Showing Off: Breaking the Decorex mould

For the first time, a specialised show, 100% Design South Africa, is running alongside Decorex SA. The interior design showcase, held annually at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, launched yesterday.

100% Design South Africa is an area dedicated to contemporary, mainly local design, and is curated by Laurence Brick from Loads of Living, former magazine editor Cathy O'Clery and exhibition director Cairey Baxter-Bruce.

It is divided into four areas of the interiors business: residential , hospitality, office and product design. Everything featured will be available to buy or order at the show.

O'Clery says 100% Design is different from other design expos such as the Food, Wine and Design Fair and Design Indaba because it follows the format of the original show from London, where design is the key word in the product and the presentation.

"We have encouraged collaborations between exhibitors in the desire to push the industry. It is when designers have new challenges that exciting things happen. We have phenomenal new products at this show," she says.

Laurie Wiid van Heerden of Wiid Design created the furniture for an Amorim cork-clad Spier bar that will be a watering hole for visitors to the show.

"The bar has been clad in cork, which is a great material being used a lot in Milan, Lisbon and Beijing," says Van Heerden.

He will also showcase cork, concrete and steel furniture in and around the bar area.

"Some of the furniture is 'corkabitation', designed in collaboration with DHK Architects with cork from Portuguese cork-producing company Amorim," says Van Heerden.

He launched a World Design Capital project earlier this year to introduce cork to the public as a sustainable material that is 100% organic and recyclable.

"Cork is harvested from cork trees every seven years without damaging the trees," says Van Heerden.

"It smells great, is easy to clean and affordable.

"Often, the excess from wine stopper corks is made into a composite, which is great for my constructions."

Van Heerden has also been using a new material, black cork, which is fired in kilns and compressed.

Another area to look out for is The Long Table, which showcases ceramicists such as Ceramic Factory, Mud Studio, Anthony Shapiro, Andile Dylvane, Mick Haigh, Mervyn Gers and Lisa Firer.

"A young designer currently making waves is Atang Tshikare. He has collaborated with Robin Sprong and Art in the Forest to create a series of illustrations on wallpaper at The Long Table," says O'Clery.

Colab Cafe is at the centre of the show. It is a collaboration between Mr Price Home and local designers.

Yanni Vasloo, merchandise director at Mr Price Home, says: "Our Colab initiative was born out of the love and excitement we feel every day, in our in-house studio, when we create our product ranges, extending it through working with trending designers."

• 100% Design South Africa forms part of Decorex SA. It runs until August 10 at Gallagher Convention Centre. www.100percentdesign.co.za

Cathy O'Clery on 100% design

Your highlight of the show?

The collaborations by Laurence Brick and I , as curators, have helped this event come about. At the Long Table by Art in The Forest, 14 leading ceramicists, with Robin Sprong and Opus, have come together to make a long table of amazing ceramics in an enchanted forest setting.

Is South African design exportable?

It is at all levels. We get the superstars but many of our designers in the show are already exporting to stores in Europe and the US. African design is becoming the hot thing, which is why high-end European companies such as Vitra are looking to us, and retailers such as Jasper Conran are coming here.

What is specifically South African about our design?

Most of our designers are designer-makers, as opposed to designers in other parts of the world who design and have things made elsewhere. There is a directness and an elemental appeal. To celebrate our designer- making culture, we have a section called Magnificent Makers where you will find live wallpaper printing, master beading and 3D printing.