WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Adel Ferreira, Gabi Mutu, Raphael Blue Bromilow

Until 30 November, the Cafe Sofi in Cape Town City Bowl’s Park Road cafe has been transformed into a polka dot world, with dots appearing across its exterior, walls, floors and even its washroom doors – a takeover inspired by the woman behind it all: Sophia Electra, the mother of Tashas Group founders, Natasha and Savva Sideris.

Cafe Sofi was created by the two as a love letter to their mom – a woman whose eclectic list of loves included cats, cakes, orchids, leopard print, the Pink Panther and, importantly for this particular celebration, polka dots.

She pressed flowers, smoked cigarettes, wore red lipstick and made birthday cakes her children can still describe in considerable detail. Her tastes were particular, though not especially consistent. Polka dots belonged alongside orchids, midnight snacks and the sounds of legendary Indian singer, Lata Mangeshkar.

“We’ve had polka dots subtly woven into Cafe Sofi’s design since it opened,” says Savva Sideris, Co-Founder and Director of Operations for Tashas Group. “For its first birthday, we’ve decided not to be so subtle.”

We chatted to Lisa and Man Wai, creative directors of Partner & Form, who helped to transform the space…

Where did you begin conceptually, and how did you turn the idea of “polka dots” into an immersive design language rather than simply a decorative theme?

“To be honest, Tash and Savva said, ‘We want the dots everywhere.’ So, we followed the brief. We’d love to claim a more tortuous intellectual process, but the instruction was rather good.

“Cafe Sofi is already built around a compendium of Sofi’s likes. She left such a vivid assortment: polka dots, orchids, pressed flowers, red lipstick, extraordinary birthday cakes. The dots had a place in that company before we arrived.

“What interested us was what happened when we took ‘everywhere’ seriously. A dot on a napkin is perfectly well behaved. Repeated across a room, it becomes rather more insistent. Then it turns up in the food: fruit cut into circles, the little rounds of bread and crackers. You start noticing roundness in things that were there all along. That was how the idea spread beyond decoration. Even lunch became implicated.”

How did Sophia’s story – and the idea of memory, personality and nostalgia – influence your approach to this birthday takeover?

“The particularity of her tastes was the starting point. ‘She loved beautiful things’ tells you very little about a person. Polka dots, cigarettes, pressed flowers and Lata Mangeshkar give you someone you’d maybe like to meet.

“We are interested in the apparently minor things people remember with extraordinary accuracy. The colour of a lipstick. A birthday cake before the knife went in. These details survive long after whole conversations have disappeared.

“For the birthday, we had this lovely, specific thing her children remembered about her, and permission to exaggerate it. There’s affection in that: taking something someone loved and allowing it to get gloriously out of hand.”

You’ve worked with Natasha on a number of projects – what is distinctive about designing for someone like Natasha, who has such a strong and recognisable point of view about hospitality, food and the experience of a restaurant?

“Tash has a very definite idea of how she wants people to feel in a restaurant. The food, the lighting, the room, the way someone is received – she sees all of it as part of the same experience. You can’t really present her with a beautiful idea and hope nobody asks what it does for the guest. We find that useful. A strong point of view gives you something to work with. ‘Dots everywhere’ has considerably more life in it than “something celebratory.”

“The freedom comes in working out how far an idea can go, and where it becomes interesting. Sometimes that means challenging the brief; sometimes it means taking a simple instruction more literally than anyone expected. With Sofi, the challenge was to make the abundance feel like it belonged to her. There had to be a person behind all that pattern.”

One of the most interesting aspects of the takeover is that the design isn’t static: guests are invited to create their own dots. What appealed to you about allowing the people who use the space to complete the design – and what do you think that says about the relationship between interiors and the people who inhabit them “On the tables, the blank dots offer another invitation. We liked the idea of beginning something without prescribing exactly how it would end. Each guest makes a small decision, and the room gradually acquires the evidence. There’s something pleasingly direct about making a dot. Nobody needs to decide whether they’re artistic before joining in. Someone will be careful; someone else will be gloriously unconcerned. Both will leave their mark.”

“We’re creating a series of dotted sets inspired by Malick Sidibé, with new backdrops appearing throughout the month. We love the occasion of a studio portrait: someone steps in front of a backdrop and decides how they’d like to be seen. The dots are exuberant enough to encourage a little performance. You can meet them with more pattern, arrive in immaculate white, bring a friend, pose or pout. Each person gives the set a different temperament. The pleasure is in seeing how the same backdrop behaves in different company. Sofi supplied the original enthusiasm for dots. Now everyone gets to dress for it.

The immersive takeover will be accompanied by an exclusive polka dot-inspired food and cocktail menu, created by Cafe Sofi’s culinary and beverage teams and served daily from 12h00 until late.

Connecting the dots

The drinks also look beyond Cafe Sofi’s own four walls. Six cocktails have been named after friends and neighbours in the precinct – including Rowdy, Ballo, Custodian, Rosey & Vittori, and Pauline’s – extending the celebration to the community that Cafe Sofi has become part of during its first year.

As Lisa and Man Wai mentioned, guests won’t simply experience the takeover – they’ll help create it.

Every table will receive a stack of blank circles and a marker, inviting guests of all ages to create their own dot. Each one will then be added to the restaurant, allowing the installation to evolve throughout October and November and gradually fill with the creativity of the people who visit.

“A dot is a small thing to remember about someone. Then again, so is the precise colour of a lipstick, or the way a cake looked before anyone cut it,” says Natasha Sideris, CEO and Co-Founder of Tashas Group. “It feels particularly fitting for a restaurant that has always been about memory, personality and the small things that made our mom, Sophia Electra, so distinctive.”

“We always wanted to do something to pay homage to our mom,” Savva said when Cafe Sofi first opened. “This is our personal love letter, back to her.”

One year later, that love letter continues – only this time, it comes covered in polka dots.

The Cafe Sofi Polka Dot Takeover runs from 1 October to 30 November 2026 at 2 Park Road, Gardens, Cape Town. The exclusive polka dot food and cocktail menu is available daily from cafesofi.com.

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For 25 years, @home has been part of that story. The couch that draws everyone closer. The table around which friendships deepen. The bedding that welcomes you at the end of the day. Every piece becomes part of a home that is not simply styled, but truly lived in.

What began as a vision for inspiring homeware has evolved into a destination for homeware, furniture, decor, bedding and gifting, bringing together considered design, enduring quality and exceptional brands for every room.

Made to Gather

Homeware

For every meal that became a memory, @home has brought functional design and purpose to the table. Its kitchen and entertaining collections span cookware, appliances, dinnerware and hosting essentials, with sought-after and exclusive brands including Sage, Robert Welch, GreenPan, Cuisine::pro, Haden, Sur La Table as well as well-loved brands such as Le Creuset, Nespresso and KitchenAid.

These are pieces designed not simply for the kitchen or table, but for the moments that happen around them.

Made for Living

Furniture

The best furniture does more than complete a room. It becomes part of how that room is lived in. From the couch everyone gathers on to the dining table at the heart of celebrations, @home offers quality furniture for living, dining, bedroom and outdoor spaces. Each collection combines function and considered design to help create spaces that feel curated, personal and made for living.

Rest, Reimagined

Bedding

Late-night conversations, breakfast in bed and the simple pleasure of coming home. The bedroom holds some of life’s quietest moments.

@home brings together bed linen, duvets, pillows and protectors in quality materials including Egyptian cotton and cotton percale. Trusted and exclusive brands include Granny Goose, Grace Collection and Guesthouse Collection, alongside Fortywinks SleepSync mattresses, creating a considered destination for better rest.

Worth Giving

Gifting

For 25 years, @home has helped make every gesture feel more meaningful. From home fragrance, vases, candles or picture frames to cookware, coffee essentials and elegant pieces for entertaining, @home offers gifts that feel considered, elevated and just indulgent enough. Whether it is a wedding, housewarming, milestone celebration or a small gesture, an @home gift turns the occasion into something worth remembering.

The story of home continues

Homes change. Families grow. Styles evolve. Yet the desire to create spaces that reflect who we are remains.

For 25 years, @home has helped us cook, host, rest, furnish, decorate and celebrate with intention. As the next chapter begins, it remains a destination for the pieces that shape how we live and the memories we create around them.

Here’s to the rooms still to be transformed, the tables still to be gathered around and the memories still to be made. Here’s to the next 25 years, @home. | athome.co.za

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WORDS Palesa Mohola PHOTOS Elzaan van der Merwe

Born from a love for the timeless elegance of mid-century modern design, Botany House, a boutique retreat in Cape Town’s Gardens neighbourhood, is curated to blend urban living with leafy, suburban calm – making it the perfect place for unwinding fully while remaining connected to the city’s vibrant energy.

“There is an unmistakably calming, restorative feeling the moment you arrive at Botany House. The energy of the space is something that cannot truly be captured in words or images,” says Bianca Yedid Levi, co-founder of Botany House.

Though Bianca and her family often view properties for renovations or buy-to-let investments, curiosity led them to this one – and they fell in love with it instantly. It was the property itself that sparked their transition into wellness hospitality: a desire to share the experience of this remarkable place.

At its heart, the property boasts a garden with mature trees kept exactly where they stood, one enclosed within a greenhouse; a variety of beautiful tropical plants, including towering ferns and vibrant clivias spilling out around every corner; a stone-walled swimming pool nestled amongst the foliage, evoking the feeling of a natural spring; and tying it all together, a curved wooden deck that winds gently through the greenery.

“From the beginning, we knew that the magic of Botany House was rooted in its history, its mature gardens and that extraordinary feeling of being completely surrounded by nature. The intention was never to overpower any of that, but to reveal and enhance it. Working within the existing structure and landscape meant that every decision had to be thoughtful. The mature trees and established planting were not obstacles to work around,“ says Bianca. The existing greenery became part of the design itself, influencing the way spaces were planned and ensuring that nature remained at the heart of the property. “In the end, some of those limitations became our greatest strengths. They encouraged us to create something that feels layered and authentic, rather than overly perfected. The result feels very much of its place, which was always the intention.”

Inside, the same attention to detail was applied. “Natural materials form the foundation of the house. Each suite began with its own unique marble selection, and these beautiful stones became the starting point for the palette and personality of each room. From there, we layered oak, natural timbers, linen, textured fabrics and handcrafted finishes. We wanted materials that invite you to touch them, that become more beautiful with time and give the interiors a sense of warmth and depth. We deliberately avoided relying on bold statements. Instead, we allowed the materials themselves to do the talking. The variation in grain, stone, texture and light creates an understated richness that feels both refined and incredibly welcoming,” says Bianca.

Bianca was drawn to a sense of timelessness rather than anything too trend-led, using soft forms, curated furniture and lighting by Bofred, Deft, and Houtlander, to create interiors with a feeling of permanence. The walls are adorned with artworks by local artists Jana Wasserman, Juliet Eidelman, Yarden Yedid Levi, and Jessica Bosworth Smith.

The bespoke porcelain mushroom installation by Juliet Eidelman is particularly close to Bianca’s heart. “It was created as an ode to the fungi that once grew wild throughout the garden, so it carries a small piece of the property’s history into the interiors. I love that it is unexpected. It is not simply a beautiful object, but something with a story behind it. Those are the details that make a place feel personal, and that is what we wanted Botany House to be,” says Bianca.

The property offers three distinctly curated suites:

• Garden Suites: Opulent green rooms that open onto a lush, tranquil garden and greenhouse area – designed for deep rest.
• Pool Suites: Open to the stone-walled pool, each with a private balcony and Table Mountain views.
• The Grand Botany Suite: A private lounge and full kitchenette with calming decor, making this suite a peaceful retreat – designed for longer stays.

“The space was envisioned as an oasis in the middle of the city, a place to unwind fully while remaining connected to Cape Town’s vibrant energy. Gardens blends urban living with leafy, suburban calm,” says Bianca. botany-house.com | @botanyhouse_ct

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Inspired by founder Cara Saven’s travels to Lisbon, the new collection captures the colours, patterns and essence of the city: think sun-bleached azulejo tiles, the colours of market produce, and the old-world charm of Lisbon’s cobbled streets.

“As I was walking through the streets of Lisbon, I just knew that our next décor range would be inspired by it. There’s a sense of vibrancy, people eating and conversing, and everything feels warm. This range has tried to bring that feeling into almost every design,” says Cara.

The Lisbon collection spans 14 designs across tablecloths, table runners and napkins, all created in-house and manufactured locally. | carasavendecor.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Open Doors Collective

Pineapple House Boutique Hotel – a 14-bedroom boutique hotel in a restored 1920s Victorian house in Sea Point – is known for its distinctive, character-filled interior that celebrates colour and craftsmanship.

From the outset, owners Les and Rupert Sykes worked closely with South African makers, artists and suppliers, filling the hotel with pieces that feel collected and thoughtfully curated rather than simply decorated. And it wasn’t long before guests began asking where they could buy the inspired decor pieces.

What started with making selected pieces from the hotel available to guests soon developed into something far greater. “We did not set out to open a shop. We built the hotel around pieces we loved and the work of talented makers, and guests kept asking if they could take a little of it home. At some point, we realised that idea had legs for something even bigger,” says Les.

That idea eventually grew into Pineapple House Interiors: a richly layered collection of bespoke furniture, authentic Indian block-printed textiles and handcrafted pieces that gives people the opportunity to take the hotel’s aesthetic and the stories behind its pieces home with them.

For Les and Rupert, the story behind a piece is as important as the piece itself. They want customers to know where something comes from, where its journey began, who made it and the craft and traditions that went into creating it.

“We want people to know the story of what they are bringing into their homes,” says Les. “Where did it start? Who made it? What hands has it passed through? When you understand the journey of a piece, you form a completely different connection with it.”

That sense of discovery runs through Pineapple House Interiors. Rather than simply presenting a collection of beautiful objects, Les and Rupert share the people, places and processes behind them, allowing customers to understand the provenance of each piece and, ultimately, continue its story in their own homes.

“Pineapple House Interiors is for people who notice the small details, the people who want to know where something came from, who made it and how it was created,” says Les.

Pineapple House Interiors brings that same approach to a wider collection, combining bespoke furniture, statement pieces, custom joinery, soft furnishings and upholstery with authentic Indian block-printed textiles and handcrafted objects.

Pineapple House Interiors is now open at The Palms in Woodstock. pineapplehouseinteriors.co.za | @pineapplehouseinteriors_ct

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Beautiful furniture may catch your eye, but exceptional furniture creates a feeling. It invites you to sit longer, relax more deeply and enjoy the space around you.

As homes continue to become more personal and multifunctional, comfort is taking centre stage. As living rooms continue to evolve into softer, more relaxed spaces and outdoor areas feel like natural extensions of the interior, furniture is chosen for the experiences it helps create.

The secret to curating an interior is to ask how you want a space to feel. A generous modular sofa encourages connection and conversation; a sculptural swivel chair adds movement and personality; while deep, supportive outdoor seating transforms a patio into a place where lunches linger into late afternoons.

Materials matter too. Tactile fabrics, plush cushioning, AluOak® wood-look finishes and softly rounded forms bring depth and warmth to contemporary spaces. When it comes to outdoor living, performance is equally important. Weather-ready materials, easy-care finishes and dependable construction allow you to create a refined setting without making it difficult to live in.

Mobelli’s collections combine premium comfort with practical, hassle-free living. From adaptable modular lounges to elegant dining settings and inviting outdoor furniture, every piece is selected to help people enjoy their spaces with confidence.

As Mobelli celebrates its 20th anniversary, its philosophy remains refreshingly simple: furniture should look beautiful, feel exceptional and work effortlessly in real life.

Because true comfort cannot be fully appreciated on a screen. You have to sit down, settle in and experience it for yourself. | mobelli.co.za

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Casa LV, a Cape Town-based homeware brand known for its beautiful, bespoke, hand-blown glassware, was born from a friendship between two women with very different, yet deeply complementary, relationships to glass.

“Lynne and Vilma have been dear friends for 35 years. From the beginning, creativity was always part of their friendship. They have both always been passionate about fashion, interiors, collecting beautiful things and working on creative projects together,” says Julia Hirsch, Marketing Manager at Casa LV.

Glass was something they both had a deep connection to. Lynne grew up around the industry as her father was involved in a glass factory, while Vilma, with her Italian roots, had always collected hand-blown glass and had an instinctive appreciation for it.

What essentially began as a passion project has naturally evolved into a growing family business, with Vilma’s daughter Lara joining as Projects and Wholesale Manager and Lynne’s daughter Julia coming on board as Marketing Manager. For Julia, this is what makes Casa LV special – “the foundations have never really changed. It is still built around genuine friendship, passion and a shared love of the product.“

Interestingly, Casa LV was not always destined to be a glassware brand. Lynne and Vilma initially experimented with ceramics and porcelain, but neither material was able to achieve the transparency, depth or colour they were imagining. Eventually, they returned to glass, and that became a major turning point for the brand.

Material Matters

For Casa LV, the raw material – glass – always comes first. “We think about what glass can do naturally rather than trying to force it into something it does not want to be. From an initial idea, we brief our artisans and begin prototyping. That process can take time, and the first attempt is very rarely the final one. There is a lot of refining of proportion, weight, colour and functionality before we feel a piece is right,” explains Julia.

Every vessel in the Casa LV range is mouth-blown and shaped by hand, meaning no two pieces are ever the same. “Finding the right glassblower was another process of trial and error. Once we found the artisan we work with today, there was a huge amount of persistence on both sides and it took close to two years of development to really achieve what Lynne and Vilma had envisioned,” says Julia. “The candle cloche was one of the greatest technical challenges. Unlike a traditional hurricane, ours is open at both the top and the bottom, which sounds simple but was incredibly difficult to execute correctly by hand. It became a tireless exercise in refining the form until it worked.”

One of the foundations of a Casa LV piece is its weight. The team work with three layers of glass, which gives the objects a wonderful solidity and presence. Julia explains that a practical consideration is always there – “a vase needs to comfortably hold flowers, an ice bucket needs to function as an ice bucket, and a cloche needs to work around a candle. For us, the best object sits somewhere between sculpture and utility. A Casa LV vase should be beautiful filled with flowers, but when the flowers perish, the glass should remain as an object in its own right.”

Colour Play

A sense of play is essential to Casa LV, whose colour palette is intentional but not calculated. “We usually begin by looking at international colour trends and what is emerging across fashion, interiors and design more broadly. From there, we interpret those influences through the Casa LV lens rather than following them too literally,” says Julia. “After almost a decade of working with glass, we have learnt which colours our customers return to again and again, so there are certain shades that have become Casa LV staples.”

From Cape Town to London and Beyond

While everyone within the team brings a different heritage and influence to the business, Casa LV is proudly crafted in Cape Town. “Casa LV simply would not be Casa LV if the product were manufactured somewhere else. Championing South African craftsmanship also means showing that locally made design can sit confidently on an international stage,” says Julia.

The brand has recently gone international, expanding to the UK through Julia’s London-based business Hue Haus. “One of the most rewarding things for me has been watching someone in London encounter Casa LV glass for the first time and respond to it in exactly the same emotional way that people do in South Africa,” she says. “Seeing Casa LV begin to find a home outside South Africa feels like the next chapter of the same story rather than the beginning of a different one. The roots remain firmly in Cape Town; the audience is simply becoming larger.” @casa.lv | @hue.haus.london

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Monolithic, commanding, stark, bold, colossal, austere, severe, but also, crafted to hold. Weylandts’ latest Artblocks function as monuments that celebrate design in its most earnest form.

A recognition of the structures that hold things – to hold, to be held, to have held. Adorned with trinkets, art, lamps, sculptures, memories, vases, floral arrangements, these pieces stand as pillars that mark memory. They harbour their own stories of erosion and material history while communicating the idea and feeling of the objects they present.

Expanding on the current range, these pieces were designed by Weylandts and crafted in India. During their travels, Chris and Anna Weylandt explored new materialities and techniques to define this range. From hydroleathered finishes to geometric details, they sought to create forms that felt both monumental and deeply tactile.

Hydroleathered marble showcases the layered nature of the raw material. Originally conceptualised as floor tiles, the team decided to apply this finish to sculptural pieces instead, creating surfaces that reveal the depth and movement within the stone. The result is a finish that feels weathered, textured and rich with character. The Textured Artblocks feature intricately carved timber surfaces that emphasise the handcrafted elements of each piece. Repeating patterns create depth and shadow, transforming each face into a landscape that shifts as light moves across it. In contrast, the Angular Artblocks are defined by sharp lines, geometric silhouettes and architectural forms. Faceted planes create tension and balance, allowing the pieces to take on new identities from every angle. | weylandts.co.za

The post Obelisk appeared first on Visi.

A soulful way of living begins with pieces made with care, quality and character. Noha creates premium furniture, lighting and decor shaped by genuine craft, natural materials and respect for how homes are lived in.

From solid timber and woven textures to leather, textiles and natural fibres, each piece is designed to bring warmth, depth and lasting beauty into everyday spaces.

Quality in the Craft

Every piece begins with the material. Responsibly sourced wood, reclaimed timber, tactile fabrics and hand-finished details come together through a slower, more meaningful way of making. Materials that might otherwise be overlooked are reimagined into furniture and decor with strength, soul and lasting presence.

Rooted in Honest Materials

Drawing from nature, local craft and the character of real materials, each piece carries a sense of origin. From visible timber grain to textures that invite touch, the beauty is found in quality you can see and feel.

Made for Everyday Living

Made for the moments that give a home its feeling. Quiet corners, shared spaces and daily rituals become warmer and more personal through furniture and decor made with care, craft and soul. | noha.co.za

The post Design that Lives with You appeared first on Visi.

WORDS Palesa Mohola PHOTOS Courtesy of Merchants

Merchants has transformed into a contemporary space that champions installation-based storytelling through African design. The newly released limited-edition hand-felted blanket series – a collaboration between textile artist Stephanie Bentum and Merchants’ creative director Tiaan Nagel – is a continuation of Merchants’ evolution and ongoing commitment to local makers and collectable design.

“We’re shifting toward a more gallery-led articulation, and away from traditional retail. In this new chapter, we’re working directly with a few designers from our community to develop products that are true to their handwriting, but original and unexpected. Pieces you will only find at Merchants. It reinforces our curatorial point of view; a filter our customers trust to be innovative, forward-leading, and rooted in craft,” says Tiaan.

For Tiaan, selecting the right collaborator is essential. “Authentic storytelling, elevated craft, and a strong sense of place. We’re drawn to designers who are already exploring these ideas in their product development. Take Stephanie, for example – weaving and wool are part of her family history. We were excited to work with her as both designer and as master craftsperson to create something that communicates that depth of knowledge in an instant – but in a directional, modern way,” he says. “It’s not about suppressing their point of view or translating it into ours. It’s about working together to arrive at something original, something that could only come from this partnership. I’ve always admired Stephanie’s ability to let the material lead the work. This collaboration gave us the opportunity to explore new colour palettes, scale and application while respecting the integrity of her process. The result is a collection that reflects a shared appreciation for craftsmanship, thoughtful design and pieces designed to be lived with for years to come,” he adds.

Released in three distinct colourways – Natural, Multi-Stripe and Indigo – the limited-edition collection demonstrates how subtle shifts in colour, texture and composition create different expressions of Stephanie’s felt-making practice, with pieces that move between throws, blankets and sculptural accents within the home.

“Every collaboration asks different questions of the material,” says Stephanie. “Working with Tiaan encouraged me to rethink not only colour and proportion, but where my felted knit practice could go next. It challenged me to explore familiar materials in unfamiliar ways, creating pieces that could live in new ways while remaining true to the hand of the maker.” The collaboration began with a clear creative brief. “I received a mood board, packed neatly into a specific size with three colour stories – seaside blues, natural clay tones and vibrant coloured stripes,” she explains. ”Collaborating with Tiaan wasn’t about changing my personal style but an interpretation of his concept based on an existing technique by introducing a new colour story.”

Felt is essentially a non-woven fabric made by compressing fibres together. Since heating causes wool fibres to shrink, one of the main challenges in creating pieces for this collection was the finishing process. “The yarn for the knitted base is treated with a ‘Superwash’, and the top layer comprises non-Hercosett wool tops, resulting in one fibre shrinking and the other not,” explains Stephanie. This meant she had to work out the exact dimensions of the knit and develop a production technique during the fulling process to achieve the desired size of the throw. “Despite first doing test runs, going into production we had to be conscious of the tightening of the different fibre qualities during the complete process and in particular at the finishing and drying stages. It was important to ensure that technical constraints did not hurt the creative process,” she says.

“The handmade nature of a product involving skilled artisanal labour with a keen eye on careful structural detail, including the use of colour combinations, evokes an emotional connection to the item placed in a space where the touch of texture transcends basic function and elevates into luxury,” she adds.

Stephanie has spent more than a decade exploring the technique across fashion, interiors and film, using locally sourced merino wool and mohair from farmers who follow animal-friendly practices. “I only work with natural fibres; it’s my mantra. The blankets are made from 100% South African merino wool, which is a highly tactile texture,” she says.

The Merchants x Stephanie Bentum limited-edition collection is available in-store and online. merchantsonlong.co.za | stephaniebentumtextilemaker.com

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