By Louise Irvine
Join us at WMODA on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, to explore the Ardmore Design journey with Lawson Ricketts, Creative Director of Ngala Trading. From Clay to Cloth, Lawson will track the great migration of safari animals from hand-sculpted ceramics to vibrant textiles. After 25 years of creating collectible ceramic art, the Ardmore Studio in KwaZulu-Natal began translating the lush patterns of African fauna and flora into a dazzling array of furnishing fabrics. Ardmore is now regarded as one of South Africa’s leading luxury brands, celebrating the country’s cultural heritage.
In 2010, Fée Halsted, the founder of Ardmore Ceramics, received a generous grant from the South African Business Trust, which supports commercially viable initiatives and contributes to poverty reduction. The Qalakabusha sofa, meaning “new beginnings’, was the first in a series of limited-edition sofas that captured the attention of interior designers around the world. Since then, there has been a succession of special sofas, Zambezi, Sabie and Thanda, each heralding a new collection of furnishing fabrics in velvet and cotton. See them all in the Safari for the Soul gallery at WMODA alongside the ceramics that inspired them.
Around the same time in South Africa, the American founders of Ngala Trading, Nick Geimer and Lawson Ricketts, embarked on their exciting journey into interior design. After joining Nick in Johannesburg, Lawson began renovating their historic Art Nouveau house, and the experience of working with local craftsmen inspired him to give up his day job in education and open an interior design and home furnishings store. It quickly gained a local following for Lawson’s unique blend of American classics with an African twist – think plaid with zebra!
After designing interiors for private residences and game lodges, Lawson and Nick returned to the States in 2015 with a sea container full of samples and set up Ngala Trading in New York City. Meaning “lion” in Shengan, “ngala” projected strength and pride and within five years, they had proudly opened a flagship showroom in the New York Design Center. Nick and Lawson frequently return to South Africa for buying trips and have a wonderful working relationship with Fée and the Ardmore team, advising them on the latest trends in the American market.
Six Ardmore patterns will be showcased on May 13 alongside the inspirational ceramics from the WMODA collection. Monkey Bean from the Zambezi collection is one of Ardmore’s best-selling fabrics in the USA. The vivid flame color scheme inspired the original Ardmore Monkey Bench, which can be ordered ready-made through WMODA. Despite its name, the mischievous monkey is outranked by the regal leopard sitting peacefully in a haven of flowers.
The Sabie Forest pattern was inspired by Fèe Halsted’s vacation in the Kruger National Park, where the bush is lush, thick with foliage, and abundant in wildlife. In Fée’s vivid imagination, elephants dance and king cheetahs prance, overlooked by giraffes and genets in a fantasy forest full of birds and flowers. As well as furnishing fabric, Sabie Forest is one of Ardmore’s most popular table linen designs, including tablecloths, runners, and napkins for formal dining and al fresco picnics.
Thanda means love in the Zulu language and Fée celebrated her son’s wedding at the Thanda game lodge with a new collection starring the Pangolin Park pattern. The lush design, hand-painted by Sydney Nyabese, features the endangered pangolin with a leopard, zebra and kudu in a fantasy jungle of aloes and gardenias. Thanda Nests tells the story of African summers, when male weaver birds work tirelessly to build many nests until the female accepts one suitable for raising their future family. The table linens are perfect for summertime entertaining, and there are beautiful Solaris outdoor pillows for gardens and patios.
Beautiful birds also feature in the Protea Fields pattern, from the original Qalakabusha collection, which is currently experiencing a revival. Sunbirds are the primary pollinators of the protea blooms, using their long, curved beaks to feed on the nectar of South Africa’s national flower. The striking Croco pattern is also back in vogue and particularly resonates with Floridians as the coastal waters of the Everglades are the only place in the world where crocodiles co-exist with alligators.
Interior designers and homemakers can create their own safari adventures by selecting fabrics by the yard from the pattern books in the museum’s Ardmore Design Shop, or they can choose ready-made designs, including love seats, pillows, and table linens. The Ngala team will be on hand to provide expert decorating tips on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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