Trends: Decorex / 100% Design South Africa 2014

WORDS and PHOTOS Lisa Johnston

As Africa’s largest decor, design and lifestyle exhibition, Decorex never fails to offer visitors anything and everything they might need for a full home revamp, from wallpaper and floor cladding to fridges and kitchen sinks.

The ever-popular Johannesburg segment of the trade show took place at Gallagher Estate Convention Centre from 6 to 10 August 2014.

By far the most impressive aspect of Decorex was this year’s inclusion of 100% Design South Africa, a showcase of inspiring local designers. Just about every stand in this section offered quality design and excellent craftsmanship, but if we have to pick, here are few of our favourites: 

• Street design darling Atang Tshikare demonstrated his disciplined line drawings live, between chatting to visitors and selling some of his smaller prints. The self-styled surface designer and graffiti artist has sky-rocketed into the public eye with his customised sneakers, furniture collaborations and public murals. His work at 100% Design was part of a series for Robin Sprong Wallpaper, a stand that turned out to be a fantastic place to meet other impressive talent.
• It’s here that we came across the work of Debby van der Veer, whose soon-to-be-launched brand Blandat pushes the parameters of drawing and textile design by fusing disparate imagery, such as foliage, flowers and hand grenades, with sensuous textures.
• Long-time favourites Dokter + Misses (in association with VISI) collaborated with Swazi-based Gone Rural and Dauphin HumanDesign Group to create a contemporary workspace design that contrasted sleek, urban lines with organic shapes and textures. RAW also offered interesting design solutions for a fresh and clean office space.
• Bronze Age, meanwhile brought in a strong masculine elements with its brutish figurines and studded bronze bowls.
• Other notables were Meyer von Wielligh with their nature-inspired furniture pieces (which won best furniture design), MUD Studio with its amazing take on texture and surface design and Vogel for its minimalist, flowing organic pieces.