Out with the Ordinary, and in with Unique, Unusual and One-of-a-Kind
How chilly are these winter evenings and early mornings before the sun gains enough strength to take the edge off the cold? At the moment, in our studio, the weather remains a constant conversation topic and recent discussions have focused on how best we keep ourselves warm – the best hoodies, jerseys, beanies, scarves and winter socks (knitted of course), and someone (to Tannie Son’s horror) even mentioned their electric blanket. Auntie Son (who you met in our February blog) maintains that our throws are better than electric blankets as they take no time (or power) at all to warm up. And of course she would know as our industrious “flukse hande” team leader’s solution to the cold is to sit in her oversized armchair and knit one of our massive, oversized throws. Right now even her loving hands are methodically working their magic on a queen-size peacock blue cable knit throw – it pools over her knees and onto the rug where it envelopes her (now toasty) feet. She says it’s like a deliciously warm king-sized hug, or one of those luxuriously soft super-sized jerseys that one often ends up wearing all day. She also says its weight offers the psychological benefits of a weighted blanket, such as for stress alleviation or insomnia, so if you’re having trouble sleeping…
When we watch her so immersed in her work, so knowledgeable, capable and confident, we feel a teeny tiny bit jealous (in only the best way) of our client who’ll soon be snuggling, from chin to toes, under this fabulous hand-made throw. There is something magical about observing an artisan expressing their creativity – be it the rhythmic interlacing of loops of yarn over needles; the carving or chiselling of solid wood into majestic cabinetry; the gentle firm hands of sculptors forming their work; or the mastery of craftspeople as they mould and weld their chosen materials into works of art… Sometimes the process captures our imaginations and awakens a sense of nostalgia: we remember a place, a smell, a person, an occasion, an emotion, a human connection… and are transported back to a different time in our lives when we were perhaps more carefree, had different priorities, more time to allow for moments like these. Maybe the weight of the world and its mass production, instant gratification and fast-paced technology had not yet captured our imaginations or our appreciation of the value of handmade: the value of art.
Speaking of creative legacies… this month our incredibly exciting collaboration with local artisanal excellence took us to Stirling Street in the leafy suburb of Waverley in Johannesburg, to the home base of the world renowned hanging chair manufacturer Studio Stirling.
The hustle and bustle of the city fades to a whisper as you enter an established serene garden to view their iconic hanging chairs – suspended from the branches of a sturdy tree – swaying gently in the breeze. An almost buried childhood memory of the calm relaxation associated with the weightlessness of a swing entices you to slide into a hanging chair to re-experience that feeling. At the same time the adult in you appreciates the signs of superior craftmanship; the attention to detail in the faultless stitching; the near seamless welds where the minutest of imperfections reveal that, yes, these chairs are hand-crafted, unique works of art. Ones that have been built to last by the skilled Studio Stirling craftspeople.
Handmade. Sustainable. Built to last.
Three themes everyone at LYBL is incredibly passionate about. And we deeply admire the foresight of the Studio Stirling founders who, more than a decade ago, recognised and embraced the magic and value of handcrafting as something so incredibly unique, that it finds resonance and residence in destinations across the world: “They are like precious pearls dotted across the world in fabulous, glamorous locations” says Studio Stirling’s Karen Goggin. Oh, if these chairs could talk, the creation stories and adventures they could share!
In that special garden, where we had gone to capture images of our newly launched oversized throws ensconced in these incredible hanging chairs, we all felt a sense of community, accomplishment, and pride for everything artisanal. As well as an affinity with the global tribe that makes, appreciates and invests in hand-made.
Studio Stirling’s collection of hanging chairs is so exquisite and you can find out more about them, and their process, on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. We of course now want a chair in each colour and variation, but for now we’ll settle for the one in the tree. And, as the midday warm winter sun breaks through the leaves, that’s where you’ll find us. Curled up in our LYBL first-of-a-kind longer length throw blankets, custom-made to cover the broader width of queen and king-sized beds, while elegantly draping over each side…Or cocooned around you, like a floor length cloak, unless of course you’re over two metres tall, like our Oom Jan…in which case we’ll have to ask Tannie Son to get out a few extra balls of that soft, strong finest quality South African cotton yarn.
