Candice Brophy of Milk Deco is a designer that you are going to see a lot of…very soon.  Her designs are as good as it gets.  It is cutting edge, innovative, eco friendly and best of all…lekker local!!

I wanted to find out more, and this is what she had to say:

When and where did you start your business?

I designed a bunk bed for my daughter about 2 and a half years ago, I worked on a few designs after that but officially I registered and launched my business,  Milk Deco, in October 2009. Our first cot we built was the Zira that was on display at the Baba Indaba. We sold it at the show and had a fantastic response from the public most of who were surprised the cot was designed and manufactured in SA! I am based in Johannesburg.

Why did you start your business?

I studied Architecture at Wits and fell pregnant in my final year. I was looking for contemporary furniture for my daughter and found there isn’t much out there except different takes on the “sleigh cot”. Coming from a design background I thought I’ll just design something for her. I enjoyed designing the pieces! And so thought there’s a market for this, and I’m passionate about design. I can make a business from my passion! Isn’t that everyone’s dream, to get paid for doing what we love and are passionate about?

What products and services do you offer?

We offer quite a range of services and products. Currently we offer cots, beds, compactums, shelving, a crib, a highchair, linen, custom wall stickers,  canvas’s, custom furniture design, mobiles and a nursery décor service. All of which get custom made to order. So colours can be changed to suite different styles and nursery themes. It also allows moms to personalize their piece of chosen furniture. We also custom design furniture if a client is looking for something specific for a specific space.

Tell me more about your design and manufacturing process.

All our furniture is designed with safety as our number one priority. We prefer to design to international standards as I feel our one SABS standard is not sufficient(Baby must not be able to climb out). We also want our furniture to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. We try and use our locally made eco board as much as possible in our manufacturing. We are now investigating a bending eco board for our curves on our furniture. We then apply a veneer to the board or spray it with a lead free paint.

Our linen is made from 300 thread count cotton so that it has a soft silky feel and is gentle on baby’s skin. We use white cotton as our base and then add embroidery details. We like a clean cut contemporary look while still having fun themes like the baa baa black sheep range.

Tell me more about the people that make the products.

I designed all of our furniture. Our manufacturer has a factory in the east of JHB. He works well with us and understands what our brand stands for and what we are trying to achieve. We use quality materials in manufacturing and the finished product is of a high quality. We have a 2 year guarantee on our furniture. We make a good team!

Our linen is produced in CT by a large manufacturer. They have made linen for international clients as well as local and are great to work with! Accommodating, informative and professional.

Our mobiles are designed by Nazreen, one of our designers. She did a fantastic job with the design! We then get it laser cut from aluminum. And can get it anodized any colour.

I design the concepts for the canvas’s and put them together. Some of the images used on the canvas’s are designed by Nazreen.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I constantly try and think of innovative designs or ideas that will assist today’s modern mom. I want my products to be unique. I get inspired by other designers that are creative and innovative. I read design books and magazines and surf the net for inspiration and new ways to manufacture items. I look at architectural and furniture trends and then try to design children’s furniture that blends with the simpler clean contemporary look.

Obviously being a mom allot of my inspiration comes from my daughter. I want to teach her to reach for her dreams, be creative and that nothing is ever impossible.

I also get excited about fresh ideas and new designers. It’s nice to sometimes have a different perspective on a concept and Nazreen has also inspired me to really get creative with her ideas and designs!

Are you proudly South African, and why?

I believe we are proudly South African. All of our products are designed in SA and 90% are manufactured in South Africa.

Any  tips on how people can support South African design?

I feel people should choose to buy South African designed items. We have some amazing talent in this country! Publications should also use their publication powers to push South African designed items by using them in photo shoots, mentioning them in advertorials and in their “what’s new pages”. Perhaps a South African Designer Magazine needs to be produced to showcase SA talent to the general public. The Design Indaba in CT only allows top South African Designers to exhibit which is a great place to see what SA has to offer. South African designers also need to take initiative and get out there as much as possible!

Are you environmentally aware? How?

We are environmentally aware and try to maximize the use of our eco board in all of our furniture. Our ecoboard is made from recycled cardboard placed in a honey comb configuration that is extremely strong! Boards are placed either side of the cardboard and we then use a veneer or paint over this.

Tell me about the highs and lows you’ve had running your business.

When you start a business that your passionate about things generally fall into place simply due to the fact that your passion will push you to persevere! I think my greatest highs were registering Milk Deco, opening my business account, organizing my stand for the Baba Indab Expo and then winning my certificate of excellence for most innovative product all in a matter of 4 weeks!  I have also been invited to exhibit at the Homemakers Expo on the “Future of Design” floor which I feel is quite an honor!

Lows I would say that you don’t work an 8-5 with a lunch break day. You keep going way beyond that. The pressure is on you alone to bring in business and make money. I didn’t have any start up capital for Milk Deco either, and prototypes can be expensive as well as advertising and marketing! However I have found that if you have a product with merit that is appealing, people are willing to showcase it for you in their publications at no or little charge! Where there’s a will there is always a way.

Take every opportunity you get and run with it. Do whatever it takes to make it happen and never think anything is impossible!

What future plans do you have?

I have quite a stockpile of furniture designs and products now. I would like to launch a new item every month for at least a year to keep my brand fresh, new and upcoming. I would like to expand my brand to include maternity ware. From there I would really like to Franchise. I feel Milk Deco will always be a growing brand that will showcase cutting edge designs and products.

Any favourite websites or blogs?

I love Bloom Baby. They have a stunning baby chair and high chair.

You’ve seen it here first!!!

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