The Textures of Africa

I returned from my trip to South Africa with a fresh invigorated personal and professional perspective and appreciation.  Oddly, this experience allowed me to better understand how the two, my personal and professional experiences, have always come together to create an ideal finished product. I suppose, in this case, that would be me. I say that because the trip enabled me to see things through different eyes, and I believe the experience changed my life in some ways. I was able to further understand why things like texture play such an important role in the backdrop of our lives.  I learned something that simple had far more significance than I’d imagined.

What is Texture?

Being a refined designer has allowed me to experience the impact of selecting and marrying the colors and textures for an ideal end result.  Texture, by definition, is the interwoven threads, or the like, to create something that provides feeling.  However, by definition and until taking this journey, I never realized how the textures in our lives influence our choices in design. Our desires as humans has always been to incorporate nature’s offerings into our environments.

Whether in Cape Town, Botswana, Zimbabwe, or Namibia, the textural culture is apparent wherever your eyes take you. A simple light sconce with a twisted antler-inspired wood finial tells you where you are, but closer inspection highlights the details of the carved window frame. The extra detail and selection of color bring the visual experience to life.

Intertwining

The textures of the country create an interweaving of the culture, history and environment which ultimately produces the fabric of their daily lives. Whether the inspiration is a contorted tree-scape, interesting bark patterns, or the fronds of the fauna, the fusion of their environment becomes one with their culture creating the fabric of their lives. Here a lush forest inspires the front of this wonderful building.

Another wonderful example is how the roofline of this mud hut is used to influence the grand dome Cape Town (pictured above) or an expansive ceiling in our wonderful dining facility.

In Africa the outdoors intermingles naturally with the indoors. Therefore, it is simple and efficient with each detail whispering a story of the people and their culture.