Elle Decoration 2011 announces talent search finalists

The judges were Trevyn and Julian McGowan of Source Design, designers Haldane Martin and Porky Hefer, Scott Murray of Boardmans and Laureen Rossouw, Elle Decoration editor.

According to Rossouw, the competition encourages up-and-coming design talent - from students to professional designers - to take into consideration the elements involved in great design. "This year's brief was to design a stool that was original, beautiful and showed ingenuity. Because the winning design will be made up as a prototype by Boardmans, with the chance that it will be put into production, it also needed to be structurally sound and have the elements of marketability.

"Finalists receive constructive input from some of the leading names in the South African design landscape, which is invaluable for their creative and commercial development."

Finalists

• 'City Scape Stool' by Marc Guy Baker: The 33-year-old builder from Cape Town was inspired by the large cities he has visited in his travels (New York, London, Sao Paulo and Melbourne). His design is based on the global trend of upcycling - he glued together off-cut pieces of wood from previous building jobs to create a cityscape. What caught the judges' eye: The raw wood grain in this contemporary piece is trendy and inspiring. A good concept behind the visually interesting composition of reclaimed timber - it is sustainable and has a strong form - great craftsmanship.
• 'Protea Stool' by Ruben Rossouw: South Africa's natural beauty, specifically our natural flower, the protea inspired the 27-year-old interior design student from Cape Town. What caught the judges' eye: The interpretation of protea petals on the base and use of natural wood and steel is on trend. The beautiful organic pattern is an unusual form for cast metal, which gives the stool a jewellery-like quality. This is a great showpiece.
• 'Timbr' by Roland Richartz: The 23-year-old industrial design student from Gauteng believes that many consumers would like to see simplicity and honesty in their furniture. He was inspired by the concepts of wholesomeness and honesty and what he deems to be the simple joys of life - trees, a breath of air and the tactile feel of fabric. The spelling of the design relates to its quirky elements such as its chunky volumes - implying that it does not take itself too seriously. What caught the judges' eye: This stool is commercial and will appeal to a wide spectrum of consumers. Pine is an abundant and inexpensive local resource. It is slick, well considered, comfortable and easily marketable.
• 'Thando' by Leanne Bates: Hailing from Durban, the 33 year old interior design student was inspired Zulu culture. Using a sustainable material - she sourced the Eucalyptus wood from a farm near her home - she combined the elegance of raw wood with the vibrancy of beadwork. In the Zulu bead language, each colour has a positive and a negative connotation, while white is the only completely positive colour - symbolising spiritual love and purity.' 'Thando' meaning love in Zulu also hints at the designer's current mindset - she is getting married in November. What caught the judges' eye: This stool oozes ethnic chic. The combination of the tree-trunk seat and beadwork is fantastic and makes for wonderful African inspiration - a quirky and contemporary expression of craft beading.

The winner will be revealed in the next issue of the magazine out on 23 January 2012.