NATURE-INSPIRED WALLPAPER BUSINESS OF CARA SAVEN FAST BECOMING AN INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS STORY
Meet designer Cara Saven, who’s wallpaper designs are exciting the walls of homes, hotels, and businesses the world over.
Cara Saven is a Cape Town-based designer whose business has become an international success story. Creating a vast collection of bespoke wall designs, canvases, framed prints and vinyls, Cara and her growing team aims to make the world a more beautiful with every wall they cover.
“In terms of our signature style, I would say that it’s first and foremost vintage. A lot of our designs are a nod to the past, and we’re seeing our clients bring that sense of nostalgia back into their homes by mixing it with modern pieces. Having said that, we do offer a huge range of designs that are in keeping with modern trends to ensure that we offer a one-stop-shop for interior designers, hotel owners, and home owners no matter their style and colour palette,” shares Cara.
To see the Cara Saven Wall Design team in action, we visited a husband and wife team who followed their dream by converting their Pretoria guest house into the luxury Apogee Boutique Hotel & Spa. Wanting a unique feel to every room while showcasing the beauty South Africa has to offer, they enlisted Cara’s help to bring their vision to life.
“Cara’s wall designs are not only amazing but featured a lot of the South African beauty that we were looking for,” says Apogee Boutique Hotel & Spa co-founder, Jessica Anastasiadis, before adding… “The team were very professional in helping us pick out wallpaper designs based on the colour palettes that we had for the rooms, each featuring a flower, animal or plant that you will find within South African and we are really happy with the way it’s all turned out.”
When asked about the incredible response the business has experienced from the international market, Cara says “The most gratifying part of running a business that is creative is seeing how people appreciate that creativity coming into their own homes and spaces. I never expected there to be so much appreciation and love around designs that I thought were pretty or would like to have in my own home – that are now suddenly sitting in some of the most beautiful homes in South Africa and even around the world.”
What a pleasure it was to experience the artistry and talent of this team that’s making an impact on the world market, first hand!
We asked Cara about her goals around ‘living better’.
How does ‘living better’ influence your design process / how does your work inspire living better?
“My work is heavily influenced by nature so if I’m not out in nature almost daily, the work is affected. We are also a team of mostly mom’s so we need to ensure we have a degree of work life balance when it comes to our home and work life. Having said that, we are all incredibly passionate and hard working individuals.”
What legacy would you like to leave behind through your design / work / business?
“Wallpapers have the ability to transform spaces and when you transform a space the added benefit is that the people living/ working in that space also feel a shift. That’s what I hope to leave behind…beautiful and exciting spaces that have been transformed using our wallcoverings. I’d also like to leave a legacy of having built up a business while still being there for my kids – one the hardest challenges out there.”
How can our viewer’s live better and improve their home design simply?
“I’m not an interior designer but we work with so many talented ones that are available for all types of budgets. Using an interior designer, even for a 1 hour session, can help you see how adjusting just a few small things can have massive impacts on a space.”
How does your work incorporate or lead the conversation around sustainability?
“I think we use the theme of sustainability heavily within our designs – both the references to nature and the fact that so many of our designs are being recycled from their vintage past. We also have re-usable wallpapers, which is almost unheard of in the wallcovering space.”
What do you feel are important considerations to keep in-mind when looking into pursuing a design project in South Africa?
“Always see what’s available locally. Even if the cost is slightly more. Everyone benefits when you buy locally.”
Are there any last comments / thoughts you’d like to add?
“Be brave and bold with your interior space. See it as an extension of your personality.”
