PHOTOS: Michelle le Grange | WORDS: Mirelle Leyden
Meet Haldane Martin – an extraordinary designer who is set apart by his heart.
Motivated by a passion to create innovative and functional designs, Haldane has established himself as one of South Africa’s top furniture designers. But he’s also motivated to have his designs achieve a greater good in South Africa – by uplifting the underprivileged communities who help make his products.
For his award-winning Zulu Mama chair, for example, Haldane commissioned craftsmen from a poor rural community in Limpopo Province to weave the recycled plastic his designer chairs’ seats are made of. This is greatly contributing to their economic development.
His latest creation, the Design Indaba-launched New Slant book shelf, is set to do the same: Haldane and Design Indaba Expo Manager, Lauren Shantall, have approached Care Craft, a non-profit organisation working to economically empower the disabled, to help make the product. Because while New Slant was designed to fit Haldane’s mould of excellence in contemporary furniture, the concept was that it also be made feasible for Care Craft to incorporate into its programme.
Using pine, a durable and renewable resource, Haldane came up with a modular shelving system made of rectangular units that can be flexibly assembled (with magnets) any which way you like. So your own creativity comes into it too!
He’s got us sitting on the edge of our Haldane-designed seats, waiting for his next wave of genius…
• Haldane Martin: 021 461 7697, www.haldanemartin.co.za.
