showroom
a slice of Lemon

WORDS EDWAIN STEENKAMP PHOTOGRAPHY INGE PRINS STYLING SANRI PIENAAR
In the 14 years since Lemon was co-founded by brothers Kevin and Ricky Frankental, the design studio has become synonymous with craftsmanship, and a design sensibility that speaks to easy – but considered – modern living. Through this, Lemon is hailed as one of the most celebrated design studios in the country, with an aesthetic that is at once instantly recognisable (and desirable).
No mean feat for a local design practice, especially in a market flooded by ‘fast interiors’ (the design world’s equivalent to fast fashion fashion). So just how does Lemon carve out its place to stand out from the crowd? For Kevin and Ricky, it’s about designing with longevity and conscious consumption in mind; here, the team values detailed craftsmanship over mass-produced trends.


Lemon’s story has humble beginnings. The design studio started in Johannesburg selling with wallpapers and prints, with the view to fill a gap in the interior design market for high quality interior-ready products. It then quickly grew to include furniture and accessories – most of it handmade by expert manufacturers and artisans – and just over a decade later, Lemon opened studios in Cape Town, and in Amsterdam in 2020. With a footprint in two of South Africa’s richest creative and cultural hubs, and now in Europe too, the team champions local design for a growing market of discerning and conscious aesthetes.


Much of Lemon’s success lies in its diverse pool of creatives. The co-founders, along with celebrated designers and artists like Yaniv Chen, Jeanne Gaigher and Nicole Levenberg to name but a few, have ensured that all any space really needs is a slice of Lemon, and not much else.