Studio Visit

Hello Pretty visit to Kerry from TableArt's home studio

You know that feeling of having so much to do you can't handle it anymore? And then you are also expecting guests in the evening, and you want to impress them with a lovely looking table but you simply don't have the time? Well, that problem can be easily solved with the disposable placemats from TableArt. They are not only super practical but also can transform your table from a No to a Hell Yeah!

We visited Kerry, the designer behind the brand, and ended up chatted for a long time! It was lovely to meet one of our sellers and put a face to the brand. We were welcomed in Kerry’s beautifully-decorated home not only by Kerry herself, but also our new hairy friend Pluto.

We were sitting down while enjoying our rooibos tea and some biscuits and we talked about TableArt as a brand and everything that comes along with running a business with so few hands - just Kerry and her assistant. And we can tell you this: it's a lot! From the initial creative progress, to the designing, to the meticulous quality checking and precise packaging of the products, to finally sending them off to the customers.

It was nice to see how meticulously Kerry manages her business. We could even call it perfectionism, and you can see it in the end product. Every product (not only placemats but also trays, coasters, Glow Lights, place cards, greeting cards and tags) is made with lots of love and care, and we can see that.

TableArt is a brand success story and we can't wait to see what's to come. We're super excited to see it continue to grow and expand.

Studio Visit to Leg Studios

If you were to ask us what we like better - good design or good coffee, we'd find it extremely hard to give you an answer. Thankfully, when we invited ourselves round to Leg Studios, we didn't have to choose!

Leon, Giulia, and Tim have created a bright, busy, and welcoming space with something delightful to look at every way you turn.

Leon Erasmus, Giulia Odendaal, and Tim Richert of Leg Studios

Their studio (in the Salt Circle Arcade) is part office, part store, part experimental and creative space. Along with the beautiful Leg products we know and love, they've also selected a handful of items from some local design favourites, and engaged in collaborations with others - see if you can spot them!

The team made us some superlative coffee, and offered us pastries - which means that they're now basically our favourite people on earth. Conversation covered everything from their background in installation design to what makes their creative engines tick, with a few detours discussing boarding schools, impulse purchases, travel, and more.

We were also lucky enough to be allowed a first look at one of their brand new designs - a concrete version of their beautiful butcher block table. Naturally, I fell head over heels in love with it. The only thing stopping me from trying to sneak it out the studio in my handbag was the fact that being concrete, it would take a little more muscle power than I had to spare.

Thanks again, Leg team, for allowing us to invade your studio (and for the coffee and pastries - nom!). We'll definitely be back for another visit - I'll just need to bring a bigger bag for that table...
You can see the rest of the snaps from our visit here.

If you've just found out about Leg Studios for the first time, you can check out their fantastic designs in their Hello Pretty store, and stay in touch with them on Facebook.

Studio Visit with Bigkid Design

One of the best things about being part of Team HP, is that no matter where we go in the country, there's always some amazing talent to be found. While I was in Durban recently, I popped in to visit with the lovely Jess from Bigkid Design, and found a space full of colour and contrast, and art both traditional and unconventional.

Isn't that clock just the best thing? After an effusive welcome from the household's exuberant dogs, Jess plied me with tea and made me feel right at home. Seeing her space made it easy to understand the playfulness found in her designs.

I'm incredibly nosy, so after I peppered her with questions, Jess was kind enough to take me through the process of making one of Bigkid's famous Lego bookends; and let me tell you, they are hard work. It's always fascinating to see how the beautiful pieces you see on Hello Pretty get made. (Hint: Usually with a LOT of hard work.)

I'm not going to give away any trade secrets, but making just one of those little guys takes time, patience, and an incredible eye for detail. After turning out my own effort, knowing just what went into making it, I opted to take him home as is to remind me that like everything worth it, you have to put the work in.

Isn't he cute? I've called him Don Quixote, because he looks like he's ready to go tilting at windmills! (And, he's made from jesmonite, which is water resistant - so he'll be just fine in his new home.)

One last thing I snapped before I headed out, at the end of a wonderful afternoon:

This was from a mosaic-ed section outside in the garden. Every tile was handmade. This one was my favourite, from a book by Jeannette Winterson.

"A young girl coming home along a slippery and frayed line of rope missed her footing and fell into the blank space below. There was a cry of horror from everyone who saw it, but the girl did not drop and crack on the ground, she floated."

Snag your very own Bigkid item from their Hello Pretty store, and stay in touch with them on Facebook.