George de Haast – George de Haast Décor cc

An integral character in the history of interior decoration and design in South Africa, George de Haast was born in Graaf Reinet.  At the age of 22 he was working for Sydney Press at the United Purchasing Company in Johannesburg managing the window display department. He was in charge of 595 shops, primarily the Shirley and Edgars chain.

Interior design was coming of age by the mid-‘60s  and De Haast – with Mike Davies and Peter Stuart – was a founder member of the revolutionary Plus One in Carlton Centre, a decorating studio of 2 000m2.  He was the creative brains here from 1966 – 1978.

He recalled: ‘Plus One was sold and I moved to Italy in 1978 and worked for Arpex International in Rome. Whilst there I spent very useful time with various architects and interior designers: Colin Morrow, Manuele de Costa and Paulo Danna.  I helped design furniture and execute yearly exhibitions in Paris, Milan and Frankfurt. I also completed work on various homes in Rome.

For further information tel: 011 728 6513 / 011 728 3187 or email: gdehaast@wol.co.za

Sharon Leach – Wetherlys

Ms Leach has had 20 years in furniture beginning with the Beare Group in 1990 as a Girl Friday in a furniture store. She moved to advertising: via the internal agency – Media Master – shortly thereafter and was subsequently promoted to group marketing executive, responsible for research, marketing and customer insights for brands.

The merger with Ellerines led to a promotion to a group position, directing the marketing managers of the high-cash component business of Ellerines Holdings. Later, as then marketing executive for Furniture City, Ms Leach moved to Wetherlys in September 2010.

She says: ‘I fell into retail out of high school and thrived on the passion and high energy of the sector. The evolution in furniture retail is highly competitive so there is constant pressure to ensure innovation in product offering and marketing. The design side is particularly dynamic and I feel fortunate that this is my career path.

For further information tel: 010 201 2700 or visit: www.wetherlys.co.za

Behira and Yaniv Belinky – The Italian Design Experience

Behira and Meir Belinky started The Italian Design Experience 21 years ago. They’ve proved a point: that Italian style and quality is recognised and accepted. Their first foray was in kitchens with Cucina Berloni, a brand they still represent, now extended into lounge, dining and bedroom furniture.

Says Behira Belinky: ‘It’s a particular signature and in two decades the acceptance of it has changed positively, assisted by enlightened architects in the main, who specify this level of kitchen and bathroom. There was a preconception that this is expensive product, yet quite often it’s cheaper than a local equivalent.

‘Italy is a world leader in design and style and today, Berloni contract the best global designers to create specific collections. Minimalism remains key, yet this in itself is a complex skill e.g. kitchen cabinet doors that don’t have handles or knobs. It’s not just a case of creating a groove, it’s solving a design element while considering economics.’

Ms Belinky sees glass cabinets as being a major arriving innovation. She adds: ‘Surface finishes are textured to resemble crêpe paper’. Other Italian indications are that work-tops will continue in the Corian / Caesarstone vein with an overall muted colour palette: white, cream, grey, black and less beige. A little light-wood veneer and high-gloss paintwork is still in evidence.

Tapitalia is IDE’s leading brand and they import baths and sanware in a range that begins with lower cost ‘developer’ models and extends to very high-end designer collections.

These are the responsibility of Yaniv Belinky who explains: ‘Predicted trends for bathroom fittings and décor are white and gold, in matt and gloss for taps, plus platinum, black and anthracite. Certain traditional finishes are being applied to modern designs. Shapes for baths and basins remain square with softened edges. The  appreciation for cutting-edge design does exist in this country now. South African architecture and décor is really on par with
global standards.’

For further information on Berloni Kitchens / Tapitalia tel: 011 268 6140 or visit: www.berloni.it / www.tide.co.za

March/April 2011 Issue

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