Category Archives: Photography
Design Indaba 2012: High Thorn
By Marica
After a VERY busy 2 weeks, the dust has finally settled and we can focus on the long overdue Design Indaba 2012 feedback we have been promising. Since the Conference part of our feedback is a little bit meaty and requires more thought, we thought it best to start with the Expo. Rose and I will be posting our general take on the Design Indaba 2012 Expo this week, including highlights and our favourite products and designers.
One stand close to the entrance caught my attention immediately – the beautiful African-inspired designs of Pietermaritzburg company, High Thorn.
Their handcrafted products include a wide range of lighting designs, coffee tables, ottomans, massive twig mirrors, leather pots, solid wood lampbases and turned vases, and even crochet leather scatter cushions & pouffes.
Now, I am not one that usually fawns over traditional African design, and I’m sure you are picturing tacky African masks, bowls and other general Greenmarket Square touristy junk in your mind as I speak. Not High Thorn – they have taken “African” to a whole new aesthetic level – it’s chic, contemporary, whimsical and trendy. If High Thorn is the proverbial traditional Zulu mama…she is carrying around a Louis Vuitton handbag (if you catch my drift).
It was the High Thorn lighting designs that totally stole my heart. Big, intricate chandeliers made from driftwood-like stripped jacaranda twigs hung with crystals, beautiful crochet leather pendants suspended like a collection of weaver’s nests, beaded bell pendants made from Imfibinga seeds, and a massive dramatic leather tassel chandelier interwoven with strings of glass beads.
The stand also featured stunning wildlife shots by Greg Anderson Photography including a drop-dead-gorgeous triptych of beautifully coloured birds in flight. To compliment this, a handful of High Horn’s trendy solid wood vases were painted in shades of aqua, lime and gorgeous coral to match the colouration of the birds. This combination of rustic nature and spring colours gave the stand a contemporary freshness not often associated with African products – gorgeous! I really have to commend them for this brilliant use of colour.
Because most of their designs are adapted to suit a contemporary style their products would not look out of place in a shabby chic, nostalgic or even minimalist residential interior. Although, Rose and I are secretly hoping there is a game farm / African hotel interior design project in our near future in order for us to use some of High Thorn’s beautiful designs.
Do check out High Thorn’s website for further in and product: here
Images: 1, 2, 3, 5 – High Thorn 4 & 6 – Copyright of The Design Tabloid 7 – SA Décor & DesignRelated articles
- Design Indaba 2012: The Conference (coolhunting.com)
- Most Beautiful Object In SA 2012 Finalists (thedesigntabloid.com)
- Design Indaba 2012 Is Here! (thedesigntabloid.com)
- Design Indaba Expo 2012: A Snapshot of South African Design (core77.com)
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The Writing’s On The Wall
Don’t you just love this toilet wall cladding – vintage newspaper clippings wallpaper. No need to bring a book or a mag with you. Taken the Facebook action of “writing on my wall” to the next level. Graphics captured and designed by one of regulars, photographer Cara Saven. Don’t you just love this concept of personalising a favourite collection into unique wall covering. Vicki Sleet of I Want That used her collection of maps to cover the wall of her bathroom.
What would you like to see on your toilet or bathroom wall? Tell us – I would be more than interested to know. I can tell you what mine would possibly be – I love and collect books. Plus I love thrillers. Fancy seeing my favourite authors, their books and the stories on the wall. Have to be big and bold lettering for moi.
Image via Cara Saven Photography
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Lana of Lanalou Style visits The Tabloid
“Today we have the absolute pleasure of featuring as our guest blogger, none other than Cape Town’s own talented Lana Kenney. When we here at the Design Monarchy decided that we want to include a blog into our daily life as an interior design company, we naturally jumped onto the net to begin following other bloggers just to become part of this community. Lanalou Style was one of the first blogs that really caught our eye. I remember both Marica and I were so taken with this blog. And being “Proudly South African” – the fact that she is a Cape Townian was a bonus. Over the months of following her regular posts, I have so come to appreciate her talent as a photographer as well – all the images below are her own. Also, I am not known for my fashion sense, but thanks to Lana’s fashion posts, I have developed a better understanding of what it takes to put clothes together.
So, lets hear the drum roll folks – here’s Lana…”
Hi there, this is Lana from Lanalou Style and I’m delighted to be here on The Design Tabloid today. Thanks so much for inviting me over, Rose and Marica!
I started blogging as a way to keep busy during quiet times at work and as a creative outlet. Very quickly though, blogging became rather addictive and a way of life! The inspiration available online and blogging community is just incredible.
These days what I enjoy most about blogging is being able to discover great places in Cape Town and share these with my readers. I love taking photos of places and things that catch my eye whether it be a boutique, café, garden or Cape Town’s eccentricities. Being able to inspire my readers, both local and international, to discover Cape Town’s beauty makes me happy!
These are just a few pics from some of my travels around and about Cape Town, I hope you enjoy and that they inspire you to discover more of our amazing city!
Be sure to visit & subscribe to Lana’s AWESOME blog: Lanalou Style
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Kate van Onselen Photography
Meet Joburg photographer, Kate van Onselen – she’s got an excellent eye for a good frame and brings a little enchantment and whimsical flair to each of her shots. Her blog and website is filled with pages of beautiful, inspirational photography – we just had to feature her and find out a little more…
Q: How did you get into photography?
A: I have always been an artsy person, studying fine art throughout school and university so photography has always been something that I have been exposed to and interested in. It was more the theory that got me interested at first, I guess because we studied the masters and founders and understanding their motive and motivations got me interested in using photography as a form of expression. I first properly learned film photography at school and continued with it through to university, but that was very much experimental and not conscious. The first time I realised I wanted to take photography more seriously, was when I was in London in 2006.
Q: Do you have a particular style and if so could you describe it?
A: I would say my style is honest and creative. I aim to show a different perspective with a high fashion approach and ultimately create images that have narrative. I wouldn’t say I follow trends in a conscious way, but obviously they influence my preferences at any time.
Q: What sort of services do you offer?
A: I am a photographer and a graphic designer, I like that there is variance in my creative space. Photography is my passion, if you met me you would know what I mean. So I will consider any creative or photography project that comes my way.
Q: What is your favoured subject matter?
A: I love photographing people, there’s something about capturing a moments emotion that is … something similar to addictive to me. In terms of ‘people genre’, I love fashion and editorial spreads (for the image narrative obviously), portraiture and weddings etc.
Q: What inspires you?
A: Lots of things: Fashion, interior décor/ design, Europe, travel, life, my friends and family, other artists and photographers: Annie Leibovitz, James Nachtwey, Anna Wolf, Nirrimi Hakanson, locally Sam Maber, Jacqui Bruniquel, Alix Rose Cowie and Amy Scheepers.
Q: How would you describe your life’s philosophy?
A: I try to live by one idea mainly, which is “Life is right now”. i.e live for right now, be happy right now, be the person you want to be right now, work toward what makes you and others happy right now, etc.
Q: What is next to your bedside pedestal at the moment?
A: There’s a lot at the moment …my lamp (I love it – my dad made the wooden base), my glasses case, my watch, my blackberry, a box of tissues, The Bang Bang Club, Eat Pray Love (both half read… seen both movies before I read the books now that I think of it), a pile of magazines (Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, Jalouse, Marie Claire, Elle Decoration, Ideas Magazine) and a glass of water …
Q: Could you share your Secret Indulgence with us?
A: I’m not very good at being secret with anything… my Elle Decoration subscription, browsing the web (endlessly) for inspiration and shopping at flea markets and second hand shops for unique vintage finds.
Q: In five years time …
A: I am sure that I will look back and wonder where the last five years went.
Please do yourself a favour and check out Kate’s lovely blog: here and her website: here
You can also find this talented lady on Facebook and Twitter.
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Abigail K Captures Precious Moments
By now you would surely have noticed that we like photography as an art form what with all the photographers we have recently featured.
Well here we are again, with yet another talented lady to profile – allow me to introduce to you, the lovely Abigail Klopper.
Abigail is such a charming person and I guess that makes it easier for her to skilfully capture the true essence of a person, recording the precious moments for all time. She is able to artfully present something so personal and unique in her photography.
Even images of inanimate objects such as a candelabra you could effortless use as an art piece in your space.
Enjoy the pieces of her life she shares with us now…
Q: How did you get into photography?
A: My dad is an avid hobbyist and growing up, he always had his camera on holiday trips and special events. When my husband and I got together, we did lots of travelling ourselves and we started snapping away on holiday to remember our memories. The hobby soon turned into a passion and naturally progressed into something that I wanted to do for other people.
Q: Do you have a particular style and if so could you describe it?
A: The styles of my shoots are dictated by the client and the purpose of the shoot. If I had to restrict myself to a particular style, I suppose I’d say it borders on the contemporary.
Q: What sort of services do you offer?
A: I specialise in weddings, corporate and private events and corporate and private portraits.
Q: What is your favoured subject matter?
A: Weddings, children and babies.
Q: What inspires you?
A: Cape Town inspires me! I love being a photographer in Cape Town because it’s such a beautiful city with so many beautiful backdrops filled with beautiful people.
Q: How would you describe your life’s philosophy?
A: I’m a ‘glass-half-full’ kinda girl. I always try to be positive and believe that in any situation, as in life, what we put in is what we get out.
Q: What is next to your bedside pedestal at the moment?
A: A Photo of my husband and I and my i-pod
Q: Could you share your Secret Indulgence with us?
A: Late morning lie-ins, E! Channel and loud 80’s music!
Q: In five years time …
A: I’ll be 5 years wiser, 5 years more successful and with 5 more years to be grateful for.
Pay a visit to Abigail’s website for more: www.abigailk.co.za
And if you have that special occasion you would like her to capture and interpret for you, then drop her line: info@abigailk.co.za
