Mash.T Design Studio contemporary design pieces

Combining technology and tradition, Mash.T Design Studio creates highly covetable contemporary design pieces.

This Bright side table, exclusively hand woven by Mam @beautyngxongo is part of our collectable designs

Established in 2019 by designer Thabisa Mjo, the studio tells the story of Africa through its novel approach to designing and creating unique furniture and homeware pieces with a local twist.

It all started when Mjo entered the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search competition in 2015 and won with her entry: the Tutu 2.0 light.

From there, the young designer grew in leaps and bounds and soon Mash.T Design Studio’s creations were everywhere: from the local restaurant chain that first saw her talent to designer homes around the country and even international galleries. In fact, the designer is the first South African ever to have two of her works, the Tutu light and the Mjojo cabinet, be installed as part of the permanent collection at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts) in the Louvre. Her Hlabisa bench was also acquired by the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

“For me, arts and crafts, and anything handmade, represent luxury, and my aim is to merge these traditional production methods with forward-thinking design,” says Mjo of her works.

Apart from her award-winning designs, other collectable products include the exquisitely beaded Bright light and the Potjie server with its design reminiscent of a three-legged cast-iron pot used for cooking.

“The motif on the server is a picture of rural Kwazulu Natal. It reminds me of my grandmother. Whenever we would visit her, she would take out the cast iron pot and prepare a big meal for the whole family. A celebratory feast,” explains Mjo of the inspiration for her design.

The collectable designs complement the studio’s range of ceramics, furniture and lighting designs – all designed with a modern, internationally-savvy local touch.