Expert: Ernst Eloff of Ernst H Interiors, a local lighting and furniture designer, and one of the spotlight designers for Decorex Cape Town which is taking place from April 30 to ay 3 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre
Q: What is the future of lighting in the home? Look and feel?
A:
Lighting should be an extension of the home, instead of a “add on”. Use architectural aesthetics, natural stone and metals.
Q: Furniture has gone through so many renaissances over the decades. What do you see in the future of furniture design?
A:
I think early 20th century design movements (most notably the Bauhaus movement) set the foundation for most important furniture design today.
The future of furniture design will always come back to the fundamentals of design classics, but with their own take on it.
Q: What is the one piece of furniture you feel everyone should have? Why?
A:
A custom-made furniture piece because it is custom made; you can achieve the perfect harmony in your own space.
Q: What is the significance of the front door? What does it say about the owner?
A:
The front door can be quite significant as a “porthole to the soul” of the home, and in a way the owner. However, I don’t think it should be over-done.
I prefer large open spaces in the home with fewer rooms, and this has the effect of making doors less significant.
Q: What about colours? Looks and feels of the future and of today?
A:
Playful, abstract, bold colours and geometry as well as opulent stone and brass finishes seem to be the direction interiors are moving towards and should be around for the foreseeable future, I think.