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Laurie Wiid van Heerden

@wiid_design

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Cape Town based design studio, that explores the notion of luxury. For all enquiries, catalogues & price lists, please mail: [email protected]
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A custom table commission, shaped through a careful process of design, engineering and refinement. This special commission was designed for a valued client, Marc Kent, for his beautiful home on the Atlantic Seaboard of Cape Town. A custom solid cork coffee table spanning 1.3 metres as a solid cork square, the piece required extensive craftsmanship at every stage. At the Wiid studio, we specialise in custom products and site-specific pieces for both local and international clients. For more information, get in touch with our team, info@wiiddessign.co.za by @wiid_design
The next sculpture in an exclusive art installation: a 2.8 meter hand-carved Nile crocodile. This highly detailed piece forms part of a large-scale installation of various hand-carved works that our studio will install at the end of the month for a luxury lodge in Africa. Our incredible carver, Dumisani Chiota, spent countless hours over many days and weeks bringing this life-size crocodile to life. At 2.8 metres in length, it would be considered a young adult, with fully grown Nile crocodiles reaching up to 5 metres and weighing between 500 and 750 kg. To ensure accuracy in both proportion and detail, our studio guided the process carefully with reference material, videos and 3D-printed models. Only the highest level of quality and craftsmanship leaves our studio. Carved from solid dark cork with additional composite cork elements, the sculpture has a richness of texture that makes it especially unique. Using one of the world’s most sustainable natural materials to recreate a subject from nature makes this piece truly one of a kind. Even the eyes were specially sourced to reflect those of a real crocodile. Our work with cork has always been closely tied to nature. It is harvested without cutting down the tree, making it one of the most sustainable materials we work with and allowing us to create pieces that reflect the natural world in a thoughtful and considered way. We look forward to sharing more as the project progresses. by @wiid_design
A closer look at the second piece in our new Massa Forma Collection: the Rectangular Coffee Table. Where the square table feels compact and grounded, the rectangular format stretches the same monolithic language across a longer, lower profile. The presence is quiet and architectural, defined by proportions and balanced curves that echo the geometry of the tiles to create a uniform, symmetrical whole across two very different materials. The surface is built from 66 block-formed ceramic tiles, each handmade and individually glazed in a deep dark amber, creating subtle variation and depth across the field. The cork base is machined and shaped first from natural cork, forming thick, rounded legs and softened curves, then hand-finished before the tiles are carefully set into place and aligned. Launching at @furnitureweek.capetown, with the full collection on view at our showroom in Observatory, Cape Town. by @wiid_design
A wonderful evening celebrating the opening of Field Notes: Nature Recast at AAFRICAA. Thank you to everyone who joined us to experience our latest collection, inspired by the natural world and my fascination with collecting and reinterpreting natural forms. A special thank you to the @aafricaastore team for bringing this exhibition to life and creating such a beautiful space to celebrate South African design. We’re also grateful to @amorim_za, @thechocolateblock, @boekenhoutskloof and @cap_maritime for their support in making it all possible. Field Notes: Nature Recast is now open at AAFRICAA, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. by @wiid_design
Join us tonight for the opening of Field Notes: Nature Recast at @aafricaastore, @vandawaterfront. Our most extensive exploration of ceramics to date, this collection grew from my lifelong fascination with collecting and reinterpreting natural forms. Stones, seed pods, shells and other objects gathered over the years have become an enduring source of reference for our Cape Town studio. Field Notes reflects that instinct to observe and collect. Nature Recast explores how these discoveries can be translated into clay, revealing familiar forms in a different way through changes in scale, colour, texture and glaze. Developed together with my studio team, the collection brings together sculptural ceramic reliefs depicting African wildlife and plants, seed pods, turtle shells, vases and objects combining glass, cork and ceramic. Each piece is individually made and glazed, with its own variations and character. The exhibition brings these explorations together, sharing a more personal side of our studio’s work and inviting a closer look at the natural details that we so often pass by. We look forward to sharing this new body of work with you. 📍 AAFRICAA, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 📅 Opening tonight, 29 October 2026 by @wiid_design
Since 2017 is just under a decade, I’ve used “almost a decade” to keep it accurate. Our African Cork Stools have been a versatile part of our collection, supplied for residential and commercial projects locally and internationally. Inspired by the sculptural forms of traditional African stools and headrests, each piece is handmade by our studio team in Cape Town. Available in four distinct shapes in dark or light cork, they can be used as seating or side tables. Alongside the natural cork finishes, painted options add colour while highlighting the cork’s distinctive texture. This versatility allows the stools to work in a wide range of spaces, either as a subtle addition or a colourful focal point. Custom colours and designs are also available. For more information, get in touch with our team at info@wiiddesign.co.za. by @wiid_design
Our final African Mask Sculpture, a beautifully glazed ceramic mask with sculptural chestnut details. Each piece is made by hand and individually glazed in our Cape Town studio. Part of Field Notes: Nature Recast, a collection inspired by our fascination with natural forms and our own expression of Africa through ceramics, cork and glass. Launching Thursday, 29 October at @aafricaastore, V&A Waterfront. Open to the public from 30 October to 30 November. We look forward to seeing you there. by @wiid_design
A beautiful project for the Isaac Shongwe Boutique Conferencing Centre at The Pines in Johannesburg, designed by @tracyleeloves from @clout_sadesign in partnership with Tuami Zulu from @proportion_official Interior Design Studio. For this space, we designed and manufactured custom diamond-shaped cork ceiling panels, patterned cork wall panels, a cork and ceramic plaque, and cork low stools. The cork ceiling and wall panels were specified not only for the material’s natural warmth, texture and sustainability, but also for its exceptional thermal insulation and sound-absorbing properties. These functional qualities make cork particularly well suited to meeting rooms and conferencing environments, where acoustic comfort is just as important as the overall design. The project also celebrates the work of @keiskammaartproject, whose large-scale embroidery, The Resilience Piece, tells the story of a rural Eastern Cape community and its response to COVID-19. We love seeing design bring together different disciplines, materials and communities, creating thoughtful spaces with meaning and purpose beyond their interiors. Project Credits: Photography: Greg Cox Creative direction, interior design and styling: Tracy Lynch, @tracyleeloves, @clout_sadesign Interior design collaboration: Tuami Zulu, @proportion_official Carpets: Siyanda Mbele, @pindadesign Occasional chairs, side tables and sofas: @dokterandmisses Cork ceiling and wall panels, cork furniture and ceramic plaque: @wiid_design Lighting: @mashtdesignstudio Kitchen, servers and screens: @studio.kalki Chairs: @naturalis_za Planters: @plantr_sa The Resilience Piece embroidery: @keiskammaartproject Additional art curation: @spierartstrust Outdoor furniture: @douglas_and_douglas, @theurbanative, @hope_garden_furniture by @wiid_design
C01/26/25/26 Wiid Design x Andrzej Urbanski Our latest collaboration with @a_urbanski brings his original, hand-painted artwork to our stainless steel bench, creating a one-of-a-kind piece for @artangelsafrica 2026. This is the fourth collaborative bench we have donated to the auction, each created with a different artist and individually hand-painted. It’s always an honour to collaborate with artists whose work we admire and to see our bench transformed through their individual styles and ideas. ArtAngels brings artists, collectors and supporters together to raise funds for education. Through @click_learning, it helps children in under-resourced South African primary schools develop literacy, numeracy and digital skills. Sharing this process with Andrzej, and contributing together to such a worthwhile cause, makes this collaboration especially meaningful. by @wiid_design
Two custom wine units created for longstanding client @riiaaaaann and his specialised wine boutiques in Nigeria, @lockstockandbarrelng. At Wiid Design, we work closely with clients around the world to create pieces that are personal to them and the spaces they inhabit. Each commission brings together function, art and carefully considered materials, with an emphasis on quality, craftsmanship and an experience that cannot be bought off the shelf. Made in our Cape Town studio, these freestanding units combine coated stainless steel, aluminium, natural light and dark cork, and brass. Designed to stand side by side, they incorporate wine storage at several levels, with open spaces for ice buckets, objects and retail displays. To reflect Riaan’s passion for South African art and design, he commissioned @gerick_terblanche_art to create two original paintings for the upper panels. Alongside these paintings, his collection of rare wines from renowned vineyards becomes part of the composition. A truly personal commission, celebrating the wines, the art and the experience of discovering both. by @wiid_design
Part of our collectable range, the Hyena Skull is hand-carved from solid cork by our head carver, Dumisani. For over a decade, our studio has explored the sculptural possibilities of cork, creating an extensive collection of hand-carved works, from intricate seashells, birds and animal skulls to life-size pangolins and monumental 2.8-metre crocodiles. The Hyena Skull forms part of this ongoing exploration of cork as a sculptural medium. Each piece is carved entirely by hand, celebrating the natural texture and character of the material. No two pieces are ever exactly alike, making each a unique collectable. Available in both dark and light cork, with custom sizes on request. by @wiid_design
Our second African Mask Sculpture is complete. For this piece, we took inspiration from closed chestnut seed pods, enlarging their distinctive shapes and carefully recreating them in clay before attaching them to the mask. Bringing these small botanical details to a larger scale invites a closer look at the textures and patterns we might otherwise overlook in nature. Made by hand in our Cape Town studio, it is one of three sculptures created for Field Notes: Nature Recast, opening at the end of October. Inspired by the natural world, with a particular focus on South Africa, the exhibition explores how the things we observe and collect can become the starting point for something new. We look forward to sharing more as we prepare for the exhibition. by @wiid_design

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