On the edge of cosmopolitan Bree Street in Cape Town is a quintessentially chic design studio that has window shoppers staring at a life-sized baboon sculpture created by a Belgian artist. Robert Sherwood and Alberto Rodriguez own the design showroom Robert Sherwood Design, which Sherwood opened in the early '90s."I always wanted to start my own company - it's now been running for 26 years," says Sherwood, who has international clients from Dubai to Angola."With today's technology it's easy to deal with projects in real time in other locations. We have great talent in this town, which we get to showcase in our Bree Street showroom."With Rodriguez's sharp and impeccable eye, it's a no-brainer that the Robert Sherwood Design aesthetic is a perfectly intertwined melting pot of ideas filtered between the two creative curators."We're forever cross-referencing and asking each other's opinions on design matters for clients, as well as what we want to showcase in our showroom," says Sherwood."We've lived and worked together for many years now so I trust Alberto's eye completely and it is always good to bounce ideas off each other. There are some clients that naturally gravitate towards one of us so it is easy to see which one of us deals with a client."In the fast-paced world of design, in which individuals explode with ideas and fiercely try to stay innovative, Sherwood and Rodriguez believe in the notion of staying true to one's design beliefs."I think one of the most important things is maintaining your design viewpoint. It's not about being on trend - I don't believe in following fashions religiously," says Sherwood.The design duo believe African artists will help us build confidence in this continent's designs."They're an integral part of moving design - not only in interiors or the arts - forward. Africans are designing amazing products that are helping to shape our design language," says Sherwood...