Three disciplines,
one studio.
Architecture, interior design and industrial design sit in one studio — so a project moves from the shell, to the room, to the pieces inside it without ever changing hands.
From the shell to
the last fitting.
Principia is an internationally active studio working across three disciplines — architecture, interior design and industrial design — on hospitality, restaurants and bars, private homes, retail and yachts. We take on projects throughout South Africa, across Africa and internationally.
Where a room needs a piece that does not exist yet, we design it and have it made by specialist workshops — and retail it through Exclusiv, the studio’s own retail arm.
We celebrate African roots while drawing on references from around the world. The work is unhurried, material-led, and made to be lived in.
Three things we hold to.
Form serves function
Beauty without comfort is mere decoration. Every line, joint and finish is justified by use, maintenance and longevity — built for everyday living, and for rooms that have to work hard.
Place over trend
We celebrate African roots and draw on traditional, cultural and architectural references from around the world. The result is quietly local, never generic, and it does not date with a season.
Drawn by the founders
Every project is led by one of the founders, from the first conversation to the last delivery. Nothing is handed to a junior team once the pitch is over, and nothing is lost between disciplines — they all sit in one studio.
Alysha Craxton
Leads the interior work — spatial narrative, material, light and the FF&E that turns a shell into a room someone wants to stay in.
Garth Fourie
Leads architecture, detailing and product design — the joinery, furniture and one-off pieces drawn for a specific room and made by specialist workshops.
SELECTED CLIENTS
“Garth and Alysha were wonderful to work with. The brief was to make our boat look like a beach house, and they delivered exactly what we had in mind.”
Sue and Geoff Schultz · Blue Jacket IIWork with the people who draw it.
Tell us about the project and one of us will come back to you — with a direction, a scope and a frank view of cost.