Indigenus, inviting Africa outdoors

At a time when modern architecture is increasingly blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living, garden ceramics are also finding themselves propelled into the twenty-first century. Planters now play a key role in the design of any garden, alongside the ubiquitous outdoor sofa and dining set. South African Peter van der Post was quick to identify the trend, and decided to appeal to his country’s leading artists and designers to lend their creative brains to the task. His idea? Give this often soulless product an injection of personality with the help of some of the biggest names in architecture and design. Eight years ago, Peter van der Post turned his back on the plastics industry to found Indigenus, a garden planter firm inspired by nature and imbued with the soul of the African continent. For the design side of things, he initially reached out to one of South Africa’s leading ceramic artists, Andile Dyalvane, then inviting up-and-coming designer Laurie Wild van Heerden to get involved in the project, too. Prior to launching the range in Europe, he has teamed up with several highly prestigious Western designers, including the Canadians Yabu & Pushelberg and Germany’s Sebastian Herkner, all of whom were enchanted by South Africa’s inimitable colours and light.  “When I drove around the area surrounding Cape Town heading towards the sloping vineyards or the coast, the colours of the rocks and beaches were constantly changing throughout the day,” explains Sebastian Herkner.  “I made a concerted effort to incorporate that into my design, layering up clay to play around with the light and shade.” The Indigenus range will be on show at Maison&Objet in September. 

Why did you decide to call your brand Indigenus? 

Indigenus alludes to nature and plants. For me, Africa is a place that not only has its own soul but truly has it all, from designers and raw materials to artisans capable of making the very best products in the world. 

You say you carried out lots of research when putting together your range. What did that entail? 

We wanted to make lightweight, super-strong planters, so we experimented with different wall thicknesses to guarantee optimum tensile and impact strength. We also tested different combinations of local South-African minerals and oxides to create the most breathtaking colours and finishes. The most frustrating thing was how long it took for the concrete to cure, meaning we had to wait for up to 4 weeks to see the end result each time. 

What kinds of techniques do you use, and where do your artisans come from? 

Producing quality pieces starts with top-quality tools. We have our own in-house master pattern maker and we make all our composites ourselves. I put together a highly skilled team by hand-picking the very best operators from my previous firm and from my previous suppliers of glass reinforced concrete. They are all from South Africa. Our planters are hand crafted in multiple layers and then sand blasted to achieve a natural stone finish. 

You are about to attend Maison&Objet for the very first time. What is your goal? 

We have spent the past eight years fine-tuning the quality of our range in preparation for our European launch. We know that our products need to be truly exceptional in order to be well received, but we believe that we are finally ready. Our goal is to be seen as one of the best planter brands in the world, working with the world’s best designers. 

By Caroline Tossan
Illustration ©Sarah Bouillaud

Discover the brand: Indigenus on MOM