* This piece first appeared here in YOURLUXURY AFRICA
Walking into a charming Notting Hill mews, I’m eager to meet designer Inge Moore. I’m still a bit starstruck after asking a passerby for directions and realising halfway through that I was speaking to the very helpful Julianne Moore. Muza Lab is Inge’s extensive studio, and surrounded by a team of architects and designers the Johannesburg-born designer speaks fondly of her South African childhood.
A highlight is Christmases spent in the green hills of Wakkerstroom – the family farm that she has subsequently bought and returns to annually. With a very creative mother, the stage was set for Inge to develop her love for design. Post studies she had the coveted position as a team member developing Museum Africa. “In the 1980s it was a museum for a new South Africa and I had the chance to meet and work with a host of artists from across Africa”. After several years came a shift into the hospitality space, working with several casinos and hotels for Sol Kersner.
After falling in love with an Englishman, she moved to London where she was soon the director of Hirsch Bedner Associates. Today, through Muza Lab, Inge has a string of prestigious projects to her name, including the One&Only Aesthesis Athens, One&Only Cape Town, Belmond Andean Explorer, and Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge in Botswana, as well as private luxury homes in Gstaad, St. Moritz, St. Barths, and Cape Town.
During a recent stay at the One&Only Cape Town, I had the opportunity to admire Inge Moore’s work firsthand. As I sat at the bar, I noticed the expansive carpet cleverly reflecting the contours of Table Mountain – a testament to Inge’s creative genius and attention to detail. muzalab.com
London with Inge
Your go-to breakfast/brunch spot? For the winter – The Wolseley on Piccadilly in St James – its spectacular black, ivory, and bronze interior is so chic and the food and service are always amazing. In Summer Pollini at the 1903 Ladbroke Hall – they have a beautiful secret garden; tall bamboo and beautiful stone sculptures surround you.
A memorable London first? Being able to post a letter and it arrives the next day, I was just amazed…
Your favourite weekend getaway spot? As London is so central to the world it’s as easy to go to Paris as the English countryside. If staying local I love going to the Newt in Somerset, it has a great pool/spa and fabulous walks.
A hidden shopping gem? I live around the corner of Portobello market and even 20 years later never tire of the quirky stalls; the people and the many hidden cool things you can always find.
Your favourite park/green space in London? I love Hyde Park – it’s a 5-minute drive from my home, I zoom over in my Mini and go for walks there several times a week – every day is different depending on the weather; different people all doing their own thing co-existing happily in the fabulous green space.
An unmissable London cultural experience? Oh, I have a few; The V&A museum – they have exquisite exhibitions; Ballet at the Royal Opera House, and of course gigs at the O2.
What do you miss most from back in South Africa when you’re in London? The quality of the fresh produce you get in South Africa – where tomatoes taste like tomatoes and the ease of driving around.