Source Interior Brand Architects (Source IBA) is an interior architecture and design firm which offers a total design package across the hospitality, leisure, corporate, civic and retail industries.

By Ian Armitage

Source Interior Brand Architects (Source IBA), as the name reveals, is a specialist interior architecture group whose approach to design is to remain internationally relevant, whilst drawing on Africa as a constant source of inspiration.

The group’s portfolio includes a host of corporate and hospitality developments, such as 15 on Orange, The Westin Cape Town, Arabella Sheraton Kleinmond Spa, Kempinski Mokuti Lodge, Park Inn by Radisson Sandton, Radisson Blu Hotel Port Elizabeth, Southern Sun Hyde Park, Virgin Atlantic Lounge, Virgin Spa as well as offices for JP Morgan, Mastercard, Tebfin and Fusion – all successfully completed using a unique methodology, which has become the hallmark of the Cape Town-based firm.

“In our view, a designer acts as a filter for various inspirations and ideas, creating something unique and new,” says Jeremy Stewart, the firm’s founder. “We are inspired by Africa yes, totally, and other influences, and we believe our role or mission is to create new, modern design styles, recognising all influences, such as European, classical, colonial and African. But we aren’t copycats. We want something that feels unique.

“I see things as more of a methodology, filtering ideas, looking for what works, rather than a specific design or style.”

This method has worked well for Source IBA.

“We set up the firm in 2002,” says Stewart. “At the time we saw a gap in the market for South African and African design with integrity.

“Our brand originates out of the belief that Africa is a fountain of creativity and inspiration and today Source IBA operates throughout Africa, UAE and the Indian Ocean.

“We have studios in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, and the team consists of many multi–disciplined and talented staff members; it is the most talented team I have ever worked with.”

Despite the obvious success, Stewart doesn’t have an ego. And it isn’t all about him. He and his partners – Evon Smuts-Rogers in the Cape Town studio and Andrew Merrington and Peta Bank in the Johannesburg studio –always attribute Source IBA’s successes to the team as a whole.

“A combination of interior design and interior architecture, Source IBA is involved in maximising the architectural envelope by designing from the inside out. Each designer plays a huge part in that.

“We have an ethos of doing the best work with the best brands, working on the right, challenging, project and that, I think, is what is behind our success – we push ourselves and strive for better; we never stop developing, pushing the envelope in interior design.”

Stewart has always had a passion for art and architecture and says that awareness of the services Source IBA offer has much improved over the last decade.

“Most people ask the question ‘what does an interior architect do?’ and they are always surprised by just how much goes into what we do and how far it goes. For us, the process starts early on, when we meet the architects and come up with a design that starts from the inside out in an attempt to maximise the building’s functionality. I have to stress that we are not architects – we would never pretend to be and we’d never pretend we had the same skills as them, as we don’t; rather, we work with them to maximise a building’s potential.”

According to Stewart, a typical hospitality project would entail the developer and operator working out the size of building – how many rooms, etc.

The interior architects would then come on board and sit with the architectural team, developer, engineers and service engineers to develop a brief “to maximise the building’s potential”.

“We aim to get the most out of any space, which to achieve, means you have to work closely with the architects. In a hotel, for example, of which we have done many, it is all about making the most out of the rooms, which have to have a minimal footprint and be cost effective, all the while retaining a sense of spaciousness, ergonomics and that sort of thing.”

The guest’s experience is also critical to a project’s success, he says.

“It is incredibly important to think about how people interact with a particular space. Then, also in a hotel, there are the back-of-house areas and that sort of thing. Those areas have different considerations.

“In all, it is an interesting process that is much more than creative design – it requires a multilayered approach.”

Stewart is very proud of the work Source IBA does and is always on the lookout for new, challenging projects.

“A main criteria for deciding to come on board a project is that it has to be stimulating and challenging – a process that will teach us something.

“When Virgin approached us, for example, for the Virgin Atlantic Lounge, we had never done anything like it before and took it on wholeheartedly – for us the most exciting projects are types we have never embarked on before. We started by analysing the profile of a typical traveller and then set about designing a space that would suit their needs. In a space as stressful as an airport lounge, it is all about helping the traveller to chill out. It was challenging and very, very interesting.”

One thing Source IBA is renowned for is the way in which it helps developers maximise their budgets, without wasting materials or money. It is this approach that has guaranteed long-standing and trusting relationships with the likes of the Rezidor Hotel Group.

As successful as Source IBA has been over the last decade, with projects in Mali, Zimbabwe, Nairobi and other African countries, the next few years could be even more satisfying for Stewart.

“We are expanding across Africa. When we started, I’d probably say 90 percent of our work was within the borders of South Africa. Now, 70 percent of our work is outside our borders. We work right across Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. I’ve just come back from a conference in Morocco and there is still growth in Africa as whole. South Africa is a gateway to Africa and there is huge opportunity.”

To learn more visit www.sourceiba.co.za.

Image: Getty