Mavromac: Hanneke Swart

Purveyors of the finest fabrics, wallcoverings and decorative home furniture and furnishings, Mavromac is a stalwart in the industry, with a reputation built on quality, trust, know-how and service excellence over many decades. Here, we catch up with MD and owner Hanneke Swart to discuss her journey to success.

Q: You believe that your professional life was predestined and that there were important clues. Where did all this begin, and what were those clues?

A: I was fortunate to be immersed in beauty, both natural and crafted, from a young age. Some of my earliest memories are of sun-dappled vines and the majestic Du Toitskloof mountains surrounding our farm. The interior of our home, though never formally designed, developed its unique character over generations – elegant silver-grey damask silk curtains and a hand-woven carpet made especially for my great-grandparents, all of which crossed oceans to reach our farmhouse in the Boland. My first experience with the allure of fabric came from my mother’s “Jonkmanskas”, filled with fabric pieces she had collected over the years. Somewhere in this rich swirl of memories lies the seed of my deep appreciation for beautiful things.

Q: What is the ethos of the Mavromac and Gatehouse brands?

A: Creating a lifestyle destination for people who love beauty the way I do. We pride ourselves on designing exceptional pieces of furniture by using exquisite high-end fabrics to create timeless classics.

Q: What drives you?

A: I believe in quality and the power of beauty, and every day, I am grateful to Mavromac for giving me purpose and a workplace which has become my home.

Q: What are some of your proudest milestones?

A: Ultimately, it was when I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to take over the ownership of the Mavromac and Gatehouse business/es.

Q: What are some of the challenges you have faced over the years, and how have you overcome these?

A: Perhaps the most remarkable part of our journey has been our transformation into a leader in South African design and manufacturing. In our early years, we primarily imported our stock, searching the globe for quality furniture and fabrics that we believed deserved a wider audience and a place in South Africa’s finest homes. While we continue to draw inspiration from collaborations with the world’s top fabric designers, we’ve come to realise that South Africa itself holds a wealth of design talent and artisanal craftsmanship ready to be harnessed. Naturally, as an interior design company, we began focusing closer to home. This led to the creation of our own in-house design studios and furniture workshops, marking the birth of the Gatehouse brand. Today, when you purchase a piece of Gatehouse furniture, you’re not just acquiring a beautiful addition to your space – you’re investing in a South African success story with deep, local roots. You’re supporting artists whose passion can stir the soul even as you relax in comfort.

Q: What new collections can clients look forward to at Mavromac this season?

A: Mavromac is extremely proud to launch Mavromac Studio this year. Inspired by the African wilderness and exotic destinations, Mavromac Studio is an evolution of the design ethos and curation principles of our former flagship label, Mavromac South. ‌‌Mavromac Studio launched with six unique collections, each capturing a different mood and textile tradition.

The six collections are: African Weaves, a range of tapestry and flamestitch fabrics in the colours of the savannah, Okavanga Outdoor, capturing the wilderness landscape of the Okavango Delta and its deep, cool pools and lush swaying greenery, the collection includes plain and striped designs in wet and dry season colours – savannah, sandy, botanical and watery hues. Our modern cotton-based Bark Cloth collection is based on traditional designs with a texture reminiscent of the conventional textile. Cuban Café is inspired by the Spanish colonial influence as seen in the busy streets, old-world architecture and vintage cars of Havana.

Each fabric in the collection is delightfully named for the island’s traditional coffees and cocktails, including famed favourites like Cojito and Daiquiri. This is an outdoor collection suited for open-air entertainment areas with a splash of Caribbean living. Rayure, meanwhile, is inspired by the Spanish Mediterranean and consists of 310cm wide floppy rayure linens. Another linen collection, Tribal Linens, gives a tailored finish to any upholstered item and works wonderfully when used to create layering and texture in a décor theme. Dogon is a multi-tonal, double-width weave with an exquisite luminance. This gives the colourways an appearance reminiscent of amethyst, citrine, agate and kyanite.

The fabric exhibits an exceptionally elegant drape quality and pairs beautifully with the Tribal Linens collection. Lastly, our new Batik Outdoor collection is printed on 100% organic cotton and receives a natural outdoor coating with antibacterial, antimould and oil-repellent properties. Batik is a centuries-old technique most closely associated with the Indonesian island of Java and usually includes designs drawn from nature and folklore.