Page 23 - Designing Ways 245
P. 23
while maintaining its proudly African
heritage and its trademark aesthetic of
“clean, contemporary design with the soul
of natural material.”
The hostel is a restored 18th-century
merchant’s house, sensitively restored to
give the space a refreshed outlook while
persevering its architectural integrity. The
design process of GRONERS was anything
but business-as-usual. Consulting only the
plan of the building and without the help
of interior photos, the Weylandtstudio
team created a replica of the hostel
in their Cape Town headquarters.
Working completely remotely, the team
conceptualised and executed their design,
shipping four containers to the location
in Germany, brimming with Weylandts
Weylandstudio leverages the skills of “GRONERS Hostel takes the furniture pieces such as the iconic Edgar
its design team with the support of conventional notion of a backpacker and chair and Cubist sofa, custom adaptions
the Weylandts brand’s proficiency in business traveller destination and infuses of Weylandts’ Spati bed reimagined as
manufacturing, its mammoth logistical it with a level of ‘boutique’ style that has bunkbeds, as well as bespoke artworks.
divisions, and its established global afforded it a new, hybrid name. It’s not a As Anna explains: “We had our work
supplier network. With more and more hostel, it’s a ‘Poshtel,’ and we’re proud to cut out for us with the GRONERS project,
African creatives making their mark have been the guiding force between the but we’re proud of the end-result. It’s
in international territories, brands like redesign of the space from concept to become a destination on the map of
Weylandstudio are leading the transition completion,” said Weylandtstudio lead Leipzig and we’re honoured to know that
from “African-inspired” design to designer, Anna Weylandt. we’ve been able to take our authentically
“African-created” design for retail and Having solidified its footprint across African-global aesthetic and apply it
commercial, property development, and Europe and Asia, Weylandts has to a European project where it can be
bespoke residential markets. established a significant global following appreciated by the world.” dw
dw • Issue 245 23