The Limelight is an example of the concrete pieces produced by Wolkberg Casting Studios, which can be viewed at The Storr Room at 27 Boxes in Melville. Charles Storr told us how he came to have this light.
"Furniture designer Charles is the owner of The Storr Room at 27 Boxes, where he sells hand-crafted furniture that no else in South Africa stocks – high-end signature pieces in Shop 110 and cheeky pieces like his Liquorice Allsorts furniture in Shop 111. He has been in the design industry for more than 40 years, as both an interior designer and furniture designer and now shop owner.
When two young guys walked into his store one day and showed him concrete furniture, lighting and countertops designed and made by Wolkberg Casting Studios, he told them concrete wasn’t his thing, and anyway, he only does high-end stuff.
They’re Reando Potgieter and Graeme Bramley, two industrial designers who work with a concrete composite that they call Limesite.
It turns out that architects and interior designers love to use this product – especially in kitchens and bathrooms because it is non-porous, stain-proof and smooth to the touch. It’s like marble, says Charles, only at a quarter of the price.
The two young guys gave Charles this lamp, called the Limelight, as a present. Designed by Reando, it is solid but not too heavy, looks like a picture frame, and makes a great reading light because there’s no glare.
Considering they got Charles Storr to change his mind, the Wolkberg guys are certainly names to watch."
