Mervyn Gers specialises in bespoke handmade ceramics for private clients, high-end restaurants and retailers MY LIFE sub_head_endI was born in Kimberley and grew up in a tiny village called Daniëlskuil in the Northern Cape. I'm the last born of eight. My father owned the local general dealers as well as a hotel. I basically grew up in the hotel and later worked in the shop.mini_story_image_hleft1We had telephones where they'd say "Nommer, asseblief" and you'd give the number. There were no call charges. The whole afternoon I'd sit doing my homework on the phone with friends.I have twins. A boy and a girl, who are just over two years old and live in London.My favourite neighbourhood in Cape Town is Oranjezicht. I love the old houses, views, trees and parks. I've been living in Cape Town for 20 years now.My favourite city is Istanbul. I'm a big fan of the culture and food, the architecture and the Hagia Sophia Museum in particular. I adore the sound of the call to prayer from the mosques. I love shopping in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for Art Nouveau and deco lights. I also adore the Christian Lacroix shop in the Galerías Pacífico shopping centre.sub_head_start MY WORK sub_head_endEven as a child I loved working with my hands and creating things. And I've always adored collecting crockery.I started off making large ceramic vases from home. In 2011 I found a factory space. The company that had been there imported blank ceramics from China. I re-employed five of the employees and the business grew.story_article_right1The works of Kalahari Studio from the '50s are my favourites. I love midcentury ceramics; the colours, designs and African themes were just so unique.I did a course in majolica, an old technique where you paint with oxides on a glazed object that is then left unfired.The only thing that separates good and bad design is time. "Bad" design has its charms after a few decades.Design rules are there to be broken. I'm so tired of interiors that are done with no feeling or soul and end up looking like airport concourses.My dream is to be able to keep on developing new designs and creating new things all the time, as opposed to having to manufacture the same item over and over again.sub_head_start MY HOME AND STYLE sub_head_endMy ideal home would be a huge warehouse with high ceilings, lots of natural light and views of Table Bay and the mountain.My biggest influences are sculpture, architecture and art. I love going to galleries and wandering through cities marvelling at building styles. I also have an affinity for anything kitsch.mini_story_image_hleft2My most treasured possession is an enormous sideboard my grandfather brought from Germany in the late 1890s. I eventually inherited it.My decorating style is eclectic. I like antiques and love Art Deco. I enjoy collecting furniture and ceramics from the '50s, especially the '70s with its thick lava glazes.My favourite means of escape is to go to the movies.I really admire the works of Francis Bacon - provocative and incredibly expressive. Lucian Freud and Grayson Perry are also my favourite artists.I consider the height of decadence to be a ton of caviar and bottles of Veuve Clicquot. But my greatest extravagance was buying a plane ticket for an overseas trip at the spur of the moment, then flying a day later.I wish I could do without having to constantly update social-media feeds!I'd come back to life as a potter's wheel - what goes around comes around.Visit mervyngers.com...