Design Indaba
Love seat brings a new twist to notions of beauty
Design Indaba's Most Beautiful Object in SA fixture once again pushes aesthetic boundaries and puts the spotlight on local designers
The Design Indaba’s annual search for the Most Beautiful Object in SA has thrown up diverse winners in its 13 years of existence. It started in 2007 with a condom applicator — a device designed to end slippery fumbling in the dark — and has moved on to celebrate items from furniture and a frock to a tourist attraction. The 2019 winner is an oak loveseat that curls from chair to bench, named Interdependence II. Made by Houtlander, it’s painted blue, hinting at flowing water. Public votes put it top of an eclectic list of 10 objects that included a wedding dress, a self-help app for cancer patients, a copper and glass kettle and a sculptural wind chime. Houtlander co-designer Phillip Hollander thinks people liked the way the bench “challenges perceptions” of an ordinary, familiar item. However, it’s an experimental, limited edition piece and not set to go into production.
The Most Beautiful Object (MBO) competition was created to popularise SA design in the then tiny local mark...
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