Collecting Beauty

First impressions are peculiar things. They can be spot on or perfectly inaccurate. On being greeted by Margaret Woermann at the front door to her graceful period home that she has lived in for over two decades, flanked on either side by her large dogs and constant companions, the words that most strongly come to mind are ‘farmstead’, ‘eccentric’ and ‘bohemian’. As it turns out, these are wholly accurate. Margaret was born and raised in an insulated rural farming community to a German-immigrant family and later, thanks to a strong artistic ability, a series of fortuitous twists and turns, a distinctive eye and unrelenting determination went on to established herself as one of the best-known names on the South African design landscape, the owner of craft collective, Heartworks, as well as an acclaimed ceramist. 

Margaret’s home on a large property is informed in both atmosphere and aesthetics by her formative years on the farm: from several heavy pieces of inherited antique furniture, lighting and a collection of paintings by an artist uncle to the dense garden that she so passionately tends to and that surrounds and shields the entire house like a green cloak. Many elements here also hint at the austerity of her childhood: wooden floors left deliberately unadorned; walls she has painted herself; a thrifty assortment of furniture and paintings found at second-hand shops, auctions and gifted from friends; mix-and-match vintage crockery on display in an old cabinet in a utilitarian kitchen; and textures that err on the side of humble and organic. 

The characterful dwelling, a grande dame with its thick walls, voluminous spaces, restored sash windows that allow in tons of light and original detailing such as pressed ceilings has proved to be the perfect foil for Margaret’s lifetime’s collection of (mainly) African art, craft, found ephemera and pieces she has made herself. And while each room is quite different, each is defined and therefore connected by Margaret’s talent for assembly and display. ‘It feels a bit odd to me when people use the word “curated” for how the house looks,’ says Margaret. ‘Really, I think it’s quite haphazard,’ she laughs. ‘It’s just evolved and become fuller the longer I’ve lived here,’ she explains. At the suggestion that she may be something of a cultural anthropologist – considering the impressive assembly of craft (and her profound knowledge about each and every maker) that has its roots everywhere from South Africa and neighbouring Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini (Swaziland), Mozambique and Botswana to further afield in Central, West and East Africa – Margaret is thoughtful. ‘I wouldn’t label myself as that, but I do feel connected to that sort of art because it’s what I was exposed to as a child and later in my youth when I travelled in Africa,’ she says. ‘The rural art of the street and things made by hand with natural, recycled and utilitarian materials – which is so distinctive to craft – has always attracted me. Craft has such a life and vibrancy, it’s so unique and authentic to its maker,’ she says. ‘How can you not have a respect for and curiosity about that?’. 

Filled as it is with lovely things, the home is no museum or hallowed shrine. There is the constant patter of dog paws on the wooden floors, the buzz of nature from the garden, the recurring shrieks of delighted children discovering the hide-and-seek benefits of the enormous garden and the ebb and flow of various artists, guests and family members who Margaret shares her space with. ‘It’s a very big house,’ she says, ‘and I don’t remember when last I was alone here’.

The entrance to Margaret Woermann’s home has seen a few minor updates but retains the same profile as it did when it was first built in 1904. The home is circled entirely by a lush, verdant garden. 

Lenghi the rescue dog, who bears an uncanny resemblance to A.A. Milne’s Tigger character (and is just as bouncy), is at her leisure in the entrance hall. The pot that has been prominently displayed on an inherited table is from Northern Mozambique where Margaret’s German-immigrant father spent time as a child.

A carved fish by Venda artist and story-teller Thomas Kubayi stands sentinel in the entrance area. The grey desk is a vintage American army desk; its twin is in Margaret’s study. On the table is an assortment of wood sculptures, figurines and ceramic objects collected over the years.

Margaret’s living room features pieces, large and small, by well-known artists as well as crafters and makers she has encountered during her sourcing for her shop, Heartworks.

On the sideboard are carved and painted West African fish figurines; the pyramid-shaped objects are actually wooden bangle stands that Margaret had made for the display at Heartworks, but that she rather fancied as decorative items. The painting is by Dorothee Kreutzfeldt. Throughout the space are various wire-work pieces and objects such as the heron and side table by various street artists and local collective artisans. The rabbit is a piece by ceramist Nico Masemola. The retro side table was a junk-shop find.

The characterful dining room that features the home’s original pressed tin ceiling panels. Margaret has given the walls a two-tone effect in a gorgeous combo of yellow and pink – a backdrop that enhances the vivid green of the indoor plants especially effectively. 

The seat is a West African piece and the plant stand was found second-hand. Above the piano is an imprinted piece of board that Margaret found in a welders workshop trash pile. All of the vessels and bowls are by Margaret: some of them yet to be glazed, others left deliberately unglazed. 

The dining table and chairs have been passed down through the family. The hoopoe bird figurine was found years ago at Bruce Tait Antiques. The painting above the fireplace is by German/South African artist Fritz Krampe. 

Margaret spends much of her time at the kitchen table creating her clay vessels. The kitchen dresser was Margaret’s grandmother’s and has been painted a vivid teal shade that stands out against the softer mossy green of the fitted cupboards – previously an unappealing knotty pine.

On top of the cupboard is a collection of Zulu and Venda pots. Most of the other painted art pieces – either inherited or found second-hand – have a landscape theme. Margaret has assembled an eclectic array of vintage Scandinavian, German and English crockery for everyday use – many of which evoke childhood memories. 

The decorative plates under the bracketed floating shelves are by Hylton Nel and the small watercolor landscapes are early works by the artist H. Anderson. The shelves contain plants as well as a mix-and-match assortment of mugs, jugs and other vessels – handmade and store-bought – in a palette of blues and greens.

The delightful conservatory doubles up as a laundry room and opens onto Margaret’s vegetable garden. Two carved East African stools act as side tables next to a floral-upholstered chair – another junk shop find that has settled perfectly into the space. 

In a guest bedroom a traditional Basotho blanket from Aranda Textiles and an eclectic selection of African wax cloth scatter cushions lend the space color, pattern and character.

The textile artwork on the wall is from the ELC Art & Craft Centre Rorke’s Drift. The yellow pieces by Margaret are mixed media in paper, clay and junk market figurines. The carved, colorful wooden menagerie of animals is from a roadside crafter.

In Margaret’s bedroom, the bed – a family heirloom – has been layered with contemporary blankets as well as a traditional Basotho blanket from Aranda Textiles. African wax cloth cushions add to the melting pot of color and pattern. Margaret hand-painted the graphic wall herself. As well as finding an artistic voice through her ceramics, Margaret creates pressed flower artworks and is regularly commissioned for these unique pieces.

PHOTOS Elsa Young/ Bureaux

WORDS Mandy Allen

PRODUCTION Sven Alberding