An inspiring podcast on everything you need to know about color!
Nourishing Tradition with Laura Tofts
Part of learning about color is understanding it's many facets and cultural meanings. Laura Tofts passionately shares her perspective on color from a southern African point of view, describing Zimbabwe's color symbolism across pattern, natural pigments and minerals. Her goal is to bring global color conversations to Africa and spread its traditions with the world.
Born 47 years ago in Zimbabwe to British immigrants, Laura grew up in the Capital City Harare and completed her High School education there. In 1996, after completing Tertiary studies in Linguistics and Tourism, Laura moved to Brighton, Sussex, UK and gained experience in various Restaurants and Hotels before landing a position at the American Express Head Office in the European Corporate Travel Department.
The Call of Africa was too much, and Laura returned to Zimbabwe in early 2000 and joined Avis Car Hire as The National Sales “Lady” .... Until political events in the country saw the rapid collapse of the tourism industry and a very depressed environment. At that point Laura decided it was time for a change and whilst working as a restaurant manager in a 5-star Restaurant in Harare, studied Accounting by night. Once qualified, Laura took up a role as Bookkeeper in a Paint Shop downtown ... and that’s when the Eureka moment happened, and the passion was ignited.
The following year Laura opened her first Paint Wholesale Warehouse in the Light Industry Area, where she is still based today... 23 years later! Needless to say, Laura Tofts has extensive experience and deep knowledge about coatings and colour design. She is the only NCS qualified colour trainer in Zimbabwe, training architects, interior designers and anyone with an interest in colour. During the last 13 years, she has extended her skillset by delving deeply into specialist finishes, such as cement, texture, wallpaper, and anything else that adds dimensions to a wall. She has earned Certification from The Institute of Concrete of South Africa, specialising in cement for construction. Laura owns The Showroom (recently re-branded from Artisan), a surface design company that supplies top-quality products and creates unique finishes for residential and commercial projects. The Showroom is Zimbabwe’s main distributor of Medal Paints, Cemcrete, Earthcote, Jaxoleum and Wallpaper Inn, Eijffinger, ORAC, among others.
Laura’s Instagram Page best summarises it all “Africa forever in my Soul, Colour all around me”.
The Best of Two Worlds with Thandiwe Muriu
What is it like to be a black female artist today, who is the modern African woman behind the colourful CAMO series and where does she get her inspiration? Thandiwe Muriu will explains the importance of African storytelling, the diversity of the patterns and colors she works with and how she advocates for female empowerment. We talk about self-perception, the struggles of being a female photographer in Kenya and how her family upbringing still inspires her in her daily work. How does Thandiwe mix the best of two worlds, her Kenyan rooted heritage and the opportunities modern Africa has to offer?
Thandiwe Muriu is a self-taught photographer born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Pursing photography from an early age, she is passionate about helping brands communicate through photography so they can get their message across in ways that will not only keep their audiences engaged but, also help them get the desired response.
Over the years, she has developed a particular interest in showcasing Africa’s unique mix of vibrant cultures, colour and people. Through her personal work she celebrates her African heritage and tackles important issues such as identity and self-perception using the rich colours and vibrancy the continent is so well know for. Thandiwe’s signature style is colourful, clean and bold.
She currently resides in Nairobi, Kenya where she teaches workshops and regularly travels for assignments.
“Excellent series about color. It’s a complex topic and Judith approaches it from a variety of angles with her guests. Always entertaining and insightful. I look forward to listening to each episode and learning something new about color and the visionaries in the color world.”
— Review Apple Podcast