The Furniture Designer

When we started to look at the redevelopment of the interior of Arbeidsgenot 3, it was soon very clear that, not only would the kitchen need to be completely redesigned, but that the available space in the rest of the building was so awkward that a lot of the furniture, cupboards and consoles would need to be custom designed.

The first challenge was to find a designer and an organisation that would deliver great design and great quality. Retha Moss from House of Woodmasters got recommended by those in the know, so we wasted no time to put them through their paces...

In terms of style, we concluded that we needed something that was a blend between 2 very different design styles - namely, we wanted a natural wood effect with white, reminiscent of the French Country style, but combined with the forms and functional practicality of the modern style, and we wanted that design to be carried through from the Kitchen-Diner, through the Lounge and into the Bedrooms.

Retha had to blend her designs perfectly with some ongoing architectural changes that were being made to the property, and her ideas also had to blend with the designs of the interior decorators. This is anything but a straightforward brief .

She not only understood the mandate, but she also added tremendous value in the process, with very practical advice, and created some bold designs that worked beautifully in the space. She was also of tremendous value in blending her ideas with those of the other designers working on the project.

When you take on a large transformation project like this, you put a lot of faith and trust in your designers, and they have to earn that trust. It was very clear to me very early on in the project that Retha is at the top of her game, and delivered outstanding results from the outset - so she quickly became a highly valued member of the team, and we were productive from the outset.

It is therefore without any hesitation that I can recommend her as a top class designer (and as a world citizen, my bar is set high) - she truly is in a league of her own. I also want to thank the rest of the team from the House of Woodmasters, whom has implemented her designs beautifully!