By Lorraine Kearney
Winter is low season in Cape Town. It’s often cold and raining with an icy draught off the Atlantic. But there are glorious sunny days too, and it’s those we are looking for. Not exactly beach weather, but certainly walking weather, time to explore the city’s exploding creative industries.
Decorex Africa’s innovative new Design Trail is a series of six curated trips through the Mother City that include galleries, designers, retailers, hotels and cafés.
The inaugural Cape Town Design Trail runs from 1 to 30 June 2021 and has onboard more than 100 designers, studios and brands. Included are launches, exhibitions, presentations, talks and displays. The offering is so large, it can be a bit bewildering, but arm yourself with a Design Trail map and you should be good to go.
Some of the pieces by Clout.
To help you make sense of it all, the trail helpfully has been divided into six curated routes, each with its own theme. If you’re interested in art, follow the art route (included are the Norval, the Goodman and the Zeitz). If you’re renovating, follow the route of suppliers such as fittings, tiles, mirrors, frameless glass and more. There are more than 130 stops in all, so take your time.
You can walk, drive, take an Uber – included are stops as far flung as Beach House Living Studio in Hermanus, Gavin Collins Gallery in Franschhoek, Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden in Stellenbosch (don’t miss this one, but make sure to book ahead; the garden does not allow walk-ins), Artvark Gallery in Kalk Bay and Osmond Lange Architects & Interiors in Belville, although the majority of the stops are clustered around the city bowl.
The Decorex Décor & Design Inspiration Route is the motherload, but if your cash is burning a hole in your pocket and you absolutely have to have that gorgeous item in your home, the Decorex Retail Therapy Route is your go-to. There’s Kirsten Goss for jewellery, Melvill and Moon for safari gear, We Are Egg for fashion and homeware, Willowlamp for beautiful lighting and so much more. It can become a bit overwhelming, so plan your time carefully.
An exhibition at the Norval Foundation.
Try a day in the southern suburbs, starting in Kalk Bay and winding along Boyes Drive to the Norval Foundation at 4 Steenberg Road, before heading up the M3 to Montebello Design Centre in Newlands for a light lunch under the trees at The Gardener’s Cottage. Check John Bauer’s studio, among the other offerings – there are 25 arts and craft studios and workshops, a historic greenhouse and nursery. Montebello Design Centre was created out of a financial and property bequest by Cecil Michaelis who wanted the centre to work closely with the University of Cape Town to nurture design, craft and entrepreneurship in South Africa. The project is found in the farm buildings – the stables and cowshed – of the historic site of Montebello.
Then head for We Are Egg in Draper Street, Claremont. It’s a platform for 250 leading local and international brands – think fashion, shoes, accessories, jewellery, gadgets, beauty and living.
Another day, another design adventure, this time in the edgy inner city suburb of Woodstock. Start at the bottom end of Sir Lowry’s Road at The Palms Woodstock (145 Sir Lowry Road).
Grab a coffee at Seattle – there is a lot of walking and wandering ahead and you need fuel – before meandering up Albert Road past the Woodstock Exchange (66-68 Albert Road), fondly known as WEX 66. Settle in for a bite at Superette before heading to The Foundry (150-170 Albert Road). Don’t miss the Tretchikoff concept store. Round off your Woodstock day at The Old Biscuit Mill (375 Albert Road), which has collaborated with some of the best local and international street artists to create singular murals in and around the venue.
Here, pop in at Imiso Ceramics, home of artists Andile Dyalvane and Zizipho Poswa. Dyalvane is currently hosting a solo at the Friedman Benda Gallery in New York, while Poswa’s work has been acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Save the spectacular Silo District and the V&A Watershed for another day. Be sure to book enough time to visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa or Zeitz MOCAA (don’t forget to try the revolving seats out the front of the gallery for a bit of a spin) before having a celebratory drink at The Silo.
Clout SA and HUB are launching to the public for the first time as part of the trail, hosting a showcase of all-new South African design, including pieces by Joburg-based designers Thabisa Mjo and The Urbanative, who were voted Designers of the Year at 100% Design South Africa, as well as a new bench and light by the winner of the 2020 Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) talent search.
The Cape Town Design Trail includes product launches, visits to concept stores, staged window displays, private art viewings, meet-and-greet sessions with designers, and exclusive networking functions and trend talks. You can get one-on-one access to showrooms and private maker spaces.
Beautiful decor at Willowlamp.
All the curated routes are available online, powered by mapmyway.co.za. There is a separate map for each route, and each participant has its own geotag on the relevant map.
The dedicated maps guide you through open studios, where designers, architects, decorators, artists and the hospitality sector showcase spaces that bring creativity to the city.
For the maps, visit Decorex Africa decorex.co.za
