5 Minutes with a Bona Fide Artist, Brigette Lottor

If you love doing your rounds at the trendiest interior design and décor centres in Harare then you would have surely bumped into finely designed decorative mirrors and paintings by the effervescent and uber talented artist, Brigette Lottor.

Asked what from her collection and works would be the ideal Christmas present ideas, she recommended her mirror designs and pieces from  her Crazy Cutlery range cast out of aluminum. We had a brief one on one with Brigette about her craft.

Tell us a little about you, what is your background?

I was born in Zimbabwe, schooled here till I was 15 years old, then I finished high school at the art, ballet, drama and music school in Johannesburg. I did art, matriculated and went on to study fine art at Durban Technikon. Upon leaving, I worked for a company designing swimwear then I went on to work as a window dresser for South African fashion retailer, Foschini. I then got into painting people’s race horses and polo ponies. I moved to Malawi and got into craft making, where my market predominantly consisted of expatriates.

  

I came back home and continued to live off my craft as I slowly got back into painting and exhibiting. I have exhibited in Spain, Kenya, South Africa and have painted murals in Vienna. My art has taken me to some awesome places; I have travelled to India, the Himalayas, the Andes Mountain and Morocco. All these places have influenced my work and life.

Natural-esque Inspiration

Subtle ways of  adding a little nature in  your home...

1.  Ball Jute lampshades, US$95 (50cm)  and  (30cm), The Gallery & Home

2. Hanging baskets, in basket are succulents, Cinnamon

3.  Banana leaves (large), Aura’s Lighting & Décor 

4.  Arched  foot vase, in the vase are magnolia spray piwic, Calla lily leaf, hydrangea,  Alice Rose, Manhattan Interiors

5.  Wicker waste basket, falling out of basket  is  chocolate  and cream pot pourri, Dreamz

6. Pine stool, Lifestyle Interiors

7. Eijffinger oriental wallpaper, Lifestyle Interiors 

 8.  Bamboo Roller (Mopani Cherry), Window Dressings

Aura’s Lighting & Décor- 0772 316 030, Cinnamon-0772 283 675, Dreamz- 0773 447 382, Lifestyle Interiors- (04) 744 053, Manhattan Interiors – (04) 852 851, The Gallery & Home - (04) 870 420, Window Dressings- (04) 882 872



Indulge Yourself – Maruva Cosmeceuticals

Born out of passion, research and an inkling of blending herbal oil extracts and fragrances with proven cosmeceutical  properties from Africa and India, Maruva Cosmetics  is a formidable  brand manufacturing  a line of skin, bath and beauty products.

Made by the coming together of precious African flora such as Baobab, Marula, Trichilia and Parinari with the similarly exotic and potent oils and fragrances like Basil, Cardomom and Patcouli  from India, Maruva’s products will excite your senses, enhance your sense of self and release your inner beauty.

Fittingly, the logo depicts an Indian water lily encapsulated by the famous African flame lily representing this union of cultures.

With a belief centred around protecting the environment and preserving it for future generations as well sourcing the best raw material based on fair trade principles, the range includes, Baobab and Marula soaps, hand sanitizers, lip balms, scrubs, fragranced candles and must have gift hampers.A sensory adventure, you will also find a range of unique candle stands, incense sticks, aroma diffusers bath salts and bath accessories.If you want to know more, contact Maruva Cosmeticeuticals - 0772 228 747, info@maruvacometics.com.  

Favourite Sultry Reds

As we celebrated the month of love in February 2010, it was all about the sultry reds and boy did we have fun! Here were our favourites from our local outlets...

Balunga Chair, Hand woven chenille throw with hand-beaded fringe, luxury scatter cushions, Lifestyle Interiors (top left); Pure Indian silk patchwork cushion covers, Bijoux Boutique (centre);  All Red cushions, Perspectives and Red and white scatters, Emma French Collection (top right);  Love seat sofa, Bigr Living; Footstool, US$120, Perspectives; Red glitter and rose cushions, Dreamz (bottom left); Striped scatters, Elements; White cushion, Perspectives; Red velvet cushion, Elements (bottom right)

Treasure in Glass

"Stained glass and glass work as an interior design and décor trend explored"

Having only seen stained glass on cathedral windows, it was at the St John’s College Spring Fair in 2010 last year in October where I met glass artist, Annelie Martens. Four months down the line, I made an undertaking to know more about this intriguing age old phenomenon and explore how stained glass decorations can also accentuate one’s home. 

In probably the cosiest house I have ever been in, the scene is Borrowdale Brooke where I was to interview Annelie about her craft. Warmly invited, she gave me a tour of her wonderful home that I must say is a true homage of her craft.

Originally from Germany, she carried with her, from Deutschland, very much to her family’s surprise, antique pieces dear to her that harbour timeless stories meant to be told. From old and functional cooking pots where her great grandmother fried eggs for her husband, her grandmother’s kitchen scale to chairs where her grandfather once sat , this was certainly what I would like to believe makes a home.As we sat down for some coffee and freshly baked chocolate cookies, our meeting steadily settled into the core of my business- to talk to an artist and explore stained glass and glass work as an interior design and décor trend.

Apart from sharing the amazing history surrounding the discovery of glass, it is how the colour of stained glass is created that blew me way .When you look at those cathedral windows, there was certainly no use of paint or colourful adhesive films to create these hues, the making of these entrancing shades is a science and a true ancient craft.

Minerals are used as colour agents with copper making green, cobalt creating blue glass, manganese for brown and yellow from iron. The most expensive are the red and orange variations because precious metals, silver and gold are the colour ingredients. The intensity is determined by the different firing temperatures. 

Meticulous, thorough and mostly one of a kind, Annelie creates glass panels for house doors, windows, room dividers, cabinet doors and cathedral windows.  Lamps are among other items worked in stained, opalescent, cathedral,  translucent and  brilliant glass. The highlight of my day was being shown the array of multi-coloured as well as textured glass shelved in her workshop. Here is where all ideas are transformed into masterpieces. A unique artistic medium, Annelie let us in on the creative process.

 “A client comes to me and says I want my bathroom windows designed, I go to the client’s home and get an idea of what his or her tastes are, is it ethnic, modern or contemporary? I also have to understand their interior design and décor- the art work, curtaining and colour coordination.  Then I take my measurements and work from there. I create various design options to choose from.” says Annelie

The process continues with enlarging the sketch to the actual size (to the scale which she is working with).  Using accurate measurements, she then makes two templates, one of which she uses as a reference and the other to mark out patterns for the working foil. On the foil, she also marks all the different types of glass to be used with a number so that she knows which piece is going where. This ensures that the colours are just right and everything works together aesthetically. For choosing the right glass, texture and colour, the glass sheets are placed on top of a light box or on an aisle in front of a window. Here one can see how the “work in progress” looks when illuminated.

Organic Cuisine - The Shop Cafe

Watermelon, Feta Cheese and Black Olive Salad

"We want to educate and say this is what you want and encourage people to try something new , so if someone asks for well done fillet , we might serve it a little less than well done because that is how we like it and it is important to serve food how you would like to see it and eat it.”

With craft, interior design, fashion outlets as well as eateries, upon entering the Doon Estate in Msasa, one would never think it is in the midst of a busy industrial area. Among the eateries is a quaint and rustic restaurant called, The Shop Café where you get a complimentary jug of fresh lemonade and “just out of the oven” bread as a starter on your table.

Owner, Kerry Wallace has been running the show for  about ten years , later joined by his son, Leeroy  and Stellenbosch’s   Institute of Culinary Arts alumni, Chef Michelle Small  who have  been  presenting  must have dishes  for the  devoted “foodie.”



Green Garden Salad

The restaurant won the Cheeseman, Specialty Restaurant of the Year 2008 under the vegetarian but not exclusively category. The Shop Café mainly specialises in vegetarian food but because Zimbabweans love their meat, they do also offer chicken and fish. A well deserved win, a special and popular treat has to be the salad buffet, comprised of a mouthwatering twelve dishes laced with herbs and edible flowers.

 When they noticed that people had been  asking  for half  butternut  salad  and  half  char grilled salad  instead of just  one item,  two years  ago when  Chef Michelle Small started  working  at the café , they changed and decided  to do the salad buffet.

Avocado Salad

Experience and acquired knowledge about plants has allowed the restaurant to carve an invaluable niche in the food and hospitality business.  In fact before delving into the restaurant business, Kerry had previously been a landscaper.

Michelle says, “Working at the Shop Café has been great because as a chef you have input on what goes on the menu. Every  morning  we  the pick  herbs and flowers  and  we  shop  at Fruit  and Veg City where get the freshest  ingredients. Kerry was  a landscaper, so he has  tonnes of knowledge about plants  and I have a vegetable garden  with my herbs  and edible  flowers  which helps  as we  strive to keep  everything  as organic as possible.”   

Re-inventing Glass

In the glass business for 10 years, Samantha Jacobs produces a range of products that consists of tableware, jewellery and lifestyle products. These include bespoke chandeliers and mosaic mirrors which are   elegant additions for any room’s colour palate.

With an enterprise that employs eight people, every product is created and designed by Sam but she   allows her artists to create some of their own unique designs.

Her designs are mostly produced with recycled material, Samantha says, “every piece is produced with the utmost care and is the highest standard.” In addition to creating masterpieces, she also decorates residential and commercial interiors. If you want to know more, contact Sam Jacobs, 0712 413 474, samjacobsglass@gmail.com      

Channeling Copper

Having  only  been  in the  business  since last year  in January 2010, Copper Africa  is taking copper art to  a whole new level with  their designs created by the metallic element. A toolmaker by trade, 34 year old Ryan Mead is the artist behind these works. 

Ryan  has  always  been working  with  copper,  he began  with  little African chess sets  and  now he is  currently  producing  larger  artwork , which are  being shipped all over the  world.

Copper Africa’s  Jen Zivanovic says, “Work  done in  copper  is  very limited and there is  a huge demand  for African art, Copper Africa  pieces  cannot be found  in any shops yet  but we  are  looking  forward  to  opening  a gallery  in the near future.”  If you want to know more, contact Jen Zivanovic, 0772 867 251.

Wrought Iron Sensibility

At one point they were known as outdoor or patio features but today wrought iron furniture and accessories are invading indoor space and there is nowhere else where this is more apparent than at shopping retreat, Totem Shumba Estate in Umwinsidale.

For the Afro-chic aficionado, Totem Shumba’s attractiveness lies in the display of incredible wrought designs dressed or accessorised with pieces from different parts of Africa and Asia. You will find collectables from Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and India just to name a few. A journey that would take you across this multi- cultural, coloured and textured continents.   

 

Owner of Totem Shumba, Gloria Ndoro-Mukombachoto says, “The distinction between our wrought iron works with other outlets’ work is that we work with it on a daily basis, we believe it is a warm product – we live it, breath it, touch it, feel it and we understand it totally. What we are doing is creating, designing, bending wrought iron and dressing it up so that it can bring warmth for interiors and exteriors for the home or the office.”

Every room at the shop presents treasures that tell an array of stories with wrought iron as the principal character. Cushions, wood, glass, mirrors, lamps, candles among many items are coupled with expertly designed wrought iron models. Tonga door furniture is also a main feature at Totem Shumba. Tonga doors can just be hung as decorative items or designed to be part of the wrought iron furniture and the way they are designing this furniture at Totem Shumba is breathtaking to say the least. 5% of net profit of all Tonga product sales is donated to Zubo Zubo, a non-profit organization run by a Tonga woman for Tonga people in the Zambezi Valley.  “How people end up with good living spaces has a lot to do with their imaginations and their own interpretation. We  want people  to  create  their own  stories because as a homeowner, one  should  be  able to make  a statement that is  distinctly yours,” adds Gloria. 



 Totem Shumba Estate consists of the wrought iron metal studio, collectables gallery and self-catering accommodation and a hosting venue for corporate and small functions, Totem Shumba Estate has introduced a new initiative dubbed the Totem Shumba Creative Theatre, which encourages innovative creatives to come up with their own designs. Once the design has been registered with them, it will be produced and named after its creator.



  12-holder muti -candle stand



Durability and weather resistance are the two best aspects of wrought iron furniture. Besides this, it is forever in style and it has an elegant look and in general matches almost every kind of house style. You can find wrought iron furniture suitable for modern as well as antique and old-fashioned décor. Due to their metal construction, these products are practically indestructible and they can hold any weight and size without being even slightly damaged.

   

Totem Shumba recently launched a new division called, Tonga @ Totem Shumba where wrought iron products are finished with Tonga artefacts. With the exception of Tonga doors, Tonga stools and Tonga drums, all products sold at Tonga @ Totem Shumba are manufactured within their metal studio.

For the homeowner who is looking for egde, relevance and uber Afro-sophistication or those seeking a fresh look in their offices and boardrooms, Totem Shumba is an ideal shopping spot. Visit Totem Shumba, 2001 Wayhill Lane West,Umwinsidale, Harare,  0773 654 892; totemshumba@gmail.com.