Internationally renowned interior design guru, Dorothy van’t Riet, founder and principal designer at DVR Design & Decor Consultants in South Africa, is to be celebrated with this year’s 2018 Decorex Designer Spotlight feature stand. The timing is perfect given that DVR is celebrating 30 years in the design industry this year. At Decorex, Dorothy will be creating an individual curated living space filled with beauty, style and colour using some of her favourite pieces that evoke a personal sense of joy. Decorex takes place from 8 to 12 August at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At this year’s Decorex, and as the event’s prestigious Spotlight Designer, Dorothy’s specially curated living space aims to counter the chaos of every day life. Her bold and creative signature style sees her using colour, timeless beauty and individualism to create a space with life, soul and energy; a space that rejuvenates the soul. Dorothy will be teaming up with some of South Africa’s top brands to create this look.
Dorothy has steered the company from a modest start working with individual clients to a position of strength in the competitive global design industry. Although some of the years have been tough, her love for design, deep faith and the knowledge she is doing what she was created to do has given her a profound sense of purpose and fulfilment.
Dorothy and her team have done a wide range of remarkable work over the years - bringing beauty and joy into people’s spaces and lives. The company’s offerings include a comprehensive range of skills in interior design, interior architecture and interior decorating. Some of the team’s notable projects include:
Hotels:
- Four Points Hotel – Lagos, Nigeria
- The Marion on Nicol Boutique Hotel – Johannesburg
- Mia Hotel (concept design) – Kaduna, Nigeria
- Miles Collines Hotel (concept design) – Rwanda
Residential:
- Mixed usage precinct of Damansara City – Malaysia
- Noordhoek Manor House – Cape Town
- Zimbali Lodge residential – Dolphin Coast
- Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate – Nigeria
- Residential game farm – Botswana
Corporate:
- Bank of Botswana – Botswana
- Botswana Life Insurance – Botswana
- Liberty – Johannesburg
- Reckitt Benckiser – Johannesburg
- Debswana – Botswana
- SAB – Johannesburg
- Total – Johannesburg
Educational:
- DVR Design Academy – correspondence course which ran for 12 years, with over 2,500 students; many of them now running their own businesses
- Cornerstone Institute; an accredited 2 year on line design course
- Monthly case study and design skills workshops
- Urban Chic – DIY Design in a Box Kit
Dorothy’s view on trends for 2018
One of the best reasons to visit a show like Decorex is to gain essential insight into upcoming design trends, and visitors can expect to be inspired by the trends that Dorothy will be incorporating into her showcase space. Here are a few of her insights in advance of the event:
Colour
More is more with colour usage this year. This no doubt resonates with Dorothy’s soul as we have seen her love of colour over the years, and she is known to push the boundaries of pattern and colour. According to Dorothy, the trends for 2018 are about anything but neutral tones.
Aspirational Spaces
According to Dorothy, design is about creating an experience and less about spaces to impress the world. It’s about bringing through the client’s personality and creating a space that will make them feel relaxed, energised or intimate.
Statement Wall Art
This trend takes the form of an extra large piece of art; bold patterned wallpaper, or a wall clad in an interesting piece of marble, onyx or strong dark wood. For her Spotlight Designer feature stand, Dorothy has chosen a spectacular piece of Onyx measuring 2,8m in height by 1,7m width, and it will form the backdrop of her stand.
Furniture
According to Dorothy, there is a resurgence for retro glamour, and for Decorex, she has collaborated with Frank Bőhm Studio to curate some exquisite pieces of furniture, blending wood, stone and metal pieces. According to this formidable collaborative team, the trend is for furniture to be lived with and tactilely handled; as texture, touch, simplicity and comfort go hand in hand.
Lighting and metallics
Geometric designs and forms have a strong presence in current design trends, both in flooring and other elements. These will be strongly showcased in a strong herringbone pattern on Dorothy’s Spotlight stand at Decorex, creating in collaboration with William Combrink, owner of Forrest Flooring.
To find out more about Dorothy’s views on design trends for 2018, and to check out her Spotlight Designer Stand at Decorex, visit her at the event from 8th to 12th August at Decorex, Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg.
About Dorothy van’t Riet
Dorothy van’t Riet started her namesake interior design company in 1988. DVR has become a prominent name in the Interior Design industry. Based in Johannesburg, the company counts amongst the top Interior Design companies in South Africa, in terms of quality, service and design. The company offers a full spectrum of services on a turnkey basis, including space planning, working drawings, specifications of materials and styling. DVR understands environments, set trends and have the ability to balance perception with reality. They do this with sensory sight and passion. DVR specialises in upmarket residences, hotels, spas and corporate offices both locally and internationally. Their projects combine a creative, timeless approach with a colourful, elegant signature and luxurious style.
Dorothy has drawn on her love of colour, forms, shapes, textures and space to create soul-filled designs that speak to all five senses. As the Founder and Principal of Dorothy van’t Riet Design & Décor Consultants (DVR), she produced numerous award-winning, luxurious interiors for corporate, hospitality, and residential clients across Africa, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Her 30 years’ experience working in Africa has given her a deep understanding and insight into the continent’s creative energy.
Dorothy has also been actively involved in interior design education, and has taught more than 2000 students. As a judge for the prestigious Caesarstone Student Interior Architectural Design Competition for more than six years, she was responsible for writing the socially-relevant brief. Dorothy is currently in negotiations with the South African government to implement the top 20 students’ designs as part of poverty alleviation initiatives in the country.
Passionate about empowering others, she shares her knowledge and expertise, inspiring in others a love for good design. This passion led Dorothy to create her Urban Chic Box, a creative-design teaching-tool which won the Most Innovative Product Award At Decorex South Africa. Winning the World’s Best Interior Designer award for both Classical and Contemporary interior design at Royal Ascot, England, was one of the highlights of her career.
Find out more about Dorothy van’t Riet and her company DVR Design & Decor Consultants, visit her website www.dvr.co.za
