Sustainable wood
Cape Town was the first South African city to be designated World Design Capital, in 2014. Because art and design are driving the revival of entire districts of Cape Town, the Mother City: the symbol of a new South Africa and of the truest spirit of Mandela’s legacy. The four cardinal themes of this year’s World Design Capital are: “African Innovation. Global Conversation”; “Bridging the Divide”; “Today for Tomorrow” and “Beautiful Spaces. Beautiful Things”. Design is therefore at the service of the city, a means to improve the lives of the 3.6 million people who inhabit the most dynamic capital of Africa. Thanks to this event, many ateliers in Cape Town have captured international attention. On one, in particular, have a number of critics and journalists focused the spotlight: the workshop/studio of James Mudge at 39 Hope Street Gardens. Here, a young and creative architect designs and manufactures high quality furnishings with the help of a small team of qualified craftsmen. The production is in limited series and entirely made according to traditional woodworking techniques. By incorporating mortise, tenon and dovetail joints to contemporary design pieces, Mudge and his team guarantee solidity and durability to their production. An important choice, therefore, which will allow his creations to stand the test of time. But Mudge’s is not just an aesthetic solution, it is also an ethical choice, in contrast with the culture of consumerism and waste. A particularly pressing issue in the African continent, where development continues to be discontinuous. James Mudge began his career at a very young age, working at the family-owned Knysna Forest furniture factory. After achieving a degree in Architecture at the University of Cape Town, he spent two very intense years designing and decorating the Ralph Lauren stores in London, where Mudge had moved to, and Paris. This experience introduced him to the world of interior design: being a gifted designer as well as a craftsman, he also projected and oversaw the interior decoration of four private homes, one in South Africa and three in France. His experience
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as an architect brought him to shift his interest towards furniture design. As Mudge explained in an interview to the South African DesignTimes: “Architectural and furniture design have a lot in common. Both of them draw on the art of living and the relationship between people and objects; it is not uncommon for the two disciplines to go hand-in-hand. What I enjoy about the process of furniture design is the level of autonomy that I have with my designs. My decision to move from architecture to furniture was less of a conscious decision and more of a natural progression towards something that I love.” A love that has come
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Times: “The design is simple, as the name suggests, but it has remained in our permanent collection and it is still a popular choice for a desk or table today. I have kept the first one I ever made and would never sell it, because it represents what I have set out to do and how far I’ve progressed thus far. As I’ve watched my business grow I’ve had the immense satisfaction of producing more complex designs. Developing my skill set and that of my team is extremely rewarding, but that does not detract from the initial satisfaction of making a start with something that you want to do. It’s a leap of faith that I have never regretted making.”
I think that people will always enjoy natural products. Wooden furniture that is well made can last a lifetime to the surface through experience, but that was probably already in his DNA, fostered in the family business where Mudge learned and mastered traditional workmanship techniques and honed his knowledge of wood types. For his creations, which are very contemporary in style, he prefers American White Oak, French Oak and African Iroko: sustainable, high quality woods with an appealing grain and colour. James Mudge firmly believes in the current trend of creating products that are reusable, sustainable and durable. Wooden furniture that is well made lasts a lifetime, more than any veneered item, and can be passed down from one generation to the next. “I think that people will always enjoy natural products and our handmade creations. I also think it makes a pleasant change from the disposable products flooding the market,” he declared to Designtimes. Mudge designs essential and solid furniture, and what stands out immediately is his supreme workmanship and attention to detail. Mudge is a creative artist, skilled craftsman and entrepreneur who loves the simplicity of everyday life, with an inherent elegance which he combines with functionality. His most loved creation is in fact called Oak Simple Table. As Mudge explained, always to Design-
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