“Jy’t ‘n mal perd opgesaal!” (You’ve saddled a mad horse!) These were the words of Adrian’s late partner David Timothy, when we took on the premises in Lower Main Rd in 1998, our current showroom space. The subsequent renovation of 136 Lower Main rd, was more like the saddling of a herd of mad horses, but that’s another post!
This same phrase came to mind recently when Adrian realised that the leaking, dilapidated kitchen and toilet block at the Observatory showroom was not fit for human use. What any sane persons would have knocked down Adrian had a vision for.
Armed with the super hero, Washington, the gentlest man with herculean strength, both blocks were transformed over many months into cheerful, human friendly buildings, much to the dismay of the cockroaches. The metamorphosis, however, was not without its trauma. The lintel collapsed on Washington and Adrain and a lot of Arnica was consumed. The new kitchen window was put in the wrong way and had to be chiseled out and re-installed. Regulating the consistency of the natural mineral oxide colours for the walls failed all scientific experiments. Perhaps they should have knocked it all down and started again, but they didn’t and the results are consistent with their tenacity. With their nautical round windows it’s as if 2 ships have landed in the garden.
Watching patiently from the side was master craftsman Nazeem, eagerly waiting to move the sewing machines into this new space as ythe kitchen has been multi-purposed into a sewing room. You will now find Nazeem here cutting and stitching the Origami range, interspersing his work with anecdotes and pearls of wisdom.
