West Elm/South African Design
West Elm is a Brooklyn based company whose Autumn 2012 collaboration collections see a range of products produced in collaboration with some of South Africa's leading interior furniture and accessories designers and producers. A recent visit to South Africa saw the company work with fifteen South African design studios, and one from Swaziland to produce a range of products bursting with colour, shape and texture that will brighten up the interior once the darker days set in. Some of the designers; Imiso, Gone Rural, John Vogel and Wola Nani, I have previously featured on African Daydreams; others are new discoveries such as Pedersen + Lennard, Ceramic Matters, Gemma Orkin, Source and Helen Vaughan. Choosing a selection to showcase was difficult, but here are some favourites.

In their own words, West Elm '...designs clean, simple products for modern living'. The company uses materials sourced from around the globe, which are combined with natural and urban influences, and the designs produced include an increasing number of green products. Many of West Elm's products are created keeping in mind the small spaces that often come with urban living. West Elm believes that great design should be affordable, and collaborate whenever they can with design talent drawn from around the world. Travelling widely to seek inspiration for their designs, West Elm also collaborates with a diverse selection of artisans and not-for-profit workshops encountered on their travels.

[Image credits: top, Helen Vaughan; centre, Gemma Orkin; 
centre, Sydney Studios; bottom, Potter's Workshop - West Elm]