From as far back as cave habitation, all the way through to today’s apartments and houses, Man has had a rather interesting interaction with spaces; be it through architecture, décor, or technology, amongst other design disciplines. Throughout history Man has always sought to manipulate Space and Space has in turn defined Man. As a preoccupation, interior design remains something mostly abstract if not erroneously and
rather chauvinistically presumed to be the exclusive preserve of women. As for yours truly, I know there are people who do it but I do not quite know what it entails or how it works. So I turned to a gentleman who not only knows a thing or two about the craft but has mastered it and continues to push the blurry and often irrational boundaries relating to what men or women can or cannot do. Meet Siabesho Thutha, founder and co-owner of Blaque Pearl Lifestyle, an interior design company currently riding a serious wave!
TGA: Who is Siabesho?
SIABESHO: Simply described, I am a creative being who is eclectic in style, loves travelling and exploring different cultures.
TGA: How would you describe Interior Design in the most basic terms possible?
SIABESHO: Interior design is simply about trying to make the form of things function better in space, using the art of design.
TGA: How does your personal style influence your work?
SIABESHO: Well the starting point in every project is the brief from the client, as that is what tells me what the client needs or what it is that they are trying to achieve, once I have established a clear understanding of the brief, that is when my imagination comes in. Throughout the creative process, I draw from a variety of influences such as the diverse cultures that I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to, architecture and the different ways in which different people live. All these things influence my style and inform my approach to interior design.
TGA: How would you say the local interior design space has evolved from when you started a few years ago to now?
SIABESHO: Design has progressively gone minimalistic over the past few years. Today you see a lot of raw elements coming out in designs, be it aluminium, copper, brass, etc, which was not exactly the case when I started out about three years ago.
TGA: And what is your definition of the modern gentleman?
SIABESHO: To be a modern gentleman, you must firstly have a good value system, and secondly, you must have style.
TGA: How would you say interior design is relevant to the modern gentleman?
SIABESHO: To be a modern gentleman you must first have style which is in itself modern. The same way we each have a definitive dress style, how you adapt your immediate space to your personal style can be defining in and of itself, so in a sense, the way in which your space is designed is an extension of who you are. There must therefore be a clear link between who you are and your immediate space, be it your apartment, house or office. As a modern gentleman, your immediate space must speak to who you are without you saying a word.
@siabesho
@blaquepearllife