The Nando’s table topper is the smallest piece of furniture in the Nando’s world, it’s an iconic sculptural piece which holds the table number, cockerel stick and QR code to access the online menu. The task of conceptualising and directing the re-imagining of this little beauty was given to Tracy Lee Lynch, the creative director of the Nando’s Design Programme and Clout/SA. Of the process, Tracy says,
“In the past, we’ve used the incredible patterns by our Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) talent search finalists across the globe in Nando’s casas, in both large scale and smaller installations. When we were approached to facilitate this item for Nando’s it made complete sense to work with a local South African designer and manufacturer. Laurie Wiid’s practice includes designer pieces made from cork, steel and timber, he is an incredibly versatile designer and his attention to detail is phenomenal, and he merges creative solutions with practical applications within all his pieces; I had every confidence that he would deliver something exceptional.”
At Clout/SA, one of the greatest rewards we have received from facilitating the Nando’s HYD since its inception in 2016, is the incredible community of young designers that we get to work and grow with and now, for this project, 4 finalists, Primrose Chimhanda, Bonolo Chepape, Dillon Joseph, and Spamandla Mdunyelwa will benefit from a licence fee and a little global nod to their excellence. Every table in the Nando’s world should one day be their showcase space.
With the manufacturing expertise and resources of Wiid Design Studio, each of the finalist’s patterns have been translated into powder coated steel table toppers in cut-out stencil fashion. The table topper is one of the most ubiquitous pieces in any Nando’s restaurant. With this collaboration, it now becomes a new vehicle to bring South African creativity and storytelling that much closer to Nando’s restaurant patrons not only in South Africa, but all around the world.
As with previous collaborative design pieces facilitated by Clout/SA, the pieces are available on Nando’s Portal to Africa, the online marketplace that connects South African designers to interior designers working on Nando’s restaurants around the globe.
