WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Justin Patrick Photography

In a powerful meeting of minds and materials, PICHULIK and Studio Lloyd have revealed ‘to hold’ – a collaborative installation presented as part of the CAPSULE section at this year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair.

Drawing on the ancient arts of knotting, crochet, and weaving, the installation explores the language of rope – not just as a material but as a vessel for feminine knowledge. For centuries, these practices have shaped ritual, trade, and domestic life, encoding care and continuity into every loop and bind. Now, this lineage is brought vividly into the present through a dialogue between two distinct yet complementary practices: PICHULIK, the luxury jewellery atelier known for its bold, sculptural forms; and Studio Lloyd, a design studio celebrated for its handcrafted lighting and objects.

At the heart of the installation is a series of limited-edition embellished bags by PICHULIK. Each is a carrier of meaning, incorporating semi-precious stones, sculptural rope, and symbolic cast brass to evoke ancient ideas of value and adornment.

In response, Studio Lloyd has created a sculptural light landscape that envelops the space. Handwoven and luminous, the structure echoes the rhythms of the bags, transforming rope, stone, and light into an immersive environment.

Together, ‘to hold’ honours craft as a feminist inheritance, reclaiming it as a site of strength, beauty, and contemporary expression. pichulik.com | studiolloyd.com

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The post PICHULIK and Lloyd Unveil ‘to hold’ at ICTAF 2026 appeared first on Visi.

Studio Lloyd is known for its organic light sculptures, handcrafted by crocheting rope around massive metal frames. Its founder talks to us about her design approach – and some exciting new ranges.

WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Jan Ras

It was a piece commissioned for Southern Guild’s “A New Wave” exhibition in 2016 that kicked off Ashlee Lloyd’s career. As part of a show that featured talented local designers under the age of 40, Ashlee created a light sculpture called “Molecular” by crocheting polypropylene multifilament rope of varying thickness into a voluminous chandelier-meets-sculpture. The scale, originality and organic feel of her piece drew media attention – and another light sculpture for what was then the Skotnes Restaurant at the Norval Foundation in Steenberg cemented her reputation. Some eight years later, Ashlee and director of operations Anne Halbedel, who joined in 2020, are Studio Lloyd – a design brand that’s renowned globally for its lighting, seating and objects. We visited Studio Lloyd’s Paarden Eiland premises, and spoke to Ashlee about her journey.

The Studio Lloyd Aesthetic

“My mom taught me how to crochet when I was little. I was always helping her, whether she was making clothing or plant holders. Studio Lloyd’s work is basically a manipulation of that technique. We use a single crochet for most of our products – a double crochet would look too chunky, and the light wouldn’t come through. We have to prepare exactly where we’re going to turn around, so that we know whether we’re going to create the right profile in just a few stitches.

“It’s about nailing the technique and then manipulating it. It’s quite exciting, because it makes every
project different. People ask for a sketch when they commission us to do something – and I provide
that – but the end result always looks a little different. It’s like an organic sculpting process.

“I’ve always been infatuated with the idea of negative space, so my light sculptures are more about the patterns they make than the physicality of the rope. When I created my first piece for Southern Guild, I used to work on it in my mother’s garage at night, so I could clearly see the light shining through the negative space of the crochet, and observe the patterns it made on the wall. With crochet, this element was always in play.

“The light sculptures are big on texture and the handmade aspect, but there’s also the fact that each piece looks quite different during the day from the way it does at night. We designed a piece for a Fox Browne Creative project in Namibia – it’s made from an alabaster-white rope, and at night, it turns into this golden, ephemeral spectacle.”

The Design Process

“I’m old-school – I do everything with pen and paper. Even though I studied it and I can work with CAD, I feel totally disconnected from drawing digitally. I sketch because I thoroughly enjoy it. After sketching out a light sculpture design, I send it to a draughtsman who works for us part-time. It comes back to me for confirmation, then I ensure it gets signed off by the client. The next step is to get the metal top view/profile laser-cut, reinforced and powder-coated; this forms the main structure that we crochet around. Prior to crocheting, though, we attach the lights and finish the detailing. Adding all the handmade elements is the last step.”

With Success Comes Many Decisions

“After the initial success of the light sculptures, I had to make a choice: either to make a business out of it, or to go the solo artist route, doing exhibitions every now and then. I thought to myself, ‘If I don’t take the business route, if I don’t hire or upskill people, if I don’t try to make a difference, I will always kick myself. I will never know what it would be like.’

“For the past four years, we’ve done a lot of work for international clients who commission light sculptures. The downside has been that we can’t show many of these projects – especially our commissions for the Middle East. They go into residential spaces, and we have to sign NDAs.

“So in 2024, we decided we need to bring our focus back to the local market. We exhibited at Cape Town Furniture Week, as well as at Decorex in Cape Town and Joburg. Being so involved overseas, we also realised that everyone there is actually looking to Africa. Go to a café in London, for example, and you’ll more than likely hear African-inspired music playing. It’s an exciting time to be down here in the south!”

A Focus on Smaller Products…

“Most of our business is still in the commercial space, but even there not everyone has the budget to order a big light sculpture for the dining area. Our materials and the processes we use are on the expensive side, so we want to focus on ranges of smaller, more accessible pieces. We’re working to
make quality products that will be a little more affordable.

“We’ll also focus on selling various items through our website. We’re not opposed to selling via other stores – we’ve done it before – but it’s always about finding the right match. And we don’t want to dilute the brand by selling on every platform, either.”

…And On Metal

“The light sculptures have definitely influenced our smaller pieces. We have our technique down, we understand the materials, and we’re starting to play with reflecting and refracting the light. We’re also investigating different LED profiles. “We’re planning to start working more often with metal, such as copper mesh. We’ll retain the rope element, which is an integral part of our aesthetic, but we’ll also use metal profiles – something like a chain and mesh – to increase the dynamic nature of a piece. Unlike rope, which absorbs light, metal will bounce the light off and reflect it. It’s exciting – and there’s plenty of opportunity to play with different materials.”

More Outdoor Furniture in the Pipeline

“We’ll be releasing additional outdoor furniture next year – four- to six-people seating arrangements that include new dining chairs. Our outdoor daybed, which is very beautiful, is a statement piece that naturally tends to appeal more to our hospitality clientele – so our aim now is to capture the attention of the general public. The chairs will feature special upcycled rope, which we’ll be using as the primary material in our outdoor dining furniture.

“I’d also like to do more modular sofa-style arrangements – but that will be an expensive, time-consuming task, especially with the kinds of ideas I have in my head!“ | studiolloyd.com

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The women of South Africa’s design industry stand as beacons of creativity and vision, constantly redefining the landscape with their innovative ideas.

This Women’s Month, Decorex Joburg and 100% Design Africa celebrate the incredible contributions of women in design. “Our country’s rich cultural diversity should be reflected in its design industry, and championing women ensures this is accurately and fully represented,” comments Bielle Bellingham, Decorex Africa Executive Creative Director. “Often, women design with a focus on community and social impact, leading to projects that benefit society as a whole. By supporting their work, we foster a more inclusive and forward-thinking industry.”

The participants in these two shows, including engineers, architects, interior decorators, ceramicists, furniture designers, and textile artists, showcase remarkable expertise across diverse fields, emphasising the need to recognise their exceptional contributions.

Lexus ‘Making Luxury Personal’ Spaces

For the Lexus ‘Making Luxury Personal’ spaces, respected South African designers Anna Correia, Kgomotso Malope of MoTSO DeSIGNED and Sihan Wiid of Mink Interiors will create feature spaces informed by the latest Lexus car models, demonstrating how to capture the personality of luxury cars in interior design.

Plascon Colour Design Pods

Living Inspired Interiors, founded by Tanya Solomon, will create a room set inspired by Plascon palettes. The Plascon Colour Design Pods aim to push designers to explore and showcase the diverse and dynamic possibilities of colour using the Plascon Colour Forecast for 2024.

100% Design Africa

This year’s edition of 100% Design Africa will host an unparalleled display of product design, furniture, decor, lighting and art. Kalki Ceramics, co-founded by multi-disciplinary artist Nindya Bucktowar and her partner Nikhil Tricam, will be at the showcase. Kalki was the winner of the annual Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search in 2022. 

Former Design Indaba Emerging Creatives and sisters Viveka and Rucita Vassen of Ananta Design Studio will also be showcasing their unique beaded lighting and decor pieces.

Local surface brand Infinity Surfaces will be displaying an exciting collaboration with four visionary local designers, including Mpho Vackier of multi-disciplinary furniture and product design company TheUrbanative, and Tanisha Neill of Cape Town-based furniture design studio N I S H. 

Design brand Coote and Wench, founded by Storm Coote and her husband Philip, will be returning to 100% Design Africa with its unique range of upcycled lighting, handmade furniture and home accessories.

Ashlee Lloyd of the internationally acclaimed lighting design studio Studio Lloyd will stage a designer room set at 100% Design Africa. The studio’s impressive catalogue of functional art pieces has been featured in British Vogue, VISI and Dezeen, among others.

100% Hospitality by Belgotex

Named earlier in 2024 as the ‘Women Shaping the Future of Sustainable Hotel Design’ by Condé Nast Traveller, Megan Hesse and Andrea Kleinloog of HesseKleinloog Studio and Anatomy Design will demonstrate their industry brilliance at 100% Hospitality by Belgotex, an exclusive exhibition showcasing the future of luxury hospitality design.

100% Design Africa Café

The 100% Design Africa Café, located in the centre of the 100% Design Africa hall on Level 2 of the convention centre, is designed by Wolkberg Casting Studio. Wolkberg, a proudly African industrial design studio, was co-founded by creative entrepreneur Ramielle de Jager – a regular Future Talks contributor – who has established a name for herself as a leading product innovator in the industry. 

Future Talks

Future Talks’ dynamic hosts for 2024 include creative multi-hyphenate and the co-founder of interior design studio MOEA Design, Cassandra Twala, creative director Jana Hamman, Andrea Kleinloog and spatial design educator and interior architect Audrey Nanjala. 

Decorex Joburg

Experience this active shift towards impact design for yourself and join the designers and creatives paving the way to the future at Decorex Joburg (1 to 4 August 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre). | decorex.co.za

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South African lighting and furniture design atelier Studio Lloyd is launching their first outdoor seating collection. 

Studio Lloyd, an internationally renowned design studio based in Cape Town, is bringing their innovative organic designs to outdoor spaces. Their exciting new luxurious Sayari Outdoor Collection is a contemporary yet functional outdoor seating range inspired by the beauty of the African continent.

Instead of using traditional shapes and patterns, the Sayari Outdoor Collection is a contemporary and physical ode to the place Studio Lloyd calls home. “Sayari” is Swahili, meaning “Planet” and is the extension of Studio Lloyd’s standard range. With conscious living and the planet in mind, the collection has been made using Eucalyptus Globulus – an alien species which has a negative impact on the biodiversity of South Africa.

READ MORE: Studio Lloyd Launches a Range of Ottomans

The simplistic yet eye-catching MAONI Daybed is versatile in its use and offers pairing with the uniquely shaped but functional KIMONDO Side Table with round marble inlay. 

This unfamiliar approach to outdoor seating lies in the use of organic shapes and a minimal yet significant combination of materials. The Studio Lloyd signature crochet detailing adds familiarity and affiliation to the significance of local handcraft.

The collection officially launches on the 16th of May 2022 and will be available to order via studiolloyd.com and design@studiolloyd.com. 

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Cape Town-based lighting and homeware brand Studio Lloyd has developed a range of handmade ottomans suitable for the indoors and out. 

For her designs, owner and creative director Ashlee Lloyd – a self-confessed textile lover – takes inspiration from the rich culture of craft in southern Africa and forms found in nature. She applies traditional techniques like crochet to her contemporary designs – braided light fittings and sculptural chandeliers – to create functional art.

The ottomans are made from durable polyester braided rope, which is crocheted and assembled into the seating by hand in Cape Town. They’re available in four sizes, but can be customised to order, and eight striking colours named in reference to metals, minerals and stones: ruby red, onyx black, dune beige, olivine green, silver grey, malachite green, malta brown and charcoal grey. “Since my work is closely tied to the natural environment, I have always preferred earthy colours,” says Ashlee Lloyd, who spoke to her supplier about custom manufacturing deep reds, browns and olive greens.

“The inspiration for the ottomans came from circular motion,” Ashlee Lloyd explains. “I started crocheting in circles and adding stitches every third row to explore what shapes I could make. Once I got carried away, I noticed the beautiful ocean pattern the crochet was forming from the spiral motion. The end result are these crocheted ottomans that look like soft and tranquil pebbles.”

Studio Lloyd’s next range of ottomans will be oval. To find out more and to order, visit ashleelloyd.com and follow Studio Lloyd (@studio_lloyd) on Instagram.

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