Extract from Style Icons: Julian and Trevyn McGowan (Plus: Interview with Paul Duncan)

by Amanda on Dec 19th, 2011

VISI magazine has published an extract from Style Icons: Top South African Designers and their Interiors alongside an interview with the book’s compiler, Paul Duncan.

In the interview, Duncan reveals his own favourite designer to be Harpers founder-editor, Willie Landels. The extract, meanwhile, focuses on local design duo, Julian and Trevyn McGowan, the hands and minds behind such projects as Source and Southern Guild.

Who is your ultimate style icon?

A man called Willie Landels who was the founder-editor of Harpers & Queen magazine in the UK. He was my mentor. He introduced me to interiors, decorating, cabbages as tabletop decoration, Roman palaces and the Maharani of Jaipur. He also told me that you can always tell a gentleman by the quality of his trays.

Complete interview: VISI

‘We have a mixed background. Julian was a theatre and opera designer; I had an interiors and architectural practice in London called Site Specific, undertaking renovations and redevelopments for clients with nice budgets and good imaginations, like Clive Owen, Rachel Weisz, Gerard Butler and Sir Ian McKellen. When we returned to South Africa about six years ago, we established the company Source, working from our home in the Wilderness.

We came home to rediscover what South African design was all about. We had utilised it in our work in London, importing products for clients, and what began as an interest, grew into an absolute passion for local design. Now one of the primary functions of Source is providing South African products to the international marketplace. We started with the Conran Shop in London and then Anthropologie in the United States. Other clients include Urban Outfitters, Jamie Oliver, ABC Carpet & Home, Bergdorf Goodman, the Soho House Group and Firma Casa in Brazil. We have also collaborated on international exhibitions of South African design with Sir Terence Conran, Keith Johnson and Li Edelkoort.

Keep reading (pdf download)

Book details