While Design Week South Africa takes over Cape Town from 22 to 25 October, Weylandts is opening the doors to something that will outlast the festival, for just a couple of days. The With, a new bar at 107 Castle Street, is set to remain beyond Design Week, giving the furniture and interiors brand a chance to explore life outside the showroom.
Design Week South Africa brings together creatives to explore how design shapes the way we think, make and interact with the world around us. The platform encourages collaboration and the exchange of ideas, while creating space for emerging talent to learn from and connect with others in the industry. Designed by StudioLandt, the bar takes Weylandts' familiar approach to interiors and puts it in a different setting. Rather than presenting furniture as something to admire in a showroom, the space considers how people use and experience their surroundings when they sit down, share a drink or spend time with one another.
For a business with more than 60 years of history, the move is a natural extension of its work. Edgar Weylandt opened his first store in Windhoek in 1964, building a brand around furniture, craftsmanship and considered living. The With asks what those ideas might look like in a bar, where the experience depends as much on the people in the room as the objects around them.
“Our furniture has always lived in other people’s homes, which means we have rarely seen what happens around it,” says Anna Weylandt, who now leads the brand. “The With lets us be in the room for once. I hope people sit down next to someone they know or someone they are about to meet, and leave feeling that good living is mostly about the company you keep.”
Even the name reflects this thinking. “With” is a preposition that needs something after it: a person, a place or an experience. The idea is that the room only comes together when people occupy it.
The drinks menu also nods to Weylandts' history, with cocktails named after pieces from its furniture collection. Bar snacks accompany the drinks, which are served in partnership with Moët Hennessy.
The bar's opening programme runs from 22 to 31 October, with two-hour public sittings available at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm. On 22 October, Anna Weylandt and Alexa Schempers will discuss design, making and what it means to live well. Musician Muneyi will perform on 23 October, with drinks and small plates available afterwards. The evening will also feature The Kunda, a brown-buttered Hennessy take on an old-fashioned. Although the opening coincides with Design Week, The With is not intended to be a temporary installation. Its planned continuation beyond the festival gives Weylandts an opportunity to build on the relationship between design, hospitality and the everyday experience of living well.
Bookings are available at thewith.bar.