The Maradadi Interior Design Company

General information

Virginia Garnham qualified, with a distinction, as an interior designer in 1986, from the White House School of Interior Design, and took off to London to seek job experience. This experience was gained by working her way up, to a senior designer in the interior design studio, at Harrods, in London. Upon returning to Cape Town, after a travelling stint through India and South East Asia, in 1990, Virginia worked for a well known Cape Town decorator and in 1992 established herself as The Maradadi Interior Design Company. Maradadi is a Swahilli word for which there is no direct English translation, but would be used to describe something very gorgeous. Gorgeous, from the English Oxford dictionary, in turn means extremely pleasing, fine or good and elegant, which best sums up Virginia's eclectic style. Virginia's design philosophy is not to throw everything out and start again, but rather work with existing pieces of furniture, art, rugs and accessories and refurbish, reupholster, repaint, reframe and rearrange. With over 20 years experience in the industry Virginia has assembled a team of reliable sub-contractors, upholsterers and workshops and any project can be undertaken, from a complete a renovation, this is Virginia's true passion - to recreate spaces and make a home, down to a couple of hours of consultation. Virginia lives in a huge rambling old house just outside Stellenbosch with her husband, three sons and too many dogs!