Brendan Williams – Ligne Roset

He started out studying Architecture at Wits University but after a year Brendan Williams decided to follow his true passion; to work with interiors, and more specifically furniture. He adds: ‘I had a growing interest in modern furniture – its assembly, how it works and how to group items in a contemporary environment – for as long as I can remember. I finished with an H.E. Dip. in Interior Design at Design Centre in Greenside, under Des Laubscher.

‘After graduating, I gravitated towards the retail sector and spent a useful year at Wetherlys before joining Ligne Roset. Working with their products is an ongoing pleasure. In total, I’ve been in the industry for 10 years and have worked on several signature homes and corporate projects.

‘In South Africa I believe that Roset is a leader. Each year they produce new ranges that are startling in their ingenuity, the sort of pieces that make you wonder how you worked without them before. Visits to the European January fairs prove that they are weathering the economic storm with remarkable aplomb. Although their style is best described as international, there is something intrinsically French about what they do, and how they do it.

Tel: 011 706 9961; e-mail: info@ligne-roset.co.za or visit: www.ligne-roset.com

Philip Richards – blu_line

Philip Richards has always been passionate about interiors. From his school years he became interested in design, especially those spaces that were required to meet various functional as well as aesthetic demands – like the kitchen. He is predominantly self-taught but has travelled overseas often to study the different trends employed by the international design industry.

He says: ‘By merely obser ving other designers in various industries (not just kitchens), I’m enabled to develop an eye for simple, uncluttered and well thought through designs.

‘The state of the SA kitchen industry at the beginning of the millennium was one where the landscape was dominated by a handful of local companies with the imported brands located mainly in Cape Town. Local manufacturers were always a year, or even two, behind the international trends and this therefore allowed the import companies to really gain a foothold here because they were able to illustrate trends in a shorter space of time. Since then this timeline has decreased to a point where locally we are now able to incorporate the latest ideas on the international stage very rapidly.’

Tel: 0860 548 464; e-mail: info@blu-line.co.za; or visit: www.blu-line.co.za

July/August 2011 Issue

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