The Pretty Filly bench was a finalist in the 2009 Most Beautiful Object in South Africa curated by the Design Indaba Expo.

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The first is quality of material and the process of manufacture. Furniture is inspired by an idea about a manufacture process or the design of a junction that then becomes the language of the design. There is a heavy reliance on tectonics.

Simply put, in the early days we were finger jointing and interlocking timber to expose end grain in junctions. This was because we had to design joints that allowed the movement that Saligna required. The joints defined the aesthetic and proportion did the rest.

A second theme is the separation of function and structure. In architecture this is the Meisian concept of structure and envelope. In furniture it can be table leg and table top, cabinet frame and storage box.

Pretty Filly is generated from a method of machining planks in a way that the parallel faces are not parallel. Almost a deliberate mistake. It is an exploration of engineering timber to maximize the expressive quality of the form but using the simplest elements possible. Elements are thick in one axis and thin in the other. This creates a dynamic tension as one moves around the object.

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“I first thought about replicating drapes of fabric in timber to mimic and play on a night frill when designing a bed in 2004. The invitation from Southern Guild brought the opportunity to develop the thinking. It started as a table but once I saw the impact of the sculpted side, I realised it had to be taller. The tall, narrow, side table with slender legs adds to the elegance of the folded form. The manufacture is complex using a 3D CNC router to carve the solid timber panels and then a series of complex junctions to stitch the piece together.”

The linen fold is part of the permanent collection of KwaZulu Natal craft held at the Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg.

Linen fold is a further development of ideas explored in ox-wagon. Proportion and shaping of timber components. The play of light on form. It is also inspired by monastic and church furniture.

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Koop were commissioned to set up the PZ – REPURPOSE exhibition during COP 17 in 2011. The holistic services that PZ offer overlapped several times with the design and the installation of the exhibition. We were asked to provide a solution for the food vendors in the taxi rank on Monty Naiker as their system seemed unhygienic and cumbersome.

The vendors had a resolved cooking system – gas cookers inside boxes that provided wind protection to the flame.

Trestle tables that the food was prepared and served on

Steel trunks for the storage of equipment

Cool boxes for food.

Other boxes

The solution required a compact, robust and multifunctional trolley that could cost effectively assist in the delivery of their service – hot food to hungry passengers and drivers – el fresco. We did not want to redesign the way they work or cook. Nor did we want to challenge their method. It was important to keep them trading the way they do – just neater and cleaner.

The trolley is a robust frame of 50 x 50 x 5mm angle iron with a top, middle and bottom frame.

Shutter ply is set in the bottom and middle frame to provide shelving.

Shutter ply also closes the sides between the middle and top frame.

The top frame has 2 doors that hinge outwards opening the enclosed box of the upper level.

Push / pull handles support the open lids and serve as table top for prep and serving. When open, the box forms the wind proof enclosure for cooking that is now higher and allows the vendor to stand whilst cooking.

The open sided bottom shelf stores boxes and coolers that are accessed when necessary.

An auxiliary side table and trestles can be strapped to the closed trolley when moving from storage to serving area.

We were pleased to see the vendors decorating the trolleys with colourful plastic tablecloths.

Incidentally the day they were presented with the trolleys, the police arrived to shut them down for unhygienic trading.

They proudly pulled out their trolleys and continued trading. Perfect Timing

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As our name suggests; (Koop can also be read as Co-op) we believe in collaborating and partnering with people and organisations who are experts in their fields and who contribute to a great product – other designers, craftspeople and manufacturers.

It is important to us that collaborators are recognised for their input, both in terms of publicity and a share of financial returns.

The Lisa Loves Design Range was designed in collaboration with graphic designer, Lisa Dixon, and the range is named after her design label.

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