Halsted Design is rooted in Africa: its contemporary lifestyle designs consistently reflect the continent’s art in a variety of ways. Fleur Heyns, Fée Halsted and Jonathan Berning established the company in 2013 with a simple vision: to transform African art into global design. Creative and style director: Francesca Barrow

Possessing a commitment to superior quality and having a high regard for the responsibility that comes with operating in Africa, Halsted Design looks to discover, develop and distribute luxury designs. This plays a role in sustaining the creative lives of the continent’s artistic community and feeds the appetite of the world for African sourced products.

The company recently launched in the UK, providing the creative tools for the collaboration between Francesca Barrow and Country & Townhouse magazine in its October issue. Creatively directed by Francesca Barrow, founder and CEO of luxury design curator Façonner, the editorial photoshoot entitled ‘African Queen’ featured Halsted as its main inspiration.

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Ardmore Ceramic Art was established by Fée Halsted on Ardmore Farm in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal, where she lived after obtaining her BA (Fine Arts) Honours degree and lecturing at Natal Technikon.

Here she met Bonnie Ntshalintshali whose polio meant she was unable to work in the fields. Five years later, in 1990, Fée and Bonnie were jointly awarded the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award, the first such artistic partnership to be recognised. With this success came the demands of creating ceramics for their exhibition, so Fée offered other local women the opportunity to train at Ardmore, producing pieces to generate income for the fledgling studio.

Fèe, through necessity, developed the exuberant exotic style that has made Ardmore ceramics famous. “I made tiles and if one cracked, I’d stick a rabbit or bird on the top to hide it,” she recalls. Their work broke from the ceramic conventions of the time: fired terracotta clay was painted with plaka paints, boot polish and oven blackeners. Glues and putty were also used. Later American Amaco paints and transparent glazes brought vibrant colour and fine painting style to the ceramics.

Ardmore’s 25th anniversary in 2010 saw the launch of Ardmore Design Collection, which translated the company’s distinctive imagery and styling into functional, superb quality ceramic and non-ceramic products.

Artists from the Ardmore studio are given training, direction, materials, a studio and a guaranteed market for their work, supported by a skilled marketing and administrative team. Over the years, Ardmore’s artists have won numerous awards and exhibited widely in South Africa and around the world. Ardmore artworks feature in leading galleries and collections, including the Museum of Art & Design in New York, the Museum of Cultures in Basel, Switzerland, and the Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Acclaimed auction house Christie’s has acknowledged Ardmore artworks as: “modern day collectibles”.

Ardmore’s hand-painted and hand-sculpted pieces draw from a rich pool of artistic talent in the region to sculpt and paint in the studio’s signature style – exuberant figures, intricate painting, vibrant colour and unique shapes – featured in many high-profile art collections across the world.

Halsted Design is an African luxury lifestyle brand that has had enormous success with its fabric collection and range of cushions, table linens, handbags and furniture items. They all take inspiration from the world-renowned Ardmore Ceramic Art and are designed together with the ceramics in the Natal Midlands of South Africa. It has been an exciting year with sister company Ardmore collaborating with Hermès on the launch of two new scarves, as well as attracting the attention of designers such as Kit Kemp who has pieces in the Ham Yard Hotel bowling alley in London.

Explains co-founder of Halsted, Fleur Heyns: “At Halsted Design we create products with a diverse variety of homes and décors in mind. It is not just about the African farmhouse or modern New York loft, but also the quirky London flat and large English country home. The collaborations with Francesca Barrow and Hermès illustrate an increasing joining of the fashion and interior worlds. The time has come for an exciting African brand to hit the UK shores.”

Incorporating the brand’s Qalakabusha and Wonderboy range, together with pieces from Ardmore Ceramic Art, the African Queen shoot was a creative celebration of Halsted’s mission to turn African art into global design. The shoot featured Hermès scarves ‘La Marche du Zambèze’ and ‘Savana Dance’ designed by Ardmore artists, as well as pieces from Alberta Ferretti, Giorgio Armani, CH Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Manolo Blahnik, Jenny Packham, Dior, Patrick Mavros and young African jewellery brand Aya.

Francesca Barrow confirmed: “My pictures are best known for their pronounced narrative. I began dreaming of South Africa: conjuring ideas in my mind of a fearless, sensual and vibrant woman. Visually orange and black contrasted against each other and developed into blends such as sunset reds and dark crocodile greens. I purposefully designed the Savile Suite at Chelsea Harbour hotel in Halsted fabrics heavily layered in colour and print as the backdrop to the fashion. Key elements were the Hermès scarves by Ardmore artists and the looks are elegant, playful, yet grown-up and rich in texture.”

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Website: www.halsteddesign.com and www.ardmoreceramics.co.za
This article first appeared in Country & Townhouse Magazine

Photographer: Andres Reynaga
Hair stylist: Takanori Yamaguchi
Makeup artist: Yuko Friedrikkson
With thanks to: Chelsea Harbour Hotel