Satori brings Zen balance to the Mother City

Capetonian Jonathan Walt and his wife Sún laid the foundations for the business in early in 2008. The inspiration to launch Satori was born from the couple's shared love of traveling, predominantly in the East, and an appreciation of the subtle influence of Zen, always evident in design and living, but often obscured by clutter.

“Sún and I have been fortunate enough to stay at world-class hotels such as the Jia Hotel in Hong Kong, and the Metropolitan in Bangkok, but what impressed us most was the Como Shambhala group, and their Zen-inspired philosophy of peace, balance and knowledge. It comes through clearly in the layout, design and detail of their properties. The harmony of the style really inspired us to bring some of this home,” says Walt.

“We've selected each item with care, because it resonates with our thinking. It is important that pieces have a story to tell about the character of the designer or the skill in the manufacture.

“I guess a hallmark of Zen, and evident in Como Shambhala's service, is the ability to be consultive with clients rather than prescribe to them,” says Walt. And so Satori is able to offers clients the option of customising the design or choosing fabrication of some of the larger items, including furniture. The store is able to meet decorators, designers or architects at their site and consult on décor.

Furniture includes sofas, daybeds, chaises, occasional retro chairs, ottomans and coffee tables. Popular materials featured in the collection include stainless steel, rosewood, teak, kiaat and mango wood, set off by snakeskin vinyl or fine-grain leather.

Aside from Satori's house lines, the store represents locally designed pieces such as handcrafted blown glass by David Reade, stainless steel sculptures by Uwe Pfaff and atmospheric lighting by Klaus Tonitz.