CREATIVE LIVING
Helen Gibbs, the dynamo behind design brand Helon Melon, has turned a loft in a historic Cape Town building into a sublime events venue that complements her design studio, retail outlet, food-product development hub and catering company. It’s also a graci
“I had decided I needed a clean slate and wanted everything in my life to be brand new,” says Helen
I T’S difficult to think of a more welcoming, enticing invitation than that offered by Helen Gibbs on her Helon Melon Facebook page: “Eat, Meet, Shop, Delight, Treat, Smile . . .” It’s even more challenging to imagine a space more conducive to all the above than Helen’s new home, workplace and catering and events venue on the top floor of the historic Old Castle Brewery in Woodstock, Cape Town.
This expansive, three-tiered, triple-volume loft perfectly balances modern, industrial and classical styles. Steel, face-brick and glass structural elements are softened by Helen’s neutral interiors palette and the abundance of natural multitextured textiles; French antiques coexist easily alongside functional stainless steel work surfaces; clearly distinct areas each fulfil a specific purpose without interrupting the seamless sense of overall flow.
But harder by far would be to match Helen’s commitment to authenticity and especially her eclectic creativity and chameleonic ability to reinvent herself while remaining true to her passions, talents and values. And reinvent herself she certainly has.
After obtaining her degree in architecture, she switched her focus to commercial art and spent several years designing retail spaces for a large international petroleum company. She’s also spent many years creating artworks and props for a household-name fashion retailer. But it was her interiors company, Helon Melon, which she started after being retrenched, that truly put her on the revolutionary design-talent watchlist with its signature high-quality, natural-fibre textiles.
“I knew nothing about fabrics,” says Helen. “I just knew what I liked. I loved the Habitat catalogues my mom brought back from London and saw a gap in the market here. At first, I sewed everything myself. I spent 24 solid hours making my first duvet cover and thought I’d never make a viable business!”
Yet, before long, Helon Melon’s scatter cushions, bed linen and other soft furnishings were winning awards, being featured in decor magazines and selling like hotcakes in South Africa as well as the UK, US and Europe. But even such astonishing success was no defence against the collapse of the South African textile industry, and the global recession hit hard too.
“I remember standing outside my Sea Point shop and seeing seven ‘to let’ signs without turning my head,” says Helen. “In the middle of last year I couldn’t stay in denial any longer; I realised I’d have to find a new path. And strangely, food became the more and more obvious choice. I say strangely because I’d never been interested in food and, despite coming from a very foodie family, I’d never cooked much. But I guess I’d been absorbing a lot from my upbringing without being aware of it.”
At the same time, Helen was looking for a new home that could double as a work space. “I spoke to the Castle Brewery’s landlord and asked for a space of about 55m2,” she remembers with a laugh. “And because I was starting afresh, I asked for a space in the new side of the development. I had decided I needed a clean slate and wanted everything in my life to be brand new.”
This cavernous 300m2 space was the only one available. “Because I never say ‘no’ outright to anything, I came to see it on a rainy winter’s day. I was sitting on the second level knitting and it came to me: I was going to cook, supply and create a food-oriented events venue.”
Helen didn’t look back: with the fee from her next interior decorating job she bought a professional baking oven and hosted her first event: a 40th birthday party. “It grew from there, mainly by word of mouth,” she says. “‘Make it happen’ is my mantra.”
Now, in addition to events that include corporate conferences, gatherings of up to 50 people and magazine fashion shoots, Helen is developing foodie products such as mixes for bread, risotto, couscous and stuffings. She also provides the food for Helon Melon events of up to 20 people and supplies a by-collection catering service. And her birthday cakes are in high demand too. “My favourite is a vanilla cake with salted caramel icing.”
In her sewing room, she continues to produce the top-end natural-textile products that first solidified her brand. And when the fancy takes her, Helen gives her creative bent free reign and handcrafts unusual, beautiful objects (her current obsession is paper pulp papier-mâché bowls, which she sprays with copper coating; these and more are available for sale to visitors).
“These days, I just want to enjoy everything I am doing. It’s a lifestyle choice. It makes me happy. And I want everyone to be able to join in and enjoy the experience.” • helonmelon.co.za