Celebrating 10 Years of Collaboration with the Tashas Group
“When we reflect on the past decade of stained glass work, few collaborations have been as rewarding as our ongoing journey with Tashas.
Since 2015, we’ve had the privilege of contributing to the visual identity of several of their restaurants, from Cape Town to Dubai, each space bringing a new creative challenge and an opportunity to blend craftsmanship with interior artistry.”
by Celeste van der Merwe
What makes working with the Tashas Group so inspiring is their deep respect for design. Every restaurant tells its own story: soft pinks and coppers, elegant textures, and thoughtful lighting, all designed to create warmth and beauty around a shared meal. The food is always exceptional, the service welcoming, and the interiors simply unforgettable. To be part of this world for ten years has been a genuine honour.
Our story with Tashas began in 2015, Canal Walk, where we were initially asked to quote on stained glass panels. During our inspiring chat with the design team, they discovered that Francois had studied Fine Art and Sculpture alongside Stained Glass. They were excited and asked if we could instead create a ceiling installation for them, an Art Deco–inspired piece that would reflect the restaurant’s elegant aesthetic.
It was a groundbreaking project for us at the time. With their trust and our determination, we created and installed our first 8 metre by 1 metre suspended glass installation above the serving counter.
Each of the 1,152 rectangles, in rich brown and clear textured glass, was hand-cut, with holes precision-cut using a waterjet.
The result was an elegant, rhythmic canopy of glass that catches the soft interior light beautifully.
Photo credit: Tashas Group
Our team continues to maintain the installation every other year, washing, polishing, and changing bulbs to keep it shining bright. A special thank you to Greg Christodoulou, who always treats us to a wonderful meal when we are there. The staff are incredible, and it is a joy to return time and again.
2015
Following our first collaboration at Century City, we were invited to contribute to the elegant Tashas Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, a space themed around African glamour. For this location, we created a series of scalloped glass pieces, each one hand-cut from whispy, translucent glass and fitted individually into custom outdoor metal and door frames.
We also added matching scallops to a framed hatch at the coffee station, featuring a warm brass backdrop. The design drew inspiration from the soft rhythm of flamingo feathers, a motif that would later influence the Flamingo Room in Dubai. When light filters through these curved forms, the glass shimmers gently, adding movement and warmth to the restaurant’s refined atmosphere. It was a subtle but striking reflection of Tashas’ timeless beauty.
2017
Tashas Outlet Mall, Dubai
Following the success of our Century City installation, we were commissioned to create a larger version for Tashas Dubai Outlet Mall: an 8 metre by 2.5 metre ceiling piece covering 20 square metres. The same warm amber and clear glass palette worked so beautifully that we adapted it for this grander scale.
International projects come with their own challenges. The glass shipment was delayed for two weeks, leaving Francois waiting in Dubai. Once it arrived, he and a local team of carpenters worked tirelessly for four days to bring the 2,880-piece design to life.
When the restaurant later closed, the glass was shipped back to South Africa and reimagined by Elonah O’Neil Reid into another stunning ceiling installation at Tashas Lynnwood, similar in spirit to Melrose Arch.
2017
At Tashas Cemcrete, Francois worked as installer for a porcelain ceiling installation created by Lisa Firer. The design consisted of textured, rolled porcelain shards forming a 3D upside-down map of Greece, intricate and breathtaking.
Francois carefully suspended each shard, following the designer’s layout. With uneven shapes, off-centered holes, and a stucco ceiling that allowed no room for error, this was by far one of the most technically demanding installations. Though we weren’t involved in the design, it was a massive honour to help bring such an extraordinary concept to life.
Unfortunately Tashas Cemcrete closed down permanently.
2019
The porcelain was rolled to achieve rich, organic textures. Some sections were thin enough that light from the downlights illuminated the surface translucently, revealing the material’s delicate nature. Francois and Elonah handled the installation, ensuring every detail reflected the her refined vision.
2019
The Melrose Arch installation remains one of our most memorable Tashas projects. Designed by Elonah and inspired by the effortless elegance of Los Angeles, it featured an elegant suspended glass ceiling that complemented the restaurant’s refined atmosphere.. Each glass piece was hand-cut, then fire-polished in the kiln to achieve soft, organic curves that play beautifully with light and reflection.
Installation required patience and precision. Every piece was aligned and hung from custom copper rods, secured one by one. We transformed the ceiling into a luminous focal point that embodies Tashas’ signature style: timeless, warm, and sophisticated.
2021
By 2021, we were thrilled to work on Tashas Le Parc, a project filled with charm and colour. The restaurant, an ode to the fabulous, fashionable joie de vivre spirit of Paris, inspired our use of soft pink, green, peach, and purple tones.
We produced 215 stained glass panels creating a striking partition between the café and surrounding shops.
Le Parc was nominated for the International Bar & Restaurant Awards 2022, a proud achievement and a testament to the team’s creativity and dedication.
Photo credit: Tashas Group
2022
For Tashas Lynnwood, themed Le Jardin Majorelle, we supplied something that was revolutionary for us. The process of laminating textured coloured glass to create safety glass that was both coloured and reflective felt like a perfect fit for this lush, garden-inspired concept.
Although we weren’t involved in the design, we were proud to help bring this refined concept to life, one that beautifully captures the sophistication of Tashas interiors.
Photo credit: Tashas Group
2022
In 2022, our collaboration with Tashas took flight once again with the Flamingo Room in Dubai, a space that celebrates Africa’s refined side. For this project, we created hundreds of delicately scalloped glass pieces inspired by the layered textures of flamingo feathers, a recurring motif that beautifully ties back to our earlier work at Nelson Mandela Square.
Each piece was cut from whispy glass in soft pinks and greens, allowing light to shimmer across the surface in a way that feels both playful and refined. We prepared all the glass in our studio before shipping it to Dubai, where a local installation team brought the design to life. Seeing it completed was a truly rewarding experience.
Photo credit: Tashas Group
2025
Tashas Canal Walk, Cape Town
In 2025, we returned to Canal Walk for a new Art Deco inspired stained glass installation based on an original design by Jan Bitenko. We adapted his concept with our own interpretation, setting it in a handcrafted copper frame to harmonise with the restaurant’s updated interior.
This project feels like a full circle, a return to where our journey with Tashas first began.
A Collaboration Built on Trust
Working with the Tashas Group has been an ongoing journey of creativity and mutual respect. Each restaurant is brought to life through the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team: interior designers, industrial designers, lighting specialists, and production managers all working closely with Natasha Sideris, whose refined vision guides every detail.
Together, this team of collaborators transform ideas into cohesive design experiences that define the unique elegance of each Tashas location. It has been a privilege to help them bring some of those visions to life through glass and light.
A heartfelt thank you to Natasha Sideris, Ilene Grace, Tahlia Berelowitz, Elonah O’Neil Reid, Neydine Bak and Savva Sideris. Collaborating with such talented visionaries has been a true privilege. We treasure the memories created through our shared work and feel deeply grateful to continue being part of future Tashas projects.
We also thank the friends who helped us over the years:
Morne Jacobs (Canal Walk installation), Luke Atkinson (Ballito installation), Garick van Staden, (Melrose Arch installation) Johannes Mashiri (Le Parc manufacturing) Matt Drysdale (Le Parc sealing & installation), Ben Drysdale (Le Parc cleaning), Francois Vermaak, Armand Hurter and Eon Truter (Canal Walk Maintenance).
Thank you for all the long days and late nights. Your dedication and teamwork helped turn ideas into lasting works of art.
Each Tashas has its own atmosphere, story, and spirit. To have played even a small part in shaping that world over the past decade is something we are truly proud of.