The Design Process
The Daddy Group have always made creativity the cornerstone of their character. With as much talent as Cape Town has to offer, it makes perfect sense to create a platform for the rich and interesting insight that artists bring us – and what better way than to sleep in a living art gallery.
Old Mac Daddy began as a search for a getaway place that would give the Airstreams a nostalgic fifties caravan holiday feel and it needed to happen somewhere really beautiful. Elgin was always ideal and – after much negotiation – a site was found and the project began to unfold.
A call was put out to the creative community to come up with ideas for the trailers. Concept, theme, attention to detail and command of materials were essential elements in the selection process and a public viewing day helped the Old Mac Daddy select its dream team.
That’s where the hard work began. The Airstreams were hand-picked in the USA by owners Jody Aufrichtig and Nicholas Ferguson. Of course, they had to be shipped to SA and some unforeseen delays in their path to Cape Town made the timeline more urgent than anticipated.
In the meantime, the Old Mac Daddy artists were doing what they do best; sourcing must-have finds, comparing fabric swatches and evolving their themes.
At the end of April 2010, Old Mac Daddy unveiled the newly arrived Airstreams - in the early stages of their revamp - at a cheery Open Day celebration at the Old Mac Daddy build site in Gardens, Cape Town.
Beyond the creation of the individual trailers, the look of the lodge was created by Tracy Lynch, who adopted a neutral palette to detox the riot of colour and ideas within the trailers and to marry the experience with the natural beauty all around. The spectacular Barn and communal area was imagined by architect, Greg Scott, and the furnishings were chosen largely from a collection by local designer/producers Pedersen + Lennard.
With the framework in place, the designers braved the extremes of wind and rain, to follow their trailers to Elgin to complete the project in situ. The result is yours to enjoy. Get inside the creative mind (and bedrooms) of Cape Town’s finest at Old Mac Daddy.
In September 2011, the Old Mac Daddy project won a Gold Loerie Award in the Three Dimensional and Environmental Design Category – Interior Design Temporary Structures. These are the artists and their design stories.
“The spaces around me have not only played a vital role in shaping my creative eye, they have also exposed me to vastly different interior and exterior worlds; the haute couture highways of my Sandton childhood, the verdant hills and warm farmlands of my schooling in Durban, living in Zimbali Eco-Estate and finally the cosmopolitan European escape to Stellenbosch and Cape Town.”
Currently completing her third year in a graphic design major at The Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography, Jeannie has reached the top of her class and been a Loerie Award finalist for a group project on environmental and three-dimensional design. She plans to continue with design at the Parson’s New York School of Design, where she aims to not only define herself within the school of eco-design, but to pioneer it as a way of life for us all; the perfect union of aesthetic and function.
Kirsten Townsend says she want to; “change my little piece of the world through design.” She is inspired by the popular culture and sub cultures in the bustle of Cape Town and is a final year Graphic Design student at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography who hopes to further her education at Parsons School of Design in NYC. If this is attainable, she will bring her new-found knowledge back to Cape Town and inspire others through her design work..
In 2009 she was shortlisted for two Loerie awards, one being the re-design of a Graphic Design studio at The Academy.
LIFE BEFORE COLOUR by Leasa Mensing
After a fulfilling ten years as a fashion and décor stylist, Leasa took a break from her career to enjoy time with her two children. However, her longing for creative exploration led her to return to the world of décor once more, this time as a businesswoman with the newly-launched Playhouse; a children’s space decorating service.
Capetonian Graphic Designer, Nicole, studied design at Red and Yellow. And soon after, decided to delve into the exciting (and character building) world of freelancing. Her success in this field led to an offer of partnership in a wonderful little design agency, which she has subsequently taken over.
THE DREAM by Sarah Pratt
Born in Zimbabwe, Sarah Pratt came to Cape Town to study fine arts at Michaelis School of Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town, where she received a masters degree in fine art (MFA), specialising in copper etching.
Since then she has done a range of creative projects, ranging from exhibitions to lecturing to illustration and a certain polka-dotted Airstream trailer named Dorothy which presides on the roof of the Grand Daddy
Presently she divides her time between working from her studio and master printing.
GIVE BEES A CHANCE by Tamara Joubert
Tamara is a freelance illustrator of children's books, publishing materials, editorial, newspaper and fashion. She also draws and writes comics/graphic novels. Trained in information design and visual communication, she particularly enjoys working with texture and colour.
In addition to her illustration, she has, along with her creative partner, conceived, designed, launched and maintained a popular dress-up game website for girls www.honeyzweb.com. The website is currently her main focus and utilises her design, illustration and fashion skills.
Her passion for interior design and decorating was given expression in 2004 when she was part of MNET's prime time renovation reality show, The Block. The brief of which was to fully renovate and decorate a two-bedroomed house (essentially just a shell) on a limited budget.
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF PLANTS by Bielle Ross & Tara Carmichael
Bielle and Tara have been working together since 2007. Check out pelicanandpeony.
THE DIRKIE SANCHEZ SUITE by Mark & Joe Stead
"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Joe. She went for a walk in the forest and bumped into a guy called Mark. He gave her some flowers, she gave him a kiss and pretty soon they needed a house, design careers, a baby room and something to keep them inspired.
METALMORPHOSIS by Coley Porter Bell
No doubt your mind is already humming along to the Beatle’s song, but picture this: a sexy gloss-yellow vinyl interior shot through with flashes of silver and black in contrasting rough and smooth textures – hmmmm nice!
It’s the ultimate realisation of your James Bond fantasy as you survey the landscape with your fully functional periscope and plot your next move using the L.E.D-lit ocean-floor chart table.
Designers Greg Scott, Nick Wright and Cecile van Loggerenberg are taking you below the surface. Depth sounder to hand, you know that you are at the helm of your command centre; “…full speed ahead Mr. Boatswain”.
Radar screen bleeping, you enter stealth mode as you spin confidently through the galaxy and retreat to your vinyl-clad bedroom. And whilst the confines of a silver-bullet-shaped Airstream are reminiscent of a submarine, you will find it fortunate that no one has to stay on watch, you won’t encounter any giant squid and a simple opening of the compression-sealed door will release you from your play-chamber onto dry land.
KING MIDAS by Fabiana Sanchez Del Solar Fernandez & Giulia Tarantello
Fabiana is an Interior Architect from Lima in Peru. She studied in Lima and also in Milan, Italy. Her passion for exploring different cultures led her to travel extensively and resulted in design internships in Italy and Switzerland. The last ten years have been spent developing several interior design projects in Peru, participating in CASA COR (a top interior design showcase in South America, Panama and the United States) and also producing numerous architectural and design publications all around South America, whilst lecturing in between.
Giulia is an Interior Designer trained by the Design Time School of Interior Design. She explores design with a creative eye. She is constantly responding to the challenge of finding the perfect symmetry between seeing design as an art and the concept of transforming a space into something new and innovative. This, whilst also expressing the true meaning and purpose of each individual design element.
Giulia and Fabiana (while working together in South Africa for an Interior firm, LUNA), combined their creativity and talents for this artistic project and needless to say, their time together was of great accomplishment.
SOFT FURNISHINGS IN THE BARN & LIVING UNITS by Pedersen + Lennard (Pty) Ltd.
A design- of-the-times company – these guys are skilled in residential and commercial products including: lighting, furniture, storage and special commissions – and believe that things should be accessible, functional and beautiful. Which is how we got this Scandinavia meets South Africa feeling on the go.
Bringing together their diverse skills in design, fabrication and business and they have quietly worked their way into residential and commercial spaces with some unique and original design ideas. Nice fire-bucket lights are just one of them!
With their workshop and showroom located in the up-and-coming Woodstock/Salt River area, they have been able to create custom pieces as well as large-runs of quality products with an attitude and execution that shouts : Young! Dynamic! Well designed! Well Made! Environmentally Aware! ….See – lots to shout about www.pedersenlennard.co.za
THE BIG APPLE by Sacha Olivier
Sacha grew up in a creative environment, with a display artist mother and a graphic designer dad. She spent five years working in London with various architectural and design companies as well as with Prada Milano. On her return, she worked on numerous interior design and styling projects. Over the past few years she has been dedicated to her wedding and venue styling company, Once upon a Party. www.onceuponaparty.co.za.
Her pet project at the moment is designing and sourcing unique fixtures and fittings for the new home she and her husband are building. Having very eclectic design tastes, it has proven to be a monumental but also very exciting task.
SPONSORS
Creating Old Mac Daddy would not have been possible without the very generous assistance from our sponsors. With special thanks to:
L.Cannata and Sons: www.cannatagranite.com
Victorian Bathrooms: www.victorianbathrooms.co.za
Lula Fabrics: www.lulafabrics.co.za
Afrisign: www.afrisign.co.za
Spoilt Fine Gifting: www.spoilt.co.za
Complete Events: www.completeevents.co.za
Amorim Cork: www.amorim-cork.co.za
Province Lighting: www.provincelighting.co.za
Tessa Sonk Fabrics: www.tessasonik.co.za
Audio Vision: www.audiovision.co.za
Lumen8: www.lumen8.co.za
World of Marble & Granite: www.womag.co.za
On Tap: www.ontap.co.za
Handles Inc.: www.handlesinc.co.za
Spotlight Kitchens: www.spotlightkitchens.co.za
Patrick's Upholstery: www.patrickupholstery.co.za
Design Team: www.designteamfabrics.co.za
Marlene Wyser
Hertex Fabrics: www.hertex.co.za
Smeg: www.smeg.co.za
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