Marc Nicolson and Lyall Sprong of Thingking work magic with pine and plywood. Since they started their company in March 2010, we’ve been ardent fans of their work.

The VISI office has been brought to life with a towering “bead-box” stand made by Marc and Lyall. On it, we display inspirational objects, books and magazines. It’s a work of art, displaying boxes strung onto poles to create a novel display space.

The Thingking duo were also the brains behind the beautiful VISI bookends, which formed part of a subscription campaign earlier this year. And, right now, we’re pine-ing for one of their Turned Trestle Tables.

Marc and Lyall describe themselves as a designer-maker consultancy. “We work in things and ideas of expression and problem solving. Our aim is to create work that increasingly reflects a deeper sense of place and understanding,” they say.

VISI’s Remy Raitt spoke to Marc to find out more about their passion for wood and the ideas they bring to life.

Why do you work with wood?

When you choose to work with wood, you’re selecting a material that fulfills a feeling and a purpose. It offers great variety, both in the different types available and in the ways in which it can be worked. Then, of course, there are considerations such as renewability.

Do you approach wood in an environmentally conscious way? If so, how?

We mostly work with pine, which has to be one of the most sustainable materials available. It grows quickly (and locally), has a reasonable life span, is usually Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and has a utilitarian, honest association.

Do you use any special treatments on your wood?

We quite like shellac, which is a resin secreted by the lac bug.

Your Turned Trestle Tables are exquisite and versatile. Can you tell us more about the design and how people have responded?

The response has been good, although we find it always takes a little while for people to pay attention to new things. In terms of the design, a visit to the historical Koopmans De Wet house (in Cape Town) got us thinking about split-turning. We played with the conventional order of the production process and finally arrived at the idea of creating shapes by removing some of the wood while turning it. In producing the first few, Lyall decided to learn how to do the turning himself, and in this sense it was really like trying to make a beautiful mark with a paintbrush, except that he was working with a chisel and lathe.

What else would you love to do with this material?

We like it when chipboard burrs and frays, and are pretty sure we’ll be end up doing something with this at some point.

More information: www.thingking.co.za

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Every day, piles of newspapers are discarded and recycled into new paper. Mieke has devised a solution to use this surplus of paper for a renewed material. By gluing pages of newspaper and then tightly rolling them, a log is created that’s then used like wood in furniture and other types of design.

When a NewspaperWood log is cut, the layers of paper appear like lines of a wood grain or the rings of a tree, and therefore resembles the aesthetic of real wood. The material can be cut, milled and sanded, and is generally treated like any other type of wood.

In April 2011 the first prototypes were presented in Milan, of which a selection will be included in the Vij5 collection. Vij5 is a Dutch design label with a collection of interior products, characterised by simplicity and the use of existing elements.

More information: www.vij5.nl

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Visitors can expect fresh, directional takes on interiors that will inspire them to explore new approaches of their own. The exhibit, on until 31 July, features the following four designer showcases:

Liam Mooney

Product designer Liam Mooney of Dry Goods uses his “black-on-black” pod to feature products from his new range in an interior setting. Playing with reflections and different textures of black, Liam has worked with Quartz Carpet to create an all-new custom-mix black floor covering, which is not ordinarily part of their product range.

Kerstin Eser and Christopher Strong

Respected stylist and Freeworld Design Centre consultant, Kerstin Eser, has created a clothing shop window display which features bespoke garments “upcycled” from paint-splattered overalls into “pret-a-porter” gems, created by Christopher Strong.

Kerstin’s display takes some inspiration from Willow Smith’s “Whip my hair” music video and its paint-splatter aesthetic. The pod sports a new multi-colour “Jack Splatt” treatment and a progressive retail display.

Neil Stemmet

Fresh from winning the Green Award at Decorex Cape Town for his Bos Tea House, Neil Stemmet of Koncept Design brings his exciting take on heritage colour and eclectic-but-classic interiors to the Freeworld Design Centre.

Neil created a living room featuring antique and heirloom pieces mixed with high design items, reflecting his old-new amalgam and anti-décor philosophy. Neil has created his own select paint palette and draws from these colours for his interior.

Tracy Lynch

Tracy is a Freeworld Design Centre consultant and renowned décor stylist and creative director. For her second Freeworld Design exhibit pod, she created a contemporary dressing room exploring the decorative possibilities of artistically applied paint in a setting that provides a beautiful alternative to tiles, featuring a brand-new flooring product called Alabaster, just launching on the market.

In addition, the pod also showcases Earthcote’s shimmering new option for interior walls and Glass Paint, a jewel-like product made from recycled glass beads.

More information: 021 427 8918, www.freeworlddesigncentre.com

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Never mind wearing your heart on your sleeve. Jewellery designer Eon Hoon enables you to hang your heart right on your chest.

Razor blades, expertly crafted into a heart pendant, might summarise how a broken heart feels, but in the form of a gorgeous pendant, it’s the complete antithesis of a heartbreak.

The razor-blade pieces attracted a lot of attention at the 2011 Design Indaba Expo, where Eon of Eon Hoon Jewellery Design was invited to exhibit as an emerging creative. But the designer also has a range of other jewellery pieces that play on emotions and symbolism.

Eon started making jewellery in 2004 after being introduced to the craft through a family friend. He then went on to study a BTech degree in jewellery design and manufacture at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Two short courses in jewellery manufacture at the College of Cape Town followed.

“You could call my jewellery dark art, but I have a very versatile style,” Eon says. “I make whatever feels right. I guess you could call it a fluid style.”

Predominantly working in silver, Eon also loves working with other materials like resin, leather and Perspex. He also recently discovered gold leaf, which “has been a challenge to work with”.

Eon has grand plans for 2011: “I’m hoping to get into more stockists and also to develop my jewellery into a brand…. I’m also hoping to do collaborations with a few fashion designers I met at the Design Indaba, move onto establishing a firm base of clients, and bring my design up to a whole new level.”

For the time being, Eon’s pieces are available at the Fringe Pop Up Store in the V&A Waterfront, and at The Spier Wine Estate.

More information: eonhoon@hotmail.com, www.eonfluxed.blogspot.com/

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