One-on-one with visual artist Emvula
By Rosalia David
WITH many people turning to the decor business, visual artist and decorator Ellen Emvula said the sky is the limit for her business Edéco, as she plans on selling more of her handmade products and hopes for her work to cross borders.
This week, the artist (EE) dishes on the pros and cons of being a decorator, visual artist and an entrepreneur in the small town of Grootfontein.
RD: Kindly give us a break down on your décor business and when Edéco was established?
EE: Edéco was established in 2013 but it only started to operate officially in 2018. I love to paint and rearranging things when I see them, so I thought it would be nice to start something to make money from what I love doing.
The purpose of my business is to engage on art work for all types of home furniture and décor. Since we don’t have our own Namibian home stores with Namibian made home products, we want to fill this void, not only for personal fulfilment but also to create a market for locally produced home products.
RD: What would you say is the mission of your company?
EE: The mission is to produce and provide local craft that livens up clients’ homes. Edéco is a store for discerning, quality-conscious buyers of decorator fabrics and complementary home accessories and furniture.
We also wish to inspire, and show people how to transform their home into a unique and personalised expression of themselves with locally made products.
Establishing a standard home decoration company whose services and brand will not only be accepted in Otjozondjupa region but also throughout Namibia and other parts of Africa.
RD: What types of products do you make?
EE: Coffee tables, dinner table sets, boardroom table sets, kitchen table tops, headboards, side tables, coffee/liquor trolleys, sitting benches, side tables, serving trays, wall art, kitchenware and home products including decor pieces such as the paintings I make.
RD: What are your future plans for your art and business? Do you plan on exporting?
EE: Definitely, we are already in talks with potential buyers from outside the country and we can only hope for the best.
We want to be able to offer a few services also such as residential home decoration cum interior design services, commercial (hotels, motels, and lodges) interior design, home decorating consulting services and other related services like giving interior makeover to historic buildings, vehicles etc.
RD: Business ventures come with challenges, what would you say are some of your challenges?
EE: As a new home decoration company in Grootfontein, it might take some time for our organisation to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from the government and other top profile clients in the already saturated and highly competitive interior design industry; that is perhaps our major weakness.
Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to promote our business the way we would want to.
However, opportunities in the interior design industry are massive considering the number of individuals and corporate organisations acquiring new properties and would need the services of home decorators to give the facilities a facelift.