Page 14 - Decor & Lifestyle Issue 1 2024

Less talk, more action!

South African creatives are designing

for social impact

esign is a powerful tool for Creative Director of Decorex Africa. ‘We must radically change our relationship with
change. As part of reshaping our home - the planet. We need to create sustainable solutions that are accessible
Dthe industry’s paradigms, and affordable to all, shaping a future where sustainability is not a privilege but
this year’s theme for Decorex Africa, the a universal reality. This year’s theme acknowledges that design is an attitude of
continent’s leading decor and design resourcefulness and resilience and should reflect a holistic, robust approach to
showcase, is Designing for Impact. It problem-solving for our country and continent. Are you with us?’
marks a commitment to thinking beyond
traditional boundaries and identifying the With designing for impact at the top of my mind, it is encouraging to see how many
sweet spot that lies at the intersection South African creatives and collectives, like Decorex Africa, are stepping in and
of creativity, commercial viability and making changes. Many of the goals of accelerating the circular economy in Africa
societal impact. through design are discernible in Circular Squared. This Cape Town-based non-
profit champions circular economic thinking and urges aspiring entrepreneurs in
Decorex Cape Town (6 to 9 June 2024 at manufacturing and retail to adopt regenerative practices.
the CTICC) and Decorex Joburg (1 to 4
August 2024 at the Sandton Convention The Head of Sustainable Design at Circular Squared, veteran artist and designer
Centre) will be anchored by this theme. Heath Nash, is dedicated to turning one man’s trash into another’s treasure. Nash is
The shows will consider design’s societal working with local furniture brand Wunders to find solutions to the heaps of scraps
and planetary impact, focusing on produced daily due to manufacturing. Family-owned Wunders previously partnered
encouraging sustainable choices in with Decorex Africa’s Future Talks series in 2023, where it supplied brightly coloured
exhibitors and reducing waste. Every seating made using its own factory’s waste materials.
exhibitor will be given a sustainability
audit when they sign up, and the website Local furniture brand Pedersen + Lennard – which unveiled its Umpire range
will feature guidelines for making more at 100% Design Joburg 2023 – is working towards reducing the environmental
sustainable decisions. impact of plastic waste. In 2023, the studio pioneered furniture incorporating a
recycled board made from plastics considered ‘unrecyclable’ (such as toothpaste
‘We all need to step out of our comfort tubes and cling film). It has released a new range of public seating for the
zones and embrace innovative V&A Waterfront made from this recycled material. Co-founder Luke Pedersen
approaches that recognise the power participated in the 2023 edition of Future Talks, where he touched upon the
of our collective impact,’ says Bielle importance of building community in design and business to facilitate broader
Bellingham, Executive conversations of impact.

12 | DÉCOR & LIFESTYLE Issue 1 2024