Dokter and Misses is a Johannesburg-based multi-disciplinary product design company.
Established in 2007 by industrial designer Adriaan Hugo and graphic designer Katy Taplin they develop furniture, lighting and interior solutions for private and corporate clients as well as educational institutions.
Inspired by the idiosyncrasies of their surroundings, their modernist, angular design has a bold, upbeat energy that makes their objects and furniture immediately desirable.
Their hand-painted pieces form part of a growing catalogue of limited-edition collectible work that has been exhibited in Basel, Dubai, London, New York and Miami.
To view their work visit Always Welcome in Johannesburg and Cape Town, while their limited-edition work is represented by Southern Guild Gallery.
Deep Design
Design is at the forefront of what we do – we make pieces that are original and that make people feel something.
Forever and Ever
Made from the highest quality materials, our products are built to last a lifetime. If for some reason they don’t, we offer repair and maintenance support that’ll hopefully revive your faith in humankind.
People Pleaser
We strive to meet our clients' needs wherever possible. Most of our products are customisable in either a size, material or colour, which is why we manufacture to order. It’ll be worth the wait, we promise.
TIMELINE
2003
Katy Taplin and Adriaan Hugo meet while studying. The chemistry is good.
2005
They design screen-printed cardboard handbags for SA Fashion Week.
2007
Dokter and Misses is officially formed. Their first range is a riot of primary colours and patterns, best described as ‘Bauhaus Meets Dr Alban’. They listen to Talking Heads while they make oversized, powder-coated metal bling, triangular plates, purses, lampshades and graphic vests. There is applause.
They also open a shop at 44 Stanley.
2008
They've found their groove now and it’s called Easy Now – a collaboration with musician and artist Givan Lötz – the range has strong structural lines, there are images of poodles and snow foxes and it’s all set to a soundtrack.
A poster exhibition and event One Vote with artist Kudzanai Chiurai, encouraging 'voters' to cast a vote of non-confidence in the Zimbabwe elections.
Dokter and Misses flex their graphic muscles and exhibit the Graphik Server at the Joburg Art Fair – you’ll see where this goes over the next few years.
2009
Bent is launched. Bent dustbins, shelves, hooks and tables in black, white and primary colours. Then Morf follows – a mutation of Bent. The Two-Man Table is made for the Southern Guild showcase at the Joburg Art Fair and later a smaller version released as the Flexi-desk.
They combine forces with Cape Town gallery Whatiftheworld and open CO-OP, a space for design and art in Braamfontein. It’s a party.
2010
Dokter and Misses produce furniture and lighting for Main Street Life, and design a room at Twelve Decades boutique hotel. They continue their collaboration with Kudzanai Chiurai with the release of The Black President, the second issue in a series of independent magazines that Dokter and Misses art-direct. A Cape Town store is opened with fashion designer David West.
Die Laaste Braai (The Last Barbecue) en Die Slangtang (The Snake Tongs), a collaboration with artist Zander Blom, is exhibited with Southern Guild at the Joburg Art Fair.
2011
The De Wildt ceramic range is launched, followed by the Swazi Soapstone lamps. Dokter and Misses are selected for the Design Network Africa (DNA) program. Southern Guild invites Dokter and Misses to exhibit concept pieces Pipe Lights and Rocking Chairs. They design furniture for fashion designer Suzaan Heyns’ flagship shop.
2012
The architecture department at the University of Pretoria asks Dokter and Misses to create customised drawing desks and lockers. They exhibit the first Kassena Server with Southern Guild.
Dokter and Misses head to Accra, Ghana for the first Design Network Africa (DNA) workshop. They make friends and meet future collaborators. State of the Nation is released – the third issue of Kudzanai Chiurai’s independent magazine.
2013
Their editioned work is shown at a number of international shows. CO-OP is no longer a gallery-shop space – it becomes a single source shop of Dokter and Misses products. They produce more custom desks for another architecture department at the University of Witwatersrand, are featured in Wallpaper* and chosen as Young Guns by Dwell.
2014
Dokter and Misses introduce more colour to their previously primary colour palette. They say goodbye to 44 Stanley having outgrown their shop of six years. They redesign the trophy for MTV Africa Music Awards (the MAMAs).
The LALA Shwantla is nominated for Design Indaba’s Most Beautiful Object in South Africa. Southern Guild shows their work at GUILD in Cape Town, Design Miami/ Basel and Design Miami. They are featured in The New York Times.
Dokter and Misses team up with Architect Clara da Cruz Almeida to design the POD-iDLADLA – a modular, prefabricated nano-home. They produce pieces for Nando’s and exhibit the Veld Couch and Soldier Screens at 100% Design South Africa – both collaborations with fellow DNA members Ronel Jordaan and Gone Rural.
2015
The editioned work continues to travel; the LALA Techno showing at Design Days Dubai while Sun City (hth) and Venster (hth) are included in Making Africa at the VITRA Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany. The Kassena server evolves into Kassena Town for Grains of Paradise at R & Company in New York. They appear in Contemporary Design Africa published by Thames & Hudson.
Dokter and Misses get techy with the solar-powered Isabelo WiFi bench. It’s time to move again and the workshop is relocated to a bigger space in Jeppestown.
2016
As 100% Design Featured Designers of 2016 Dokter and Misses present ‘Foreva xxx’ where a cactus, padlocks, unicorns and a squiggle come together in a new furniture and rug collection that would sit comfortably in any 1970’s executive office in outer space.
2017
Dokter and Misses collaborate with artist Lindiwe Matshikiza, musician, João Renato Orecchia Zúñiga, conceptual performers, Dear Ribane along with video and animation by Chloe Coetsee and Dolph, to present Weird Dream a multimedia performance presented at Design Indaba 2017. They celebrate a decade in the business with ten special poster designs, re-issue The Blue Chair in Tulipwood and explore new materials and lighting with the Domino and Moonjelly lights.
2018
They move into a new showroom at the newly renovated, and very pink, 99 Juta. Mess around with clay and tech with the Springs ceramics, produce the Memo range and release products in three fresh new colours. The Veld sofa is refined to become the Lowveld sofa and special orders for Nando’s across the globe ramps up.
2019
A new collection of collectible design titled Practically Everywhere launches as Southern Guild. Inspired by the creative disorder and oversaturation, this new body of work experiments with jagged shapes, odd proportions and stacked forms overlaid with textural surface treatments.
2020
They toast the good times with the Hourglasses produced by Ngwenya Glass and release the Holiday range as an antidote to lockdown life. Dokter and Misses move in with fellow designer friends at Always Welcome, a new space to experience curated design in the post-COVID era and release three new colours to keep things fresh.
2021
Time for some new seating, the Boa and Cobra chairs make their appearance together with the Sunday Sofa.
2022
Their newest collection "Sketches From the Edge" launches – a series of private mental objects that have scribbled and zigzagged their way into being.
2023
"Hug Me Like a Python" LALA Limo Cabinet debuts with Southern Guild and the Mimosa Cabinet is featured in Acne Paper.
Together with ongoing representation by Southern Guild and Always Welcome, DAM joins New York-based gallery KOMBI - a specialist in Southern African art and design.
EXHIBITIONS
2007
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Number 1. Whatiftheworld/Studio. Cape Town.
2008
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Number 3. Whatifthewrold/Studio. Cape Town.
Joburg Art Fair. Johannesburg.
2009
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Joburg Art Fair, with Southern Guild. Johannesburg.
2010
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Joburg Art Fair, with Southern Guild. Johannesburg.
2011
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Joburg Art Fair, with Southern Guild. Johannesburg.
2012
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Southern Guild. Everard Read Gallery. Johannesburg.
2013
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Heavy Metal. The Foundry. Cape Town.
Design Days Dubai. Dubai.
Collective. New York.
Design Miami/ Basel. Basel.
Graphic Africa. Platform Gallery. London.
2014
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GUILD. Cape Town.
Design Days Dubai. Dubai.
Making Africa. VITRA Design Museum. Weil am Rhein.
2014
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Grains of Paradise. R & Company. New York.
Design Miami/ Basel. Basel.
Homecoming. Southern Guild. Cape Town.
Design Miami. Miami.
2015
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GUILD. Cape Town.
Passion and the Still Life. Southern Guild. Cape Town.
Design Days Dubai. Dubai.
Design Miami/ Basel. Basel.
The Bauhaus #itsalldesign. VITRA Design Museum. Weil am Rhein.
Design Miami. Miami.
2016
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Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. New York.
2017
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Design Miami. Miami.
2018
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Design Miami. Miami.
2019
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PAD London.
Design Miami. Miami.
2022
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Design Miami. Miami.