Up-and-coming designer Khosi Leteba is behind the design of the Bodulo Bench, created in collaboration with Wiid Design and Nando’s Clout.

The bench is a striking interpretation of Basotho culture, with the influence evident in the patterned illustrations and curvature of the design. When conceptualising the bench, Khosi drew on his heritage and ancestry, keeping culture, architecture and agricultural practices top of mind.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlBlL4J2P8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Initially part of a trio, the bench forms part of the larger Bodula collection, which Khosi pitched at the inaugural Clout Industry Days Fired Up by Nando’s at 100% Design South Africa 2019. His work caught the attention of the judges, including Tracy Lynch of Nando’s Clout and Studio Lee Lynch, and prototyping for the Bodulo bench began.

Tracy thought that designer Laurie Wiid van Heerden of Wiid Design would be the ideal collaborator for the project, where he brought in his distinctive cork furniture style to complement Khosi’s design.

The final piece is a fusion between tradition and contemporary design and will be available globally through the Nando’s Portal To Africa.

For more information, visit clout-sadesign.co.za.

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Designer Tracy Lee Lynch, who heads up Studio Lee Lynch, shares her tips on creating a productive home office space.

Some of us will be working from home for the foreseeable future. This has its pros and cons, of course – long commutes are a distant memory as Zoom meetings replace flights and parking challenges. Barking dogs and uninvited toddlers present new challenges (luckily we mostly love the unexpected).

Having designed office spaces for clients as part of my practice as an interior designer, I have had the privilege of imagining and bringing to life what a great office space should be. If I think back to all the requests clients have had, these are the ones that I believe can easily be adapted to anyone’s home office space.

1. Plant Life

The Old Friends Young Talent project was very focused on bringing life to a space where young creatives spend long hours and need to stay focused and be creative, while also needing to connect and have fun. I worked with Jo Skelton of Flourish Plants to create bold arrangements of lush green foliage – we used very simple planters and included a self-watering system to make sure the plants were well maintained. This inclusion of plants brought the interiors to life.

It’s quite incredible what a leafy plant does to a room. It’s an easy, cost-effective addition. Joe Paine has stunning planters if you would like to include a strong South African design element to your installation, as does TheUrbanNative. [Find more planter options here]

2. Sound and Screen

Areas of the open-plan space at the offices of Old Friends Young Talent needed to be screened off, but the request was for moveable screens that could also act as sound-absorbent installations. We created a few very simple upholstered panels on stable feet that solved the challenge.

This concept can solve a few home office needs when it comes to space sharing. In addition, this idea allows for the inclusion of colour, pattern and texture without needing to commit to wallpaper or reupholstering furniture. And if you are keen on a Zoom backdrop that serves multiple needs, this may be it!

3. Shelves as a Feature Display

The winemaker at Twee Jonge Gezellen needed an office space suited to long working hours, but that also served as a meeting space for clients. As storage is always essential in any office space, I included large, bracketed steel hanging shelves from Dark Horse.

Some shelves housed files and storage boxes, while others displayed sculptures and ceramic collections. The mix created a feature – this concept is a good option if your lounge is also your work-from-home office.

4. Art and Design

Now, more than ever, is the time to support local. Add a big painting to your office and invest in a well-made desk or office chair from one of South Africa’s incredible designers.

When I designed Central Kitchen, Nando’s head offices, I focused on using only South African design to complement the brand’s large collection of South African art. James Mudge designs and makes incredible timber desks and shelves, while Pinda Interior Design is another favourite for his incredible desk designs. Raw Studios offer more cost-effective options that are innovative and fun.

Art is an investment, something that can bring you endless joy. Choose wisely and invest in emerging artists if your budget is limited. A limited-edition print can be a great option if you can’t afford an original piece, but make sure it’s numbered and signed if you want to see your investment grow in value.

Looking for more home office tips? Here’s Bone Studio Design’s tips on how to create an aesthetically pleasing space and here are six innovative WFH ‘pod’ solutions.

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Bringing together the best in local design – textiles, furniture, accessories, interiors and more – the sixth instalment of 100% Design South Africa takes place 7 – 11 August 2019 in Midrand, alongside Decorex Joburg.

In addition to an exciting line-up of exhibitors, the collaborative feature stands are not to be missed, with themes that cover every aspect of our lives, from work and play to refuelling and resting.

Here are 5 things to look forward to:

1. Feature Designer & Feature Artist 

As the Feature Designer of the Year multidisciplinary creative Laduma Ngxokolo of MAXHOSA BY LADUMA will showcase his distinctive aesthetic in a homeware range that includes rugs, cushions, throws, upholstery and wallpaper, as well as some exciting new developments. Street artist r1 is the inaugural Feature Artist. He’ll be illustrating the intrinsic relationship between art and interiors and how they inform one another in a cohesive space.

Laduma Ngxokolo

r1.

2. 100% Lounge & 100% Dine

Design heavyweights Haldane Martin and John Vogel are behind this year’s 100% Lounge and 100% Dine showcases respectively. With 25 years in the furniture and interior design industry, Haldane combines his thorough understanding of how spaces function and knowledge of product design for the show’s ultra-stylish leisure space. Vogel Design, known for its contemporary, African-inspired creations, will be introducing a new collection in the hospitality context at the 100% Dine stand.

3. 100% Work & 100% Workspace

With co-working and flexible workspaces gaining global popularity, as well as a greater understanding of how a workspace’s design can impact productivity, engagement and wellbeing, smart office solutions are being developed to meet this demand.

Taking inspiration from a visit to Milan Design Week, Letizia Verona of DSGN will be spearheading the design of a “Collaborative Workplace”, while INOVA, an expert in the design and fitting out of modern working environments, will be exhibiting Bene products. This Austrian-based office furniture and service company views the office as a living space with products that encourage communication and collaboration, and the stand will demonstrate the potential of an agile workplace.

4. 100% Café 

Tracy Lynch, Creative Director of both Studio Leelynch and Nando’s Design Programme, which includes Clout, a talent incubator, is behind this year’s 100% Café (aka The Clout Café). Tracy will be drawing on the work of a number of well-known South African design brands and rising talents for the installation – Mash. T Design Studio, Wolkberg Casting Studios, Pedersen + Lennard, Wiid Design and Naturalis, amongst others. As always, the 100% Café promises to be the centrepoint not only for inspiration, but for socialising, connecting and engaging during the show.

The development of young talent, fundamental in Tracy and Nando’s collaborative approach, will not only be reflected in the pieces featured in the café, but will also be the focus of the Clout Designers’ Days. Taking place on 9 and 10 August in the 100% Workspace arena, emerging designers will be invited to pitch their work to a panel of industry professionals that includes Tracy, Michael Spinks, Nando’s Property and Development Director, and 100% Design South Africa Creative Director Laurence Brick.

The best pieces will be supported with a showcase at 100% Design South Africa 2020 and included on the Nando’s Portal to Africa (read more about that here), which creates a platform for exposure and commerce for emerging local designers.

5. 100% Sleep 

With the wellness trend highlighting the importance of quality sleep, so the bedroom, a space where design and comfort converge, comes under under the spotlight. The dynamic design trio that make up 99 Juta’s Apartment 2B collective – Monique Vee, Thabisa Mjo of Mash. T Design Studio and Mpho Vackier of TheUrbanative – have come together to create the 100% Sleep stand. We’re looking forward to the debut of an exclusive range created in collaboration with Weylandts.

100% Design South Africa is on at Hall 1, Gallagher Convention Centre, 19 Richards Drive, Midrand, from 7 – 11 August 2019, 10am – 6pm. Tickets, which can be purchased at the door or from Computicket, are R120 for adults, R100 for students/pensioners and R20 for kids under 12. Trade can register online to gain complimentary access; on-site registration costs R100.

For more information, visit 100percentdesign.co.za and get updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Nando’s is supporting a collective of South African designers to showcase their work at the annual Milan Design Week from 9-14 April 2019. 

The exhibit, entitled Sacrosanct, was conceptualised by Thabisa Mjo of Mash.T Design Studio who was invited to exhibit as part of Ventura Future. Thabisa has a longstanding relationship with Nando’s after her Tutu 2.0 light helped her win the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search Lighting Design Competition in 2016.

The pendant has since been awarded the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa in 2018 at Design Indaba, exhibited at 100% Design South Africa in Johannesburg and 100% Design in London, and installed in Nando’s restaurants around the world. It’s no wonder Thabisa was included in the Mail and Guardian newspaper’s list of 200 Young South Africans.

Now, thanks to sponsorship from Nando’s, the Tutu 2.0 will be showcased in Milan as part of the local design collective curated by Thabisa. Thabisa also designed the Sacrosanct installation architecture, taking inspiration for the room-sized pod from her celebrated server (which graced the cover of VISI 97).

Visitors will enter Sacrosanct in order to experience the local products. In addition to Thabisa’s lights, her Potjie Server will be the centrepiece of the interior. It features beaded panels by Qaqambile bead studio, in association with Spier Arts Trust, and a hand-painted pattern by mixed-media artist and fashion designer Sakhile Cebekhulu.

Thabisa Mjo and Sakhile Cebekhulu.

Inside Sacrosanct will be mirrors with woven details by Candice Lawrence of Modern Gesture; two carpets by The Ninevites – one a wall hanging and the other a handwoven mohair rug – both inspired by traditional Ndebele tribal patterns; Mpho Vackier’s Oromo chair upholstered in fabric designed by Bonolo Chepape of Lulasclan; and a collection of four ceramic vases by Laurie Wiid van Heerden of Wiid Design.

Candice Lawrence of Modern Gesture was one of the finalists in the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search Lighting Competition.

Founder of The Ninevites collaborative platform, Nkuli Mlangeni was the winner of the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa at Design Indaba 2017.

Mpho Vackier of The Urbanative took inspiration from traditional African hairstyles for her African Crowns Collection.

Bonolo Chepape, founder of Lulasclan, was one of the finalists in the 2018 Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search.

Art meets function in Laurie Wiid van Heerden’s Wiid Design pieces.

A limited-edition tote bag will showcase Agrippa Mncedisi Hlophe’s award-winning pattern design. Agrippa is the current winner of the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search.

Agrippa Mncedisi Hlophe with his award-winning pattern.

In supporting Sacrosanct, Nando’s continues its commitment to promote and support South African design. Its global franchises’ feature Afro-positive interior design: bold, bespoke furniture items that are procured through an online interface known as The Nando’s Portal to Africa (bepartofmore.com) and a revolving gallery of contemporary Southern African artwork curated by the Spier Arts Trust.

“There’s tangible evidence of a dynamic, layered culture filtering up in what’s being created here in South Africa,” says Creative Director of the Nando’s Design Programme, Tracy Lee Lynch of Studio Lee Lynch. “These emerging designers are passionate about telling that unique story. And how they tell that story is often through collaboration with crafters and other makers. Often a piece reflects so much more than just one person’s ideas or responses. It’s perhaps why, when works travel from South Africa, they get the response they get – because they feel like they’re a whole universe in one piece. There’s so much inspiration here that isn’t cookie cutter, that isn’t very safe.”

Since its launch in May 2018, The Nando’s Portal to Africa, which acts as one of the largest facilitators of South African design export, has generated more than R16 million in sales for its featured designers. Follow the Nando’s Hot Young Designer account on Instagram for the latest news and read more about its design platform here.

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Nando’s recently launched a curated online platform that aims to connect the work of some of Southern Africa’s best designer-makers with interior designers around the world.

The next time you step into a Nando’s restaurant, or casa, have a good look around. You’ll no doubt be familiar with the use of vivid colour and the distinctly African aesthetic  that acknowledges the brand’s country of origin (South Africa), its influence (the peri-peri flavours introduced to African shores by Portuguese explorers) and the source of that flavour (Mozambique, where the African bird’s eye chilli is grown). This aesthetic is as bold and emblematic as the jolly hand-painted font and hilarious tongue-in-cheek ads.

Distracted by the smells of flame-grilled chicken, you’ll be forgiven for not realising that each casa is unique, and not simply in layout or location. Look a little closer and you may be surprised to spot some familiar pieces by Africa’s leading lights of art and design. Every restaurant is seen as an expression of the company’s intention to share and grow creativity. Different interior designers are commissioned to interpret each casa.

In addition to generous, welcoming spaces imbued with the zestful spirit of the brand, the design approach is one of curation and collaboration: Interior designers become curators, finding and briefing designer-makers to create bespoke features for Nando’s.

This commitment to craft, creativity and collaboration goes beyond simply kitting out a casa. Nando’s is invested in developing African designers and giving them a platform to flourish. One approach is discovering potential through the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search. The winners get to see their designs featured in Nando’s casas and engage in a mentorship programme that offers skills and product development.

The second initiative is to grow and share exceptional local skill through the newly launched Nando’s Portal to Africa. The curated online shopping platform, which features the work of some of Southern Africa’s best creatives, is exclusively for use by interior designers commissioned to design Nando’s casas around the world.

Paper print installation by Amaya Delmas Studio.

“The Portal to Africa is about putting power behind Southern Africa’s world-class design community,” says Tracy Lee Lynch of Studio Leelynch, who is extensively involved in discovering and mentoring designers, and in curating and launching the portal. “More than five years ago, I challenged the Nando’s shareholders to spend their entire allocated budget for furnishing Nando’s Central Kitchen on South African designs,” she says. “I had an idea that by creating a giant showcase we could evolve a contemporary local aesthetic that would tell our story and share an optimistic vision with the world. The response was incredible.”

Michael Spinks, Property, Design and Development Director of Nando’s SA, is in full agreement: “As a global business we have the opportunity to provide a platform for local talent to gain exposure and develop in a challenging environment.”

The Portal to Africa launch was held at Victoria Yards, a former industrial site opposite Nando’s Central Kitchen in Lorentzville that has been transformed into a creative hub and urban farm by developer Brian Green.

“We wanted to showcase items relevant to the Nando’s world, new designs and tried and tested favourites,” says Tracy. In addition to the furniture and lighting exhibits that Tracy curated, five leading South African interior design firms that have been responsible for casa interiors were asked to curate installations for the launch: HK Studio, Tin Lab, Egg Designs, Reddeco and Studio Leelynch.

“The exhibition was rich and layered,” says Tracy, “and highlighted specific designer-makers that strongly reflect the future of local design. It’s an incredible evolving story, a beautiful, optimistic expression of where we are as a nation.”

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Tulsha Booysen’s CanBeam light shines in a major design installation in Nando’s Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

In response to the brief for the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search in 2015, then schoolgirl Tulsha designed the CanBeam light: an upcycled interpretation of traditional African beadwork using colourful cooldrink cans. Now, 6 800 cans form part of the striking installation in a US branch of the beloved peri-peri chicken chain.

In addition to travelling to Chicago for the installation of the mega-version of the CanBeam light, 2017 also saw Tulsha collaborate with another Nando’s Hot Young Designer finalist, Candice Lawrence, on a design installation at the Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival at Constitution Hill.

As a Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search finalist, Tulsha was mentored by Liani Douglas, as well as interior designer Tracy Lee Lynch and lighting designer Conrad Van der Westhuizen, to take her sketch and develop a prototype of the CanBeam.

“[Before] I thought design was about products,” says Tulsha, “but after meeting and collaborating with strong, creative and beautiful minds, such as Aria Design agency in Chicago, with whom I collaborated to create the large-scale CanBeam; Liani Douglas, who mentored me during and after Nando’s Hot Young Designer Competition; and Tracy Lee Lynch, who opened the design door and has helped me grow immensely as a designer, I have come to learn that design is about creating a life that is better for everyone. It has been a truly life-changing journey.”

Follow Tulsha on Instagram.

The CanBeam can be seen at Nando’s Michigan Avenue in Chicago and, locally, at Nando’s Sea Point and Nando’s Tokai.

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A designer with an intuitive design philosophy was asked to come up with a cohesive creative vision for a 307-year-old Boland farm, and the result is magical and mesmerising.

This was not a design task I could think my way towards resolving, but had to feel my way towards. I had to watch and listen, and wait for the answers to reveal themselves,” says creative interior director Tracy Lee Lynch of Studio Leelynch.

Employing this philosophy as her guide, in collaboration with architect Rick Stander, Tracy revamped the interiors on the historical Twee Jonge Gezellen farm in Tulbagh, the home of Krone MCC bubblies. For Tracy, the thing that stood out about the farm was its history – and the narratives around it. “The story of the farm holds deep magic within itself: the centuries of visionary experimentation that led to the discovery of cold fermentation, for example, and the night harvest, where the grapes are brought in by moonlight when their sugars are at their peak. These mysterious processes, known so intimately and intuitively by the winemaker, seemed to mirror my creative process.”

Tracy has honoured the brief of the owners, the late Tim Rands and his daughter Abigail Rands. “Our vision,” says Abigail, “is to create exceptional Cap Classique, combining a strong sense of tradition with innovative technique and ideas. The spaces speak a similar language where the old is challenged by the new. I gave Tracy the freedom to interpret the spaces intuitively. We spent a lot of time on the farm together and our vision became one.”

Tracy wanted to return the buildings to their authentic state. In order to achieve this, structural changes had to be made. The entrance, for instance, was moved back to its original place, and apertures slit into the walls allow shafts of natural light to pour in at the best angles. But it is the circular motif, seen in rounded windows and arches, that ultimately became the main design theme. This shape subsequently popped up in various design interior elements. “The circle/ bubble motif finds itself reiterated in details of objects such as trays and spitoons,” says Tracy.

The underground cellar has been left untouched, but the tasting room got a facelift. “A small arched window that looked from the tasting room into the storeroom was dropped down to floor level to create a long arched opening. This opening now has a physical relationship to the person standing looking through it, framing and enclosing the body,” is how Tracy describes the transformation and the experience that comes with it.

She introduced a large round bar, which once again reflects the circle motif. The standout piece is by celebrated furniture designer Gregor Jenkin, who created the bronze bar with the help of Charles Haupt from Bronze Age Studio. It features geometric shapes reminiscent of the cages that hold the estate’s bubblies.

“There is nothing in the tasting room that isn’t necessary to the functioning of the space,” says Tracy. “It’s important to preserve the monastic quality of the room, which allows for minimal distractions from the sensory complexities of the wine itself.” Other local designers with whom Tracy collaborated are Meyer Von Wielligh, Ceramic Matters, Wiid Design, Mema Designs and Egg Designs. Then, with curator Amy Ellenbogen, she selected works by artists represented by SMITH studio to display as a way to tie the interior design story together.

For Tracy, the permanence of the traditional architecture stands in contrast to the movable modern design elements she introduced – so if the latter were to be removed, it would leave only the estate’s history.

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Interior designer Tracy Lee Lynch nominated this striking shawl as one of the 10 Most Beautiful Objects in South Africa (MBOISA) prior to the start of the Design Indaba Festival from 17 – 19 February 2016.

It was announced on Friday 19 February that the shawl designed by Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa was voted as this year’s winner. Designed in his signature style, the piece is a unisex design made from 80% wool and 20% mohair. “It can be styled in more than twenty ways,” he explains in the video below. “The versatility is the important aspect of the piece.”

“I feel blessed and honored to have been given an opportunity to have one of my creations singled out of thousands of amazing products in South Africa and be given the Most Beautiful Object is South Africa title,” he adds.

Congrats to @laduma of @maxhosa for winning this year’s Most Beautiful Object in South Africa award at @designindaba. Deserved! #MBOISA #design #fashion #laduma #maxhosa #knitwear #clothing #talent #creativity #designindaba

A photo posted by VISI Magazine (@visi_mag) on Feb 19, 2016 at 3:37am PST

Find the full list of MBOISA nominees here. To view more of Laduma’s work, visit maxhosa.co.za.

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Tracy Lee Lynch is well known both locally and internationally for her cutting-edge ideas and bold aesthetic. Don’t miss her Talk100 Session at Open Design Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront’s Watershed on 14 August 2015 at 1pm, where she will be discussing the design journey of local restaurant chain, Nando’s (featured on the cover of VISI 76 earlier this year).

We caught up with her to chat about design, interiors and creativity.

Where do you look for creative direction?

The creative people around me, a design challenge, fashion, the landscape, history, a story. I keep an open mind when I start working on a project and allow my thoughts to roam, as this is usually when I have my best creative moments – when I’m out running, or talking or walking. Not often at my desk. Then I buckle down, find the focus and do the work.

What inspires you?

Many different things, but passion inspires me, as well as dedicated people with uncompromising focus, art, and the crazy side of life.

Who do you look up to in the local design realm?

Karen Roos, Laduma Ngxokolo, Boyd Ferguson, Annemarie Meintjes, David Krynauw, Sumien Brink, Atang Tshikare, Binky Newman, Anatomy Design. The list goes on…

What are some of your favourite projects and / or collaborations you have worked on?

My work with VISI and Elle Decoration, as well as the Singita Explore Mobile Tented Camp and Singita Mara River Tented Camp with Boyd Ferguson of Cécile & Boyd. Also, any project with artist Sarah Pratt.

What initially drew you to the world of interiors?

I fell in love with the idea of transformation at a very young age. I used to paint back then. The materials I use for the transformation process may have grown, but the principle remains the same.

Where do you see both interior design and design in general headed in 2016?

Big business is embracing the potential of creativity in South Africa. Interior design has the potential to transform the way people work, and in turn, the way they approach their work challenges. This is a very important shift for SA. It’s been growing slowly, but I think we have reached the tipping point – the value of good design and its positive influence cannot be ignored.

To purchase tickets for Tracy’s TALK100 session, click here.

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Developing a meaningful collaboration with South African designers is high on the Nando’s agenda, and one of the outcomes is the Nando’s ZA Design Collection. 

The debut Nando’s ZA Design Collection comprises 20 pieces of functional design by 12 designers that represent the South African design aesthetic.

“Making a bold statement of being the best of South African design, these quality functional designs will travel to Nando’s restaurants around the world to add an inimitable authentic South African aesthetic to our restaurants’ interior designs,” says Tracy Lynch of St.udio Lee Lynch, who was responsible for the creative direction.

Tracy was also responsible for the design of the Nando’s Central Kitchen HQ in Joburg.

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