Pictures: Dawn Rouse and supplied
Born to win, built to wow and designed to inspire. Les Abercrombie meets up with a Ballito family business that can cut anything into anything.
“Hi! Thank you for coming. It’s going to be great having magazine coverage,” was my warm welcome from Caitlyn when I arrived at Wow Cutting in Ballito. She offered me a seat at a beautiful wood and glass table and proceeded to give me a comprehensive lesson on an array of cutting methods from laser to more aggressive water jet cutting plus a host of other fascinating design trends.
Established in 2012 by Gary da Silva, his daughter Caitlyn and husband, Sky van Niekerk, Wow Cutting has its premises in a new, easily accessible, light industrial park in Ballito. Family owned and run, the company employs a highly experienced eight-man team of carpenters, designers and fabricators – all of whom have been with the business since its inception. Everything is produced inhouse, except for the powder-coating of metal frames and glass toughening which is outsourced to local Ballito companies.
For their tables, Wow Cutting specialises in solid hardwood slabs with river’s edge. The wood used is either Matumi or Japanese maple, and is sourced locally from sustainable forests and processed by local mills – truly Proudly South African, from start to finish.
I commented on the table at which we were sitting and Caitlyn casually said, “Oh, that’s our ‘river’s edge’ design.” Having never heard the term, she went on to explain: A river’s edge design is where the natural (live), outside of a wood slab (bark) faces the inside as a feature of the design. So, your tabletop would comprise of two slabs (or a split slab) with the “river’s edges” facing each other and the “river” being the glass space between the two. The final product is aesthetically very pleasing and eye-catching.
The options are endless and clients are free to design their own wares. They are involved from the outset of sourcing the slab, choosing the grain detail and the powder coating colour of the frame. A virtual design is then digitally produced which, once approved, enters the manufacturing process. Once complete, the client is invited to inspect the final product before delivery. In today’s world where so much of what we buy is flat-packed, it’s a privilege to be up-close-and-personal with one’s own bespoke piece of beauty.
Wow Cutting is a dynamic and evolving company. As Caitlyn says, “We can cut anything into anything!” As their main clients are interior decorators, architects and property developers, they receive an array of requests. Recently they were required to design bespoke mirrors in black powder-coated frames. No problem for the team.
They also design privacy screens where the client can either choose from the standard range of designs, or request that their own design be used. The steel screens are usually used to create privacy between neighbours but indoor screens can also be made.
Many North Coast schools have started investing in wooden trophies for their end of year prize-giving – a well-chosen piece of natural wood with a subtle, engraved plaque.
Apart from offering corporate gifts, Wow has an online facility selling kitchenware called The Groen Boer. Here you can choose from a variety of chopping boards, cheese boards, snack boards and carving boards. Visit www.thegroenboer.co.za.
When next you’re needing something designed and cut, from specialist tiles to corporate gift boxes, be sure to call the Wow team.
FOR MORE INFO: 032 815 2929; caitlyn@wowcutting.co.za.