Husband-and-wife team Adriaan Hugo and Katy Taplin are Dokter and Misses whose respective industrial and graphic design skills combine to create work described as “modernist, where strong construction lines and a bold use of colour create graphic shapes and spaces.”
Working from their studio in Johannesburg, Hugo and Taplin’s work has become synonymous with the city in which it is conceived and produced. Their innovative selection of furniture, lighting and interior objects has not only captured the imagination of South African interior design enthusiasts, but also that of international collectors. The couple, who met at university, attribute their growing success to the inspiration they find in one another.
Starting out with limited workshop space and few tools at their disposal, Hugo and Taplin made use of what was available to them, adapting their processes organically. Initially using hand tools and silk screens, their work now employs a range of techniques, including laser-cutting and the use of bold, graphic patterns and hand-painted surfaces, which have proven to be an important part of the Dokter and Misses aesthetic.
Several designs feature contemporary reinterpretations of traditional African patterns. The LALA Shwantla combines Art Deco inspiration with the geometry of Basotho patterns, while their Kassena series references the adobe structures of the Kassena people of Burkina Faso. Other pieces, such as Sun City (hth), combine superrealistic airbrushed graphics with graphic steel forms, creating a multifaceted work layered with political, historical and cultural South African narratives.
– Tapiwa Matsinde
Contemporary Design Africa
Dokter and Misses was a member of Design Network Africa (2012-2014) and have exhibited their work in London, Miami, New York, Dubai and Basel.
[Adriaan and Katy] are inspired by the idiosyncrasies of their surroundings, their modernist, angular design has a bold, upbeat energy that makes their objects and furniture immediately desirable and urban cool.
Design Network Africa