Hello Pretty is Winding Down

After more than ten fulfilling, magical years beginning in the good old days of 2012, Hello Pretty is retiring and heading off to the beach with a drink with a tiny umbrella.

Read our goodbye letter

Design

Andronyk jewellery

I luuuuuuurve jewellery.  If my Pinterest boards are anything to go by, you could almost say I’m a bit obsessed.  So spotting the work of Jeanie Andronyk “and her robot minions” (Check out her Facebook profile for more on that) was like being smacked in the face with the Pretty Shiny Things Bat.  It was love at first sight.

Jeanie describes her work as “organic sci-fi” - “Merging the concept of woman and machine, Andronyk has set to work exploring the concept of the “Uncanny Valley”, where the lines between machine and human are blurred.”

And plus, it’s really, really pretty.

Check out the Andronyk website here.

He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice…

The good news is that Hello Pretty doesn’t care whether you’ve been naughty or nice - we’re still coming to town! As you know, we’ve teamed up with the Woodstock Foundry to hold an awesome market on the 17th December. Go ahead and RSVP. We’ll wait. 

And that’s not all, petals - just by RSVPing, you got yourself a spot on our list to win a Secret Santa Box chock-full of goodies from some of our top designers, worth R1100! What’s in it, you ask? Well, we can’t tell you everything or it wouldn’t be a secret, silly. But here are a few hints:

Sounds pretty sweet, right? It gets even better - when you’re at the market (because you’re definitely coming, right? Right???), get your pic snapped in our photo corner, and you’ll get an extra entry to win this awesome little bag o’ swag.

See you next Monday at The Foundry!

P.S. Never forget that there will be FREE CANDYFLOSS at this market! Free. At no cost to you whatsoever. So come and get your sugar on!

Colossal NYC by Yoni Alter

I’ve said it before that one of my favourite sources of things that are design-related is the Colour Lovers website. If you haven’t seen them yet I encourage you to pay a visit. They recently linked out to a post on My Modern Met featuring artwork by Yoni Alter called Colossal NYC.

It’s a digital work in which all of New York’s iconic buildings are arranged in a 2-dimensional brightly coloured skyline silhouette, in the order that they were completed. Lovely concept, and fascinating to watch how buildings grew larger and larger over time - check the puny Statue of Liberty compared to the Four World Trade Center (which isn’t actually complete yet).

Coal Mine Canary / Hello Pretty Promotion

Exciting little promo we’ve got going on with our friends over at Coal Mine Canary: if you were thinking of selling on Hello Pretty, now would be a good time!

It’s an exciting time for online in South Africa. Coal Mine Canary are a pretty, new, South African startup who showcase quality artist, designer and photographer portfolios.

The promotion is this: like both Hello Pretty and Coal Mine Canary on Facebook, then email hello@mycoalminecanary.com and tell them who you are. If your application is approved, you’ll be given a beautiful portfolio site (see Boss Models photographer Teri Robberts’ gorgeous portfolio as an example) for 6 months, and an Unlimited Store Plan on Hello Pretty for 3 months. For those who already have a Hello Pretty store and decide to take advantage of the offer, we’ll give you a voucher for 50% off your next seller plan purchase.

We’re looking forward to meeting you.

Hotel O in Paris

I’m a sucker for unique, contemporary-design boutique hotels. We’re going to Paris for a few days in November and on my laughable quest to find such a place that is both centrally-located and reasonably priced I found Hotel O. That it fits into the categories I was looking for is up for debate, but it cannot be argued that this is a hot-looking hotel. I specifically like the lighting details.

O-my-goodness!

For those who care to know, the rooms start at 145 euros per night, and the hotel is a short walk from the Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries.

And don’t say we didn’t warn you: the rooms are small, and the bathroom is pretty well inside the bedroom. My significant other and I stayed in such a place in New York and the bathroom / bedroom situation was… well, surprising. So best you’re comfortable with your bunk-buddy!

Pretty Personal with Kristen Morkel

The story of Design Kist is an almost textbook definition of a happy accident. Onse Kristen actually ended up studying textile design on a last-minute whim, and it’s lucky for us that she did! Design Kist is a treasure chest of gorgeous things with a uniquely Mzansi flavour - and Kristen herself is no different.

Shown about from top left: Egoli Wallpaper, Shweshwe Mossies Wallpaper, Kudus Wallpaper, Bunnies Wallpaper, Zoo Biscuit Cushion Cover, Sheshwe Hearts Wallpaper, Muizenberg Huts Wallpaper, TV Pattern Wallpaper, Dino Zoo Wallpaper, Dotted Hearts Wallpaper, Clouds Wallpaper, South African Alphabet Wallpaper

  1. Hello Kristen! So, how did you land up doing what you do?
    Hello Pretty! :) I’m a textile designer and “owner person” at Design Kist - a Cape Town based surface and textile design studio. I ended up studying textile design on a spontaneous whim when I was 18  (Ed. note: The afternoon that applications closed - cutting it fine!), and within a week I had started classes at CPUT.
     
  2. "Owner person" is an awesome title. We should totally get that on our business cards. Tell us about the wonderful things Design Kist makes!
    We make designer wallpaper, fabric, and digital surface patterns with a uniquely “Mzansi” flavour. Many of the designs start out as hand-drawn sketches, or motifs/images from our handpicked selection of SA designers, which are then translated into seamless patterns to print onto wallpapers and fabrics. This collaborations has resulted in a series of designs with different “handwritings” that still retain a distinct “Design Kist” feel.

    Another special factor is that our products are printed to order, with all printing done locally. Due to the bespoke nature of our products, in most cases we can tweak, recolour and customise to ensure that the product is perfectly tailored to suit our clients’ needs before we print.
     

  3. Even a quick look at the Design Kist collection shows a lot of different influences, or “handwritings”. Is there anything in particular that inspires you?
    There are many Capetonian designers I find inspiring. Right up there are Heather Moore of Skinny laMinx; Jesse Breytenbach of Jezze Prints (Ed. note: Holler, Henri Kuikens!); and Wendren Setzer, owner of The Wren Design (and a former classmate). Watching their creative businesses evolve gave me the confidence to quit my job as a salaried textile designer. I wanted to design in my own name, and create on my own terms, and these women showed me that it was possible. As for my favourite things - right up there are coffee, black ink fineliners, my camera, and books - anything that stimulates/facilitates creativity!
     
  4. With so much inspiration out there, you must be keeping busy! What’s coming up for Design Kist?
    Most of our designs emerge quite intuitively, and as such we try not to adhere to too much of a timetable. Saying that, we’ve been brewing a collection of fresh and vibrant spring florals, which we released on the first day of spring!
     
  5. You have great hair, by the way.
    Why thank you! Five words: Lionel Kim on Buitenkant Street. I met him while dropping off wallpaper samples for a client across the street from my studio. He took one look at my hair, gave me his card, and the rest is history! He actually inspired a soon-to-be-released “scissors” print - just goes to show, inspiration is everywhere!
 
It really is - from cows, to Zoo Biscuits, to hot air balloons. Give your surfaces some Design Kist lovin’ from their Hello Pretty store, and stay updated on new projects in the pipeline through the Design Kist Facebook and Twitter.

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