Home and Garden Awards 2020

2020 Home And Garden Awards BUILD 19 Jan20314 Best Homeware & Gift Retailer - South Africa 2019 celebrated thirty years of Carrol Boyes (Pty) Ltd as one of South Africa’s most successful brands and design companies. It also mourned the passing of Carrol herself, after a short illness. With the company having already achieved the incredible, we turn to look at the elements that will drive Carrol’s name forward for the next thirty years. he name Carrol Boyes is synonymous with style and finesse, with the products made by the company available throughout South Africa and in over thirty countries all over the world. An eye for inimitable design has created a unique appeal that succeeded in putting South Africa on the map when it comes to design. Carrol’s humble beginnings belay the impact that she would go on to have in the design world. In her thirties, working as an English teacher, she quit her job and went on to apply her sculpting skills and fascination with the human form to more commercial use. The result was quirky, unconventional but functional pewter-handled cutlery and she sold them in Cape Town’s Greenmarket Square. The three aspects of quirkiness, unconventionality and functionality still act as guiding principles to the company today. It wasn’t long before the business took off, surprising Carrol who had no real plan for growth or experience in business. In three years, she was selling 70,000 pieces a year, setting up a factory on her father’s farm in Limpopo Province. By 2000, she was making use of an aluminium foundry in order to create larger sculptures and a stainless-steel division to introduce dishwasher-proof cutlery. The development of the range saw other specialist manufacturers getting involved with the brand, bringing new materials such as wood, leather, glass, ceramics and textiles to the fore. As already mentioned, Carrol’s aim was always to combine the beauty of sculpture with incredible functionality. The result is a range of gorgeous homeware that makes up a range of over a thousand different items. Everything that one might require in a home is catered for, from tape measures and tea trolleys, to every kind of cutlery imaginable. There are currently twenty-two wholly- owned stand-alone stores in South Africa and three franchise stores, with increasing interest from national and international investors to open branded stores. Worldwide, customers can buy these goods at high-end establishments such as Bloomingdales and Nieman Marcus in the USA and David Jones in Australia. The brand also has an international e-commerce site, selling to end users around the globe. A love for form and beautiful shapes was passed down to the design team, many of whom were mentored for over a decade. They ensure that no matter how avant-garde the design, it still retains a strong sense of utilitarian function. With this closeness to Carrol’s original way of working, it’s possible to carry on working in much the same way as she did, creating new items that capture the spirit of her intentions. T Carrol never thought about describing her style, possibly because it was so eclectic. It gives designers an immense amount of freedom to work within, allowing them to design as they see fit as time goes on. Despite her passing, the business is still going strong and looking to continue onward for the considerable future. The personal approach she encouraged will stay with the company, as it inspired the key values of integrity, playful perspectives and passion for design that bought such success to her and her team. For a combination of sculpture and function, there really isn’t a better place to start. There are many homes that have yet to hear of Carrol Boyes, yet no home is really complete without one of the exceptional pieces that the brand has to offer. It’s more than a business now. It’s a legacy to a lady who made something out of nothing and taught others to do the same. Contact Details Company: Carrol Boyes Pty Ltd. Contact: Michele Stuurman Website : www.carrolboyes.com