The combining of contemporary interiors with antique décor is an exciting trend in the design world. We chatted to this dynamic mother-and-daughter duo, who have made it their business to discover collections of beautiful objects and antique artwork and integrate them into modern homes.
It was their mutual love for India and the Far East, and the fact that they come from a long line of women who love collecting artefacts on their travels, that inspired Angela Andrew and Marie-Claire Evans to start their Umhlanga-based interior and décor design business, Malabar Hill Collections. They have lived in Umhlanga for over 20 years, previously owning a fashion boutique. It was whilst travelling to the East to source clothing and accessories for their previous business that they saw an opportunity to source vintage Eastern art and their inspiration for their next venture grew. They launched their fully online store in 2020 and their first collection sold out completely.
How was your passion for India and the Far East ignited?
We come from a long line of women who love collecting beautiful furniture and artefacts on our travels. These timeless treasures have been handed down through the generations and hold special pride of place in our homes. We have inherited furniture, antiques and china from countries around the world and especially the East. The inheritance of these beautiful pieces comes with a responsibility to showcase them in a meaningful way and to also merge them with the contemporary design focus of our times. Our own travels to the East combined with our family heirlooms ignited our love of mixing vintage art and Eastern influence into our décor.
Tell us about your inspiration behind starting Malabar Hill Collections, especially during a pandemic.
We realised with the onset of Covid and lockdown that people’s homes were going to take on more importance in terms of creating a sanctuary. It was during the lockdown that we began sourcing products and fell in love with our vintage collection of Japanese geisha and Chinese ancestor paintings. Our print collection dates back to the 12th to 19th century and the original paintings are found in museums and art galleries around the world. Our brand speaks of the appreciation of classical art and unusual décor pieces and honouring them by integrating them into modern or contemporary décor.
Tell us a bit about your very popular print collections.
We were very excited when we sourced our Oriental Art Collection. Our aim was to reinvent and honour these paintings by printing them onto high quality oversized canvas in floating frames or on archival paper framed under glass and juxtapose them in the modern décor context. After sourcing our Japanese and Chinese collections, we added a vintage Birds of a Feather collection and a Parrot collection. The idea is to combine these classical artworks with contemporary furniture to achieve a modern look that could be both edgy or classical depending on styling.
Please share your top tips on how to achieve this look:
• Juxtapose vintage art with a Le Corbusier chaise longue or a mid-century sofa.
• Place an oversize canvas of a beautiful Japanese Geisha over a bathtub to add drama and personality to an otherwise cold empty space.
• Create a balance between old and new by adding a vintage painting to a very contemporary setting so it jolts the eye.
• The colours of the artwork can become the inspiration for the colour scheme of the room.
• An intricately painted vintage print in a neutral backdrop adds drama.
Details: www.malabarhillcollections.com, @malabarhillcollections
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We have one of Malabar Hill Collections’ beautiful pieces of art, to the value of R4000, to give away to one lucky reader.
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Text: Leah Shone
