Meet Michael Chandler

Born in East London in 1985, Michael John Chandler has always been curious. Early in life, Mr. Chandler sought to elevate the mundane, to make every day somehow extraordinary. By the age of 10, needle-work, sewing, flower arranging, gardening, breeding tropical fish, painting, doodling & wood-working were part of his repertoire. Through storytelling, with the magic of gesture, Michael found that day-to-day objects could be imbued with a spectacular joy.

Michael moved to Cape Town in 2000, where he eventually went on to earn a Bachelor in Arts at the University of Cape Town. There, he reveled in the expansive worlds of Literature, Classical Mythology, Media, Film History, Philosophy, and Art History. While completing his Honours degree in Art History, Michael began working at Stephan Welz & Co.
After a year spent cataloging antiques, paintings, ceramics, and silver at the fine art auction house, Mr. Chandler went on to work for the esteemed Everard Read Gallery.

It was later, as Michael sat frustrated by the limitations that are so often tied to tradition and its ideals, Chandler House soon came to be. Space has allowed Mr. Chandler to curate and creates with wild and expansive abandon. His work has been exhibited at the South African National Gallery, he has collaborated with local retail giant Mr. Price, creating whimsical homeware and bespoke textiles. He works with ink and paper, cobalt blue on porcelain, intricate hand-painted ceramic murals, and the novelty of his patrons’ commissioned dreams.

If you are looking to gift a loved one – or yourself – a magical and unique, hand-crafted Mr. Chandler original, please enquire about your desired commission.