From smart foods to customisable kitchen appliances, Decorex Cape Town sets the pace in inventions and interventions on the food front, driving home the show’s role as the continent’s trendsetter when it comes to kitchen design for residential and commercial spaces. Whether you’re a restaurateur or a home chef, the show dishes up inspiration and direction in abundance. So set your timer for 22-25 June 2023 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) – and remember to ask for seconds!
Here’s a quick preview of what’s on the proverbial menu at the show:
Food for thought
Cape-Town based food design specialists Studio H will launch their millet report (2023 is the International Year of Millets) at the show through a striking interactive installation called ‘Don’t Feed the Birds’. The title was drawn from the discovery that it’s almost impossible to find millet that is fit for human consumption in South Africa – most of our millet is processed as animal feed and the easiest way to buy it is as bird food in the supermarket! Ironically, millet is an ancient indigenous African grain with enormous potential to help us solve problems we are facing today.
Join the food fight
In addition to this thought-provoking installation, Studio H’s founder Hannerie Visser will present a talk at the Future of Design Studio. ‘As a future food design studio, we are constantly confronted with all the ways in which our food system is broken – from gender inequality to food shortages due to loadshedding, to the global water crisis, and a population growing faster than our food supply,’ she states. ‘Through various projects, we investigate ways in which we could use food to draw attention to these issues and hopefully find solutions, too.’ The talk is free to attend.
A seat at the table
For stimulation of a different order, sit down for a meal at the central café. This area will feature a host of one-off chairs concocted with sustainability as the main ingredient. Decorex Africa’s executive creative director Bielle Bellingham put out an open call to the design community to come up with a chair created from waste materials, and Joe Paine, Crystal Birch, Sanri Pienaar, Andrea Kleinloog and a host of others drew up their own seat at this proverbial table.
Drinking the stars
From bustling café-style setups to full-to-the-brim bubbly bars, Decorex Cape Town brings the buzz. Part of the journey is discovering all the cool networking hotspots to grab a flute of starry liquid and catch up with colleagues and friends. A sparkling neon-lit design concept by return exhibitors Happinest will make the Bubbly Bar a beacon for happiness, while sexy surfacing from Studio Masson enrobes the Surface Bar.
Feast for the eyes
Local chefs will fire up the Samsung Bespoke Cooking Theatre with live demos of their #fav dishes using the latest Samsung appliances. Participating chefs include, My Kitchen Rules 2021 winners Izak & Wessel from Gather Curated, Glam Foodie, Food Jams, Dimo Simatos from Davidoff Café, Meals with Mash, and more!
Learn from the kitchen maestros, view close-ups of their cooking on state-of-the-art TV screens, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to taste their culinary creations too, before sharing them on the ‘Gram! Come hungry for new recipes and cooking tips! And the most delicious part? This Bespoke kitchen is designed by you, for you as Samsung’s customisable colours and features mean that you can create the foodie space of your dreams at home – don’t forget to take a peep inside beauties like the ultra-cool Samsung customisable Bespoke refrigerator!
Kitchen confidential
As ever, Decorex Cape Town is the leading forum to explore new designs for the beating heart of the home. Kitchen-related exhibitors like Numu Kitchens, Franke, Niemann, Unipanel, From The Barn, Unique Kitchens, Solid Edge Cabinetry and others will put on a formidable display of ingenuity when it comes to interior design, fittings and fixtures.
Applying your mind
Equip your kitchen with the latest and greatest in appliances thanks to a wide array of exhibitors. Whether it’s at the Samsung Bespoke Cooking Theatre, the Tafelberg Furnishers appliance gallery, or via brands such as Dallmayr, AMC Cookware, AVIN Ovens, Kitchen Junkies, Nutribullet, AMC Cookware, Lavish’d, and more, you’ll be able to explore the most recent models and innovations to bring your kitchen counter up to date.
Another helping
Decorex Africa celebrates its 30th year in 2023, and as part of the anniversary celebrations, Cape Town Decor and Design Week will run from 19 to 25 June 2023 at various locations throughout the Mother City. This year, the full Decorex Africa portfolio is sponsored by some of the country’s most recognised and best-loved brands – Lexus, Plascon and Samsung will all bring their A-game in activating their presence at these dynamic, interconnected events, including Decorex Joburg.
In addition, Sanlam Private Wealth has aligned with 100% Design Africa and Design Joburg, taking place alongside Decorex Joburg from 3-6 August 2023 at the Sandton Convention Centre.
With more than200 top-notch brands confirmed for the show, Decorex Cape Town promises to be a fully immersive experience, featuring curated exhibitions, talks and product launches taking place across various design sectors in addition to food.
