We chat to Cape Town furniture maker Monya Eastman about her love of beautiful spaces and cabin porn Where does the name Stokperd come from?The literal translation is "stick horse" and in Afrikaans means "hobby". So the word symbolised me saddling my stick horse to turn my passion into a professional hobby. Heeeha!story_article_left1How would you describe your furniture in a nutshell?I'm not crazy about trends, so I try to keep my furniture clean and classic. Basically, stuff that doesn't date too quickly.How did you get into design?I spent the first half of my working life in corporate as a fashion buyer, but was always reading interior magazines and was happiest when creating beautiful spaces. My feel for design is second nature. I never studied it; it's just part of who I am.Do you design and manufacture yourself?I design and have a great team of carpenters and metal workers who I outsource the manufacturing to.What's your favourite piece you've created?That changes often! Right now I'm loving my Egoli Trolley Dolly. She's stocked up with good gin, vintage glasses and a few of my favourite plants. She's my oasis at the end of a crazy day.A piece you'd love to create one day?I follow a site called cabinporn.com, which shows quaint wooden cabins tucked into forests. I would love to design and build my own cabin from scratch that's completely off the radar.full_story_image_vleft1The ultimate material to work with?For furniture it's definitely wood. It ages beautifully and gains character over time. My favourites are dining tables that have been handed down over generations - they have so many stories to tell.What could we do with more of in our homes?Good lighting and plants - you can't have too much of those two. We also need to rethink and reuse our water supply in clever ways.What would you never have in your own home?Travertine tiles!full_story_image_vleft2Advice for aspiring designers?Go with your gut. Make things you love and want to use in your own space instead of following trends.See www.stokperd.com..