The Low Down

Today we hear from our new Joburg correspondent, Nicole Ravenscroft, with what we're looking forward to being the first of many guest posts from this vibrant city.

Miniature stools are the latest seating bling in Jozi. Functionally they are great for small spaces and also allow for interesting height dynamics in a room. Finally I can breathe: being short is in fashion!

Space vengeance meets organic lines with Vitra's soft cork stool/table , giving a light, amusing flare to a room. Similarly shaped, but made of plastic, I rather fancy the Plastic stools (below) by Italian company Parri.
More geometric plastic stools (below), this time the Shape stool by Viccarbe, can be used as a stool or a small table. Group them to create ever-changing patterns and groups - great in a modern office space. Find all of these locally at Sean Williams.


Jump back into your imagination with some playful animal-themed stools. The Elephant stool by Vitra, was originally made in aluminium, and is now available in polypropelene.

And, of course, the classic plywood Eames Elephant (below) by Charles and Ray Eames, is also from Vitra.
These are great for children rooms, but hey, I would quirk my space with them too. So come on everyone, take off your heels, pull up a stylish stool and join us shorties!

Nguni Chair

Cape Town design company Vogel Living Design produces the exquisite Nguni Chair, in both zebrano and kiaat.

Ngunis are the traditional cattle of the Zulu people, and have very distinctively shaped forward-curving horns (see pics here), which is what has been referenced in this design. The woven seat also references traditional riempie seats that were used by the early European settlers in South Africa.

See more work by Vogel Living Design at their website.

Love your office

The idea of a company specialising in office furniture could elicit groans of an apprehension of dullness, but Bulo puts a post-Memphis pop into their desks, tables and office chairs for the ‘AND/AND’ generation, so bravo for Bulo!

It’s wonderful to see their collaboration with art photographer Fien Muller to create these arresting still-life images of their new collections:

The Kei collection

The Mtoo collection

Bulo is smart to highlight the emotional component involved in work, as well as the need for functionality and ergonomics - and so they want their pieces to stimulate and encourage creativity.

Take a look at the rest of the collection, and let us know if, as Bulo intends, they make you love your office?

All images by Fien Muller

Bleu your mind

Today's post is by our deputy editor, Lauren Shantall.

Bleu Nature is a craft-based business from the north of France, with its tree-hugging credentials firmly in place. The company produces a stylish eco-friendly furniture range made from repurposed wood, and designed by Frank Lefebvre, Bastien Taillard and Laurence Glorieux.

For the past 15 years, Bleu Nature has specialized in using materials like driftwood, flotsam and jetsam, and petrified wood. They've chosen these materials as they are not only sustainable, but won’t deplete any existing resources.





The Bleu Nature team combs the beaches for debris which is then fashioned into a variety of outdoor seating, interior pieces, lighting and dйcor accessories. Take a look at the way they manage to evoke an emotional response by making the most of the imperfect yet beautiful shapes that they find.






Photos : Didier Knoff, Gilles Piat

PS: In South Africa, Bleu Nature's distributor is Dominico. Get in touch with Dominico here.

Liam Mooney

Today we have our deputy Ed., Lauren Shantall, in the guest blogger seat. Thanks, Lauren!

It’s really encouraging for the South African design industry to watch an emerging designer like Liam Mooney go from strength to strength, providing proof that perseverance and talent will out.

An industrial design graduate, Liam has been producing furniture since 1996 and has exhibited his work locally and in New York, London and Scandinavia. The designs featured here – including the Arc lamp you see above - are all made in sunny South Africa.

A Charming Trestle table

The Lowveld Stool

All Liam Mooney's designs are available through the Whatiftheworld / Design Studio, of which Liam is a founding member.

Ercol Originals in black

Although I suspect it could be a fake, I still count myself very lucky to own something that looks a lot like a vintage Ercol daybed, and am a huge fan of this UK company's other classic pieces. So I'm particularly thrilled to see that not only has Ercol re-released some of their 1950's Originals in recent years, they've also done some reinvention, producing them in a gorgeous new matt black finish.

And as if that wasn't enough gorgeousness, Ercol also has produced a special edition of the Love Seat in Ercol blue, with the ash emerging from a twilight fade. Just beautiful.

Bed head

It's the holidays, and time to relax! Our design assistant at the ELLE DECORATION offices, Amy Reid, must have been planning how to spend her time off when she put together this post all about... beds!

Looking to burst the four-poster paradigm and leave sleigh beds in the snow? Well, finding an attractive variation on the traditional rectangle is not that simple, but rest easy knowing that I've hunted down a few viable alternatives. With a focus on nature and, of course, relaxation, dreams in these beds are bound to be sweet.

Waking up after a night in this womb-like bed from LOMME could well feel like a re-birth. LOMME stands forLight Over Matter Mind Evolution, and incorporates light, sound and massage therapies in its designs.

This romantic “nest” by Shawn Lovell invites the outside realm into your bedroom, creating a magical suspension of disbelief.

Cross a hammock with a Sealy Posturpedic, and what do you get? It's the Gazebo Floating Bed by John Huff, that’s what! I wonder if it comes complete with a gorgeous view?

Daybeds urge afternoon slumbers and lazy, dozy siestas. The Salome Daybed is one of many organic options available from the Lifeshop Collection.


Imagine a rocking chair that you would allow you to nod off comfortably. Get your own Private Cloud, and you'll be sleeping on Cloud Nine for sure!

Happy siesta, everyone!

(posted by Amy Reid)

Raw at Casamento

I was pleased to get news from Casamento this week, as they always seem to be coming up with new and interesting ideas. Casamento has been reupholstering vintage furniture for a while now, and have made a commitment to using natural fibres. They are now taking this a step further, with their new collection called Raw.

This recycled fifties sofa is the first in Casamento's Raw range.It has been reupholstered in a mixture of raw silk, linens and hemp fabrics. At first glance, it appears unfinished, but a closer look shows you that it's exactly the way it should be.


I saw this sofa at the Neighbourgoods Market last weekend, and although the fabrics look fairly rough, to the touch, they are silken, and the sensual contrast is enough to convince that this is something quite special.


I'm looking forward to seeing what Casamento comes up with next, and will be sure to keep you posted!

Semigood Design

Seattle based design company Semigood Design makes beautiful things, and I'm particularly taken by their Rian Collection of cantilevered stools, desks and tables.

Semigood is run on ethical and environmental principals, using sustainably-grown wood source in nearby states, so that transportation costs are reduced.

Their furniture is handmade, using the best materials, and it's built to last, which is pretty unusual these days. This is what the guys at Semigood Design say about it: "Heirloom quality products with multi-generational lifespans are the best way to save resources and reduce environmental footprints."

Sounds to me like they should think of changing their name to Whollygood!

Fold your own

You'd be forgiven for mistaking these for origami Christmas decorations, but in fact they're all cardboard chairs for children by Foldschool!


Foldschool is a fun and generous website that enables you to download free templates to make your own stool, chair and rocker for children. The designs are by Swiss architect, designer and bike messenger, Nicola Enrico Stäubli.


In the tough economic times we appear to be expecting, folding your own furniture sounds like hot news!

Knobbly knees

I spotted the enchantingly bumpy legs of this little stool in the corner of a room on a magazine page the other day, but to my disappointment, it was quite uncredited. I am pleased to have tracked it down, and now know not only its name, but its address too.

It's the Palette Dressing Table Stool, and it is made to nestle neatly into the kidney-shaped front of the Palette Dressing Table, while the Peg Chair Stand stands nearby, making polite chit-chat.

This charmingly knobbly all-British trio is designed by Alex Hellum, manufactured by Ercol, and available from Heals.

Haldane Martin

The award-winning work of top South African furniture designer and producer Haldane Martin can be seen in hotels and homes all over the world. I got a sneak preview of Haldane's brand new Woodstock studio and showroom, where I took some snaps, and also caught an interview while I was there. Let's take the tour:

Impossibly feathery Fiela lights are suspended above Tub Chairs in the high-volume showroom space.

Hello Haldane! Tell us how you started out as a designer.
I have always loved making things, I would spend school holidays shaping sailboards, surfboards, and skateboards while my peers were shaping up with girls!

Why did you choose to focus on furniture?
I studied industrial design and became interested in furniture design in my second year (1991) whilst designing my first chair (see below left). I found that the furniture niche of my profession had a more “soulful” quality that resonated with me.


What was your first big break?
Being commissioned by Mel Miller to design and manufacturing the Daddy Long Legs chair (see above right), together with John Vogel & Jamii Hamlin, for the BMW/Imax Pavilion at the Waterfront in 1996.

How have your things changed over time?
Hopefully there has been a steady development and evolution of my work, perhaps a deepening in complexity without losing its essential simplicity.

The modular New Slant shelves are held together with an ingenious magnet system.

What is your favourite design? Choose one of your own, and one by somebody else
Like any parent, my most recent creation is my current favourite - the Songololo Sofa (below). Also, my iPod, and wrinkly tea cups made by Frauke Stegmann.

What inspires and motivates you?
Cracking the geometric codes of Life.

Beautiful work-in-progress models in Haldane's office.

Who or what are your design influences?
Nature, culture, my inner life, and spiritual path. My past work has refered to the great design masters Eames, Castiglioni, Starck, Le Corbusier, and Berger.

Right now - sculpture by Paul Edmunds, architecture by Herzog de Meuron, and product design by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.

The workshop floor, piled with skeletons of stool chair bases and Fiela lights.

What have you done that you are you most proud of?
Contributing to the emergence of a new South African design language and identity: for example, the Zulu Mama chair (below).

What do you love most about your work?
Bringing ideas down from the heights of the unseen world, into everyday physical reality.

What’s the biggest challenge you face in your work?
Being in business without losing my humanity.

Haldane's Riempie series features this couch, a bench and dining set.

Favourite book
White Fang by Jack London

Best way to spend your free time.
MTB trail riding with my mates… or jumping on the trampoline with my 2 year old daughter Sophia.

You’ve just opened a brand new design studio. Give us a brief rundown on your plans from here on.
Explore, learn, grow, create, money, fame, global distribution and... oh yes - pay off the bond on my new studio!

Any last words...?
Thanks for the opportunity to share my work on your great blog! Everyone reading this is invited to come and experience my furniture designs first hand at my showroom launch at 12 Aberdeen Street in Woodstock, Cape Town, on Saturday 6 September from 10h00 to 13h00 (map here). See you there.