<B>Designing quality</B>

He has a special eye and a passion for interiors… From showrooms to hotels, Gabby Steel, the manager of Interlink, has a long experience of providing offices or companies with that discreet charm that counts as much in modern life as a healthy environment.

“You can’t escape it nowadays. It has become part of marketing offices to look smart. It is part of the service. Now, you give us the floor and we will give you a furnished office ready to operate.” Just as the omnipresence of cosmetics has defined new codes in human relationships, the importance of interior design has considerably grown not only in the modern lifestyle but also in the public sphere.

And Gabby Steel, the manager of Interlink, an interior design studio based in Curepipe, which swears “full turn-key service”, has much experience in that sector : before opening his own business, his contributions have included Sugar Beach, Coco Beach, St Géran, Labourdonnais, Prince Maurice and Oberoi hotels.

Gabby, who was recently involved in putting the finishing touch to the Quality Living Centre (QLC), in Castel, where he designed offices and showrooms, has also worked on the State Bank Headquarters, the World Duty Free shop in Plaisance and the Medcor Building. He has also developed or revamped stores for Courts here and in Madagascar. The QLC stand at the “Salon de la Maison”, was also his job…

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he had a somewhat carefree childhood. “Both my parents were artistic. My grandfather was an inventor and my father an advertising executive. I probably inherited their genes.“ Gabby grew up in a little village called Kidds Beach, “which was great as we spent most of the time barefoot and running around.” It was just after completing school, during his military service that Gabby was asked to join the Architectural Section.“This was great as I was thinking of doing architecture.”

But his career would soon take a new turn. Starting as an architectural draftsman in the 1970s, he met Lionel Levin, the doyen of interior design in South Africa. They began a rich collaboration. “It was an exciting job as we were working on Southern Sun and Sun International hotels. We had big budgets and could really do special designs.”

After starting his own studio, which he ran with success for a number of years, Gabby was drawn on the path that would ultimately lead him to Mauritius. At that time, most of his holidays in South Africa were spent on the coast or in the mountains. “I used to go to the eastern Transvaal a lot to do trout fishing which is my hobby.”

And how did he come to be in Mauritius? “I came to work for ten days on the Medcor contract and stayed for twelve years.” Gabby also met Corinne here. “We have four children between us. Only the youngest, Yoann, lives with us. Pierre and Geraldine are in France studying and my daughter is married in South Africa with a young son of her own. That makes me a grandfather.”

Naturally, working in Mauritius has allowed Gabby to enjoy the sea… “I am very keen on fishing and love being out on a boat on the ocean. Catching fish is a bonus when we do.” He has also had time to deepen his views on his adopted country. “If you consider what is happening in many African countries, we are much more developed and much wealthier. I always say that Mauritius is a first-world country with a third-world mentality. By this, I mean that we have the abilities but sometimes the bureaucracy holds up advancement.”

Professionally speaking, he is quite satisfied. “There are a lot of very talented people in the manufacturing sector who can do very good woodwork and steelwork. Sometimes quality control is lacking but it can be taught.” There is also a good pool of creativity in the design sector. Something welcomed since “ there is too much concrete and not enough thought in design. People could make their houses look a little better…with a coat of paint.”