Weylandts’ The With Rethinks the Design Bar as a Space for Connection

Design is often discussed in terms of what we see: the silhouette of a chair, the texture of a material, and the proportions of a room. However, its influence extends well beyond the visual aspect. The spaces we live in shape how we interact and, sometimes, how we connect with people we might otherwise have never met.

It is this side of design that Weylandts is exploring with The With, a temporary bar opening at 107 Castle Street, Cape Town, for Design Week 2026. Designed by StudioLandt, the space shifts the furniture brand’s general focus on the home into a setting built around conversation, drinks, and shared experiences.

The idea is an extension of a business that has spent more than six decades considering how people live. Since Edgar Weylandt opened the first store in Windhoek in 1964, the family-run brand has built its identity around considered design, honest materials, and a broader understanding of what it means to live well. With The With, that philosophy considers what happens around them.

A room is only as good as the company it keeps

The name is central to the whole concept. A preposition, by definition, needs something to follow it; with requires a person, a place or an experience to give it meaning. The same principle influences the bar, developed as a space that only becomes complete when people are in it.

It is a simple concept, but one that offers an interesting perspective on interior design. A well-considered room is not simply a finished arrangement of furniture, lighting, and materials. It is also a backdrop to everyday life that gives a space its character: a long conversation over drinks or the pleasure of spending time together without an agenda.

Instead of positioning design as something to be observed from a distance, The With invites visitors to experience it through use. The furniture is part of the evening, rather than the focus of attention like an exhibition.

For Anna Weylandt, who now leads the brand, the project also offers an opportunity to see its work in a different context. “Our furniture has always lived in other people’s homes, which means we have rarely seen what happens around it,” she says. “The With lets us be in the room for once.”

Her hope is that guests leave with a renewed appreciation for the role of company in the experience of living well. It is an idea that extends beyond the domestic setting – the right environment can encourage people to engage and feel at ease, whether they are among familiar faces or meeting someone for the first time.

From the showroom to the social setting

For a furniture brand, opening a bar presents a different way of thinking about how design is experienced. Instead of encountering pieces in a showroom or imagining them in a home, visitors can spend time with them in an active, social environment.

StudioLandt’s interior design brings that idea into the physical space, while the drinks menu introduces a more playful connection to Weylandts’ design history. The cocktails' names are influenced by beloved pieces in the brand’s collection, accompanied by bar snacks and drinks poured in partnership with Moët Hennessy.

A meeting point for Design Week

The With forms part of Cape Town’s Design Week 2026 programme, with a series of gatherings planned alongside its regular evening seatings. On 22 October, Anna Weylandt will join Alexa Schempers for an In Conversation session exploring design, making, and what it means to live well.

The programme continues on 23 October with The With: Live with Muneyi, combining a live performance with drinks and small plates. A Design Week afterparty follows on 24 October, bringing the week’s focus on design, craft, and connection into a late-night setting.

Ultimately, this project rests on an idea that feels relevant to the way we think about our homes and the spaces beyond them: good design is not only about what a room contains, but what it makes possible. Furniture can establish the setting, materials can give it texture, and an atmosphere can encourage us to stay a little longer. 

The With

107 Castle Street, Cape Town

21 – 31 October 2026; public seatings from 22 Octobe

Bookings: thewith.bar