Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 39
Occupation: Furniture designer and maker.
Instagram: @hanneke.lourens
Hometown: Swellendam, South Africa.
Studio location: Mendocino County, California.
Describe what you make: I design and make contemporary furniture inspired by my homeland of South Africa. I make the pieces from scratch and by hand using classic woodworking techniques.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: The closest to my heart is my debut collection, Corrugated, which I released earlier this week. This collection is a love letter to South Africa, inspired by the abundance of corrugated metal found in its urban landscapes. I reimagined this common building material by mimicking its flowing shapes in white oak. The collection consists of five sculptural pieces, intended for daily use.
Although I’ve lived in the U.S. for almost a decade and love it here, I still feel deeply connected to my roots. There’s this inexplicable quality that makes South Africa so special—it kind of delicately balances between beauty and chaos. It will always be home to me. So my debut collection felt like a perfect opportunity to send some love to the country that inspires me so much. My journey designing and making furniture began when I moved to California nine years ago. Place has always been a big part of who I am, so it feels like my practice is a nice merging of my two worlds: where I live now and where I’m from.
Describe the problem your work solves: There’s so much inspiring design and creativity coming out of Africa right now and it’s definitely not getting the global recognition it deserves. If my work can help in some small way to shine a light on that part of the world, I’d be very pleased. Great design can come from anywhere and I’m hoping we can start shifting some attention over to African designers.
I also have another mission: I’m always pushing to make eye-catching, emotion-sparking work that’s undeniably practical at the same time. Finding that perfect balance between objects feeling cherishable but still very usable—that’s my happy place.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m working on a lot of smaller projects, but my main focus right now is designing my next collection. It will again be centered around a South African theme, this time a very playful one. I’m only in the early design phases, but I’m already getting pretty excited about it.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I’m working on a fun newsletter series that will showcase creative Africans, their work, and their environments. It should be launching soon(ish) so keep your eyes peeled.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Good light and good machines. I’m very lucky to have both in the space I’m currently working out of, which is a friend’s beautiful woodshop that used to be a cow barn.
What you do when you’re not working: I spend as much time as I can in South Africa—it really is my main source of inspiration. Every time I go back, I try to explore a different part of the country and traveling more in the rest of Africa is high on my to-do list too. I’ll be going to Morocco later this year, which is pretty exciting. On the day-to-day when I’m not in the shop, I do a bit of gravel cycling and trail running.
Sources of creative envy: More admiration than envy, but I’m endlessly inspired by the creativity currently coming out of Africa. There’s an abundance of contemporary African designers and makers who I find extremely impressive. Some of my favorites include Peter Mabeo of Mabeo Furniture in Botswana; Frances van Hasselt and her team weaving mohair rugs in the Karoo region of South Africa; Dan and Collyn from Onguza who make world-class bicycles in a tiny town in Namibia and the incredible work of Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu.
The distraction you want to eliminate: A boring answer, but my phone. And trying to protect my planted veggies from all the creatures hungry to eat them before I get a chance.
Concrete or marble? Both.
High-rise or townhouse? Farm.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Neither.
Dark or light? Light. Every time.
