldness of the beach huts’ history. My designs are always people-centred, and for this table, I envisioned something that encourages connection and storytelling, inspired by the enthusiasm of the people who visit Muizenberg.

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? 

Absolutely, I aimed to preserve the story and character of the Muizenberg beach huts by retaining their signature aesthetic. Sustainability was at the forefront; I worked to ensure the design was resource-conscious by maximising the use of each piece of wood. I took a slightly different approach, and I purposely wanted to showcase how the table would look with the natural textures of the wood and the falling paint. There was something beautiful about seeing the imperfections add character and depth to the table. The stackable nature of the table also serves as a metaphor for the layered histories and stories the huts hold.

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

Working with reclaimed materials is always a conversation with the material itself, so I let the material guide me. I start by examining each piece of wood, preserving as much of its natural character as possible. With the iconic wood from the huts, I let its wear and patterns guide my decisions, making sure that the design reflects its story’s past while being structurally sound and aesthetically cohesive.

What challenges did you anticipate when working with these specific materials, and how did you overcome them? 

The planks came with challenges of their own, such as uneven textures, nail holes, and weathered sections, to name a few things. Anticipating this, the amazing people at Leafy Tech, who helped make my vision come to life, showed me how I could reinforce weaker areas while highlighting the material’s natural beauty. Any imperfections became a part of the story, enhancing the authenticity of the table rather than hiding it.

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

I hope my piece evokes a sense of nostalgia and joy for those familiar with the Muizenberg huts. The triangular shapes are meant to signify the roofs of the huts that once gave shelter to many. It’s meant to remind viewers of the sunny beach days filled with granadilla lollies, the sound of the waves, and the vibrant culture of Cape Town. It’s a celebration of memory and history.

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.

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post HUT Design Challenge: “The Shark Attack Table” by Priyanka Verma appeared first on Visi.

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.

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post HUT Design Challenge: “Tall Boy Locker” by Tandem House Design appeared first on Visi.

Outlining the creative journey behind her unique design, Tania Jardim of Sky Designs shares insights into The Surfer’s Curtain 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 Tania Jardim of Sky Designs to dive deeper into the inspiration, design processes, and challenges she 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? 

‘The Surfer’s Curtain’ was inspired by the Muizenberg Beach huts both from a functional and aesthetic perspective. It was designed to be a multifunctional room divider/screen, just like the Beach huts provided privacy for the bathers so will the curtain, but at an intimate scale.  The curtain would function as a portable dresser where people could change and hang their items of clothing, and towels. The curtain was also designed as an art piece, which, similar to the beach houses, are admired for their vibrant, colourful repetitive silhouette facade. 

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? 

I believe in a more sensory design and not just a design that appeals to visual stimuli. The tactile sense as well as the visual sense of tactility is important as it is a more sensitive and trustworthy sense. I enjoy playing with materials, colours, and simple graphics and I believe detailing is a strength of mine.  

I like to believe my designs are vibrant, playful, and meaningful enough to evoke emotion. I like a design that is full of depth and layers, and I believe this is achieved by using elements like textures, colours and shapes purposefully. Working with the Muizenberg reclaimed timber resonates with all of the above as it is rich in texture and meaning

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? 

The story and character of the Muizenberg beach huts have been preserved through the construction and the functionality of ‘The Surfer’s Curtain’ I have designed. The curtain was constructed using reclaimed timber planks, a red steel frame that highlights and showcases the reclaimed timber, a purpose-made long-length mirror (colour gradient from yellow to bronze mimicking the sun rising on the sea) and two purpose-made light pendants. 

The Hut competition initiative opposes the traditional linear design process of make, use, and dispose of (in landfills), which demands a constant supply of new resource material, and constantly adds to the carbon footprint. Not only are we reducing the carbon footprint with our designs, but the salvaged Muizenberg Beach timber pieces also carry with it history, and a story, which heightens the designs and brings about awareness with regards to sustainability and Muizenberg’s history. 

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

My design process starts with research and a lot of sketches and detailing. I like to use different mediums when designing, for example, hand sketches, computer-generated models and drawings, watercolour painting and actual models, and I mix between the mediums to achieve the final product. The initial design concept was done using photos we received for The Hut competition and anticipating the planks’ sizes and inherent qualities. It was only after we received the planks that the ‘hands-on’ design began, which can be expected of a material of this type as each piece/plank is different. 

What challenges did you anticipate when working with these specific materials, and how did you overcome them? 

The reuse and recycling of material is usually seen as undesirable and unrefined but in my opinion, the opposite can be true. If treated in an innovative manner, the reverse may be achieved, and the perceived status of these materials could change. Working with reclaimed material has its challenges and one needs to understand the inherent quality of the material in order to showcase its potential. I believe the inherent quality of the Muizenberg reclaimed timber planks was the visual texture, the long modules of the planks, the patchy bright colours, the flakiness of the paint and the hundreds of different paint layers that carry with its history, and the story, of the Muizenberg Beach Huts. The reclaimed timber we initially received was very wet and we needed to let it stand and dry out for an extended period of time. The pieces were then individually picked and cut to the required size. The timber was carefully cleaned so, as not to remove too much of the character of the reclaimed timber. Any leftover screws were then removed and the screw holes in the timber were then repaired using inlays of the same colour timber. These repairs are slightly noticeable and will be seen as patchwork, but I think that it’s important to show as this material needs to be true to itself.

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

The Iconic Muizenberg Huts always bring about happy memories of the Muizenberg beach and to some degree Cape Town in general. It takes me back to the feeling of the sun on your skin, beach sand in between your toes and the sight of surfers showing off their athletic skills in the water, all with Table Mountain in the background. My hope is that this piece will evoke the same emotions in those who view it. 

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.

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post HUT Design Challenge: “The Surfer’s Curtain” by Sky Designs appeared first on Visi.

Outlining the creative journey behind her unique design, Cara Grace shares insights into The Everyman 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 Cara Grace to dive deeper into the inspiration, design processes, and challenges she faced while working on this exciting project.

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?  

This design challenge was a powerful reminder that as designers, we have a responsibility to create bodies of work that serve not only our personal vision but the broader community’s. Balancing maximising historical and nostalgic relevance with minimising environmental impact was both challenging and rewarding. In manufacturing the design, I gained a deep appreciation for the material’s history, and we worked hard to preserve as much of the original wood as possible to maintain sustainability. It was a lesson in ensuring quality extends past material composition and is an amalgamation of history and longevity as a result of sustainable practices within the scope of the design as well as the context in which it presides.

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

My design process is centred around honouring the material at every stage. It was essential to preserve the integrity of the wood, which holds so much history and significance. Each decision I was influenced by the desire to respect and enhance the material’s story while creating something functional and meaningful.  

What challenges did you anticipate when working with these specific materials, and how did you overcome them?  

My initial hesitations when working with the material were potentially damaging the heritage of the beach hut wood. There were some pressures in having to achieve the best result with as little waste as possible, which was intimidating as I have never personally worked with a material like this before. That is why I entrusted the highly skilled team at Leafy Tech to help execute my vision. It was amazing to be able to be in the factory as a witness to their manufacturing process. The team treated the material with so much care and patience in order to complete the project successfully.  

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

I hope that “The Everyman” unit will evoke a sense of familiarity. Its design serves as a functional solution for small-space living, where it can transform from a shelving unit into additional seating as needed. The versatility of the piece makes it adaptable to any space or occasion, fostering a sense of connection with the user. Just as the beach huts are a nostalgic and familiar sight for many, I hope this piece will carry that same sense of comfort. 

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.

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post HUT Design Challenge: “The Everyman” by Cara Grace appeared first on Visi.

Outlining the creative journey behind their unique design, Inland’s Brett Rubin and Io Makandal, together with Kylie Simon of Stripped Collective share insights into “The Muizenbar” 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 Brett Rubin and Io Makandal of Inland, and Kylie Simon of Stripped Collective 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? 

Our inspiration for the HUT was in fact the form, structural lines and tones of the original beach huts themselves. Working together with Simon and Khyle from Stripped Collective, who brought a wealth of knowledge and care to the restoration and reconstruction  of the wooden panels, we wanted to create a piece that would pay homage to these iconic symbols of nostalgic glamour.   

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? 

Stripped aims to craft furniture through curated experiences. Working across a diverse range, from furniture manufacture, interior design, shop-fittings, home fittings, and industrial design, they always strive to create without boundaries or restrictions. With over a decade of experience in restoration and manufacture, they brought the perfect measure of skill, care and sensibility to working with Inland on the Hut project. 

Inland is a company that constantly seeks to adapt traditional glass processes and techniques and fuse them with a forward-thinking design approach. 

In this instance of working with the wood from the Muizenberg beach huts, we wanted to bring our own sense of flair and sustainable design thought into the glass components of the drinks cabinet. 

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? 

We do, as we have tried to recreate a drinks cabinet in the form of one of the Muizenberg Beach Huts. We have made sure to limit waste on the wood planks and preserve as much of the beautiful texture and detail in the panels as possible. 

The wood was stripped and treated to ensure longevity, with particular focus given to strong joinery to ensure the structural integrity of the cabinet. Every working surface of the wood has been oiled and treated for use but the exterior preserves the original paint from the beach huts. The steel for the hinges and latches and the door panelling is made from mild steel which is a sustainable material and can be recycled infinitely and used forever. 

Inland’s inventive approach to the glass elements of the drinks cabinet was also one grounded in sustainability – in particular through the idea to make drinking tumblers and inner panels of the cabinet that both feature the repurposing of sea glass found on Muizenberg and its surrounding beaches in their design. 

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

Stripped Collective has utilised its extensive knowledge and experience of wood restoration to preserve and enhance the original wood and its grooves, paint and detailing. The offcuts of panels were turned into a wine rack at the top of the cabinet. They have kept the structural moulds of the timber to create texture in the wine rack and on the exterior cladding. 

From a glass point of view, Inland has endeavoured to make sure our contribution is environmentally aware and sustainable in such a way that the glass used is purposeful and considered in equal measure to the wood. 

Io Makandal (who is one-half of Inland) is also an artist whose practice is deeply steeped in (and informed by) environmental and ecological thought and awareness.

It was Io’s idea to find and work with sea glass on Muizenburg and its surrounding beaches. We managed to find an extremely generous contact in Cape Town who is a collector of sea glass. When Brett explained the idea to her, she happily collected sea glass for us to use and brought it up to us when she came for a business trip to JHB. We managed to acquire almost 3 kg of sea glass collected from Cape Town beaches to work with on the Muizenbar cabinet. These shards of sea glass were then melted down and hand-blown into the tumbler drinking glasses that we made especially for the Hut cabinet. 

The remainder of the sea glass fragments were then fused and slumped in a kiln into float glass panels that feature inside the Muizenbar cabinet. 

Both of these were extremely challenging undertakings, but for Inland, it was crucial to challenge ourselves to find an approach that wasn’t just decorative but instead would offer a contribution that would find the common language of sustainable design with the wood. When we received the wooden panels we marvelled at how the natural elements had weathered the paint on the wood over the years and there was a similar feeling when we received the sea glass and held it in our hands. The fragments (mostly from alcohol bottles) had been smoothed out and ‘sandblasted’ by the ocean – a natural process of time and the elements having their effect on the glass. When removing the glass panels with the sea glass fragments inset from the kiln we couldn’t help but admire how these discarded fragments of waste had been so beautifully repurposed into something close to ‘gemstone glass terrazzo’. While encasing and enshrining a bigger story in their form. 

What challenges did you anticipate when working with these specific materials, and how did you overcome them? 

We definitely expected the challenge of some of the wood being rotten and deteriorated. How we dealt with that was stripping the wood back as far as necessary to the core which was still in sound condition. We machined the wood until we had what we needed and the sizes needed. We worked with as wide a plank as possible to avoid wastage and limit offcuts to as little as possible.  

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

We all have our own individual childhood memories of time spent on the Muizenberg beach playing in the sand and surf below the huts, on long summer holidays and how much this project appeals to us all from that nostalgic standpoint. 

We hope the detail and care put into making the cabinet will equally capture the imagination of the viewer who has their own emotions and memories associated with the beach huts and will see the appeal of having a cabinet in the form and shape of a Muizenberg beach hut in their space. 

For me (Brett) in particular this was a sentimental project as I had an aunt and uncle (Benny and Sylvia Goldberg) who owned a famous bottle store and retired to Muizenberg where they had a beach hut and many childhood holidays were spent on the beach running into the hut to get out of the gale force afternoon winds after a full day of childhood revelry on the beach. 

I still remember the welcoming feeling of sitting inside the Hut and changing out of wet swimming trunks or eating lunch in the calm sanctuary of the austere beach hut with the smell of the wood. Even at that young age, I remember feeling so fortunate to be able to be sitting inside of the  hut. 

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.

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

The post HUT Design Challenge: “The Muizenbar” by Inland X Stripped Collective appeared first on Visi.

As the first in its Guest Curation series, Always Welcome invited interior design company HK Studio to reimagine their Cape Town showroom. VISI editor-in-chief Steve Smith sat down with Andrea Kleinloog to find out more about the project.

It’s basically a South African interior design match made in heaven. Take a brand like Always Welcome, whose collective approach showcases SA’s independent designers though their stores in Joburg and Cape Town; add that to interior design experts Andrea Kleinloog and Megan Hesse of HK Studio, who have long been champions of local design – and you can expect some retail design magic.

Working with Always Welcome’s product designers, HK Studio’s curation is all about taking you on a room-by-room journey of southern African design, providing a fresh perspective on and context to the exceptional craftsmanship and design of our local independent furniture, lighting and decor accessories talent. Located in a historic building in the Mother City’s Heritage Square, Always Welcome’s space has been enlivened by Robin Sprong’s wallpaper designs, rich colour combinations and daring contrasts that create a bold, contemporary design aesthetic within a beautifully preserved architectural space.

We had a chat with HK Studio’s co-founder Andrea to find out more about how they tackled the project.

How did the whole project start? What was the brief, and how did you approach it?

“It started with a phone call from Always Welcome’s CEO, Stephen Wilson: ‘I’m thinking of doing this thing. We want you to curate the spaces at our Heritage Square store in Cape Town.’

“We obviously knew the products well, and this was an opportunity to show them differently and shake up people’s perspective. We worked closely with the Always Welcome team, using existing stock and some new pieces, and got to play with elements like wallpaper and art. It was really about re-curating the spaces to how we see things.”

Were you designing these spaces with a potential customer in mind, or did you want to put your own stamp on them?

“It’s a bit of a combo deal. I struggle with too much eccentricity, so our spaces tend to err on the side
of restraint. That’s HK’s natural aesthetic. Having said that, we have become a little more experimental in some of our recent projects. There’s such a nice combination of art, graphics and furniture in the Always Welcome spaces… Let’s call it restrained eccentricity.

“There’s a playfulness in it all – for example, I love seeing artist Paul Senyol’s work that big, blown up as a wallpaper. In a very siloed creative world, where art is art, design is design, furniture is furniture, it’s quite nice to see the lines blur a little. People also tend to get visual paralysis. It’s like when you walk into Woolies, and there’s just so much food that you don’t know where to look. You get that in any cluttered retail space. So we tried to create more focus for potential customers; often, it became a case of removing things to make the spaces look less cluttered.”

You’ve also used some raw materials as decor elements in the spaces you have curated.

“Yes – because we wanted to show the source of the materials used here. So for Houtlander’s Hlabisa bench, for example, I wanted to showcase the woven-grass element. And again, it was just a matter of one phone call. What’s amazing about the local design community is that everyone is so generous.

I called Rowenna Rood from Botanica Flowers, and said, ‘Rowenna, hi, I’m in Cape Town next week – can you do a grass installation on the ceiling of this heritage building for me?’ And she was like, ‘Sure!’

“There’s something magical about being able to show people that something beautiful has been made out of these raw blocks of wood, or this piece of sheet metal, or those bundles of grass. Someone has shown commitment to develop these materials, and we should acknowledge that – acknowledge that they are doing the right thing, that it is good, and that they should keep going.”

We’re witnessing a real golden era of South African design, and it’s great to see an initiative such as Always Welcome showcasing that.

“I totally agree. I think Always Welcome can be the driving force behind this – because the reality is that the industry is made up of bunch of small, independent brands that can’t always afford to market and retail themselves. It’s just not realistic. It’s great to see support behind the smaller, independent furniture designers. I think Always Welcome is taking huge strides towards a more collaborative effort.” hkstudio.co.za | alwayswelcome.store

Looking for more design inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

The post Even More Welcome appeared first on Visi.

Exploring alternative manufacturing methods and the versatility of American red oak, Future Heirlooms 2024 presents new pieces by five South African design studios. 

In 2022 Always Welcome and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) joined forces to release Future Heirlooms – a first-of-its-kind sustainable collection created by seven South African designers.

Five South African cross-disciplinary design studios have been invited to craft a piece for the second iteration of this exciting project. The designers have been tasked with creating pieces that not only look forward to the future of sustainable design but also explore South Africa’s rich design legacy.

Using American red oak supplied by wholesale timber specialists BOS Timber, the theme invites the designers to conceive a piece that lasts for generations to come and is of a quality that makes it worth keeping, and of collectable value. The spirit of the challenge is to celebrate individuality, expressionism, quirkiness, and beauty in the design of the limited edition collectable piece.

“Building on the success of the launch edition of Future Heirlooms our 2024 challenge will offer our select African cross-disciplinary designers a unique opportunity to design a piece that explores alternative manufacturing methods, and the beauty and versatility of American red oak itself,” says Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director. 

The line-up of notable talent hand-picked to participate in Future Heirlooms 2024 includes:

MOEA Design Studio

Established in 2021 by Cassandra Twala and Johanna von Stein, MOEA set out to create a hybrid studio that not only works on commissioned work for clients but also creates its own platforms that elevate African creativity.

Juliet M Kavishe

Through her work interior architect and design educator Juliet M Kavishe explores African identity, heritage, and the integration of ancestral ways of communication, rooted in diverse cultural expressions.

André Eksteen

André Eksteen is a multi-award-winning architect and academic and co-director of Earthworld Architects who aims to push the boundaries of creativity while also maintaining a strong focus on sustainability. 

Isa-MBU-LA

Duo costume designer and Creative Director Bandile Mbuli and architect Ndabo Langa‘s collaboration – Isa-MBU-LA- is focused on creating a resilient and sustainable design by tapping into local ecosystems with high consideration for traditional practices and innovation.

Nkuli Nhleko

Nkuli Nhleko is an Art Curator at Everard Read Gallery and the co-founder of Imbewu Design, an Interior Design Studio. She specialises in crafting visually striking spaces that offer experiential and conceptually rich environments.

The finished pieces will first be seen as part of Sustainable Design Week Africa at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 9-14 September 2024. VISI is the proud media partner for Sustainable Design Week Africa.

Looking for more on design or architecture? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

The post The Future is Now: Future Heirlooms 2024 appeared first on Visi.

A thought-provoking brief led to innovative interpretations – and resulted in the beautiful all-wood Future Heirlooms collection.

Last year Always Welcome and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) joined forces to release a first-of-its- kind collection created by seven South African designers. The collection, aptly named Future Heirlooms, asked designers to think freely in order to create an object or a piece of furniture that encapsulates the themes of sustainability, longevity and quality. The lineup of notable South African talent invited to partake included Dokter and Misses, Mash.T Design Studio, TheUrbanative, Kumsuka, Kalki Ceramics, Joe Paine in partnership with Nathan Gates, and NØDE.

Using American red oak, the seven pieces were brought to life by hardwood furniture designer-manufacturers Houtlander, and timber importers BOS Timbers. They are “a celebration of material and memory, and ask pertinent questions about our approach to the environment,” says AHEC regional director Roderick Wiles. The designs – one- off functional objects and small furniture pieces – were displayed at Always Welcome’s Viewing Rooms in Sandton until November, before moving to Always Welcome Heritage House in Cape Town in January 2023.

The Always Welcome team hopes this project inspires important discussions around sustainability in South African furniture design.“We’re extremely proud of the work produced for Future Heirlooms,” says Garreth van Niekerk, director and co-founder of the collective. “Many of these ambitious pieces would have been impossible without the expertise and careful eye of our partners Houtlander, and the support of AHEC and BOS Timbers.”

Pieces include the Now Now digital grandfather clock and repository for family information and memorabilia by Joe Paine and Nathan Gates; Family Portrait – a playful, photo-inspired furniture piece – by co-founders of Dokter and Misses and new parents, Katy Taplin and Adriaan Hugo, and the Fulani chair by TheUrbanative’s Mpho Vackier.

“We aspire to be a brand that not only celebrates stories but also respects the way in which we tell those stories,” Mpho says. “But more than anything, for me, exploring a new material is always exciting. My approach to most of my work is guided by the material, its properties and limits, and letting it have a say in the final piece. Using sustainable American red oak is not only logical but very necessary for us to do justice to the authentic essence of those stories.”

View the full collection and learn more about the inspiration behind each piece at Always Welcome Heritage House in Cape Town until the end of February.

Looking for more on design or architecture? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

The post Timber Time: The Future Heirlooms Collection appeared first on Visi.