LET THERE BE LIGHT AND FURNITURE

South Africa's design maverick HALDANE MARTIN, the creative force behind the Haldane brand, has just opened a new studio and SHOWROOM together with his partner in work and life, DANIELLE.

- STEVE SMITH

LOCATED ON ONE OF THE WIDE boulevard spokes attached to Cape Town’s Salt River Circle, the new Haldane showroom is the perfect representation of the brand. Like the furniture created by one of the mavericks of South African design, it’s a thoroughly contemporary re-interpretation of an old space.

Formerly a two-story steel engineering business, the 1920sera building now features a single-volume open-plan layout with three large front-facing windows that allow natural light to stream into the atmospheric space. And given that the Haldane range now focuses on outdoor furniture, the cavernous, conservatory-like space filled with beams of sunlight is as good as an indoor environment can get when displaying outdoor ranges. We spoke to Haldane Martin and his partner Danielle to find out more about how they found this beautiful space.

✖ What prompted the move from your previous space?

Danielle: “We outgrew our former studio – a Victorian church hall-turned-home in Roodebloem Road in Woodstock. What had started as a quirky work-from-home space had developed through the years into our furniture studio headquarters. But as our business flourished and our team grew, we needed a larger space to put down our roots – and our boxes and tools and many, many beautiful chairs!”

✖ How did you find the building?