Our latest venture with Sanbona unveils a tale of art, nature & design
A meeting of minds, a synergy in beliefs and an overall shared ethos was the departure point for a wonderful collaboration between Sanbona Wildlife reserve, MaVuno and CoralBloom Studio. Sanbona, a private wildlife reserve located just over 2 hours from Cape Town near the town of Barrydale, with its outstanding commitment to nature conservation is a beacon of hope in a time challenged with environmental concerns.
Their vision for the past two decades has been to restore the conservancy to the natural diversity as the San people experienced prior to colonization, going as far as introducing free roaming Big Five, not to mention the large-scale investment in reintroducing wildlife species as part of their strategic plan to restore the ecological balance.
We were approached by Simoné and Madré from MaVuno who were tasked with curating a retail collective for three new shops at Sanbona, set to compliment this luxury eco-tourism destination.
With meticulous attention to detail, research and referencing was done by Megan and Ann, CoralBloom’s artists to ensure that all the custom painted watercolour artworks accurately reflected the diverse and unique fauna and flora of the reserve. Michelle translated the artworks into digital designs for this bespoke product collection.
With the project now complete, the custom designed range of CoralBloom products including clutch bags, bandanas, notebooks, journals, and custom designed ABC jewellery made from upcycled aluminium and genuine leather are now proudly displayed in all three Sanbona stores on the reserve. We loved working on this project, and must say that the riverine rabbit design, painted by Megan and celebrated across a range of products is one of our favourites!
Guests visiting the reserve will also be able to spot our uniquely designed wallpaper in one of the shops. Created by Michelle from the Estate’s original title deeds and historical ledgers dating back to the 19th century, this wall-paper design was implemented in collaboration with Robin Sprong Wallpaper. This delightful project has been a celebration of art, nature and the rich tapestry of our shared commitment to a sustainable, harmonious world.
Please let us know in the comments below what your thoughts are on this project. As always, we would love to hear from you.
*Photos supplied by MaVuno, Sanbona & CoralBloom Studio
