Bold Design Meets Craftsmanship: KT Interior
“Some collaborations are defined by quiet elegance, others by fearless creativity. Working with KT Interiors has always been the latter: a joyful meeting of bold ideas, intricate details, and imaginative craftsmanship”.
by Celeste van der Merwe
KT Interiors is known for its lavish, layered interiors; spaces that celebrate pattern, texture, and personality. Their projects feature bold colours, dramatic lighting, and an attention to detail that makes every room feel alive. For us, this presented an exciting challenge: how to create stained glass that could hold its own in these richly designed environments, while adding our own touch of craftsmanship and light.
2021
Bulkhead above the counter. Room dividers pictured above.
Photo credits: KT Interior
Our first collaboration began in 2021 with La Parada in KwaZulu Natal, a coastal restaurant that captures the spirit of motion, energy, and unmistakable flair. More than just a destination, La Parada is an experience; a place of sophisticated luxury and vibrant design.
For this lively space, KT Interiors commissioned us to create a series of eleven Art Deco stained glass panels installed in the bulkhead above the counter.
We also designed and manufactured eight refined room divider windows featuring reeded glass with a warm amber strip, adding depth and rhythm to the interior while maintaining a sense of flow between spaces. In addition, twelve Art Deco staircase windows continued the design language throughout the restaurant, blending glass, light, and structure into a cohesive whole.
Each piece was meticulously crafted to harmonize with KT Interiors’ signature aesthetic; bold, layered, and full of life, while still allowing the glass to tell its own story.
2022
Photo Credit & Gallery: https://eggheaddiner.co.za/gallery/
In 2022, we had the pleasure of collaborating once again with KT Interiors, this time for the Egghead Diner in Cape Town; a trendy, retro-inspired eatery straight out of the 1970s.
Egghead celebrates the nostalgia of a bygone era, with wooden-clad walls, opaque glass decals, and buttery yellow hues. It is a playful yet sophisticated space, where the interiors draw their inspiration from the restaurant’s central theme: the humble egg.
For this project, we created twelve custom Art Deco stained glass panels installed in the bulkhead above the counter. The geometric patterning and soft diffusion of light added depth and texture to the design, perfectly complementing KT Interiors’ retro-modern aesthetic.
Egghead Diner made the shortlist for “Small Spaces” at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2022, a recognition that reflects the success of its cohesive and imaginative design.
Our most recent collaboration with KT Interiors came in the form of something truly whimsical and full of character; a family of handcrafted glass light bugs for Paradiso at Montecasino.
Paradiso is an experience in itself; a world of music, energy, and theatre brought to life through food, design, and atmosphere. Every detail, from its double-volume spaces to its wrap-around balconies, has been designed to create an immersive and dynamic environment. It is a place where every sip is a song and every dish a performance.
Within this bold setting, we were asked to create seven glass light sculptures; three butterflies, two ladybirds, a dragonfly, and a dung beetle, each handcrafted and installed in the restaurant’s bathroom area. These illuminated creatures add a playful and unexpected touch to the design, capturing the essence of KT Interiors’ creativity and love of intricate detail.
The project was both challenging and joyful, demanding technical precision and artistic freedom in equal measure.
Working with KT Interiors continues to challenge and inspire us. Their fearless approach to design, layered, detailed, and bursting with life, pushes us to innovate and experiment with new ways of using glass as both art and architecture.
We are deeply grateful to Kobus Truter and his team at KT Interiors for their trust, creativity, and vision. Collaborating with them is always a privilege, and we look forward to seeing where our shared love for design and craftsmanship will take us next.