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The history and future of Manital in South Africa – Jonathan Wener

In the early years (1984), the start of my ironmongery career, the variety of exceptional quality, reasonably priced Italian door handles was limited. In those days there were two ends of the spectrum. 

  • The inexpensive Victorian and Georgian style of cast brass (now even cheaper, being manufactured in India), and
  • The exclusive, expensive, modern, and classic ranges, that only the super-wealthy, building homes with unlimited budgets could afford. 

I saw a gap in the market for reasonability-priced and well-designed lever handles with matching pull handles. Many of my architect and interior design clients had requested well-designed Italian lever handles to complement their creations (clients’ new homes) at an affordable price.

In times gone by, it was not as easy as it is today, to find products over the internet, one had to visit trade fairs in Italy, Germany, and Europe in general and walk for hours, if not days at the fairs looking for new product ranges. Trade fairs still take place today, however, Google is a lot easier. 

I did this with the prerequisite of finding a range of Italian lever furniture that would appeal to all tastes and budgets in the South African market.

MANITAL was found and imported into South Africa by Design Hardware in those days. Within a short period, MANITAL became one of the largest and most widely used ranges of Italian lever furniture in South Africa. 

Minimal stock was held; therefore, the entire range was available with a 4-6 week delivery lead-in time. Approx. 100-150kg of orders were imported (by order) per week, thus equating to an average of 85-120 pairs of handles (size dependent) that were sold mainly in Johannesburg and surrounding areas per week.

Today the wheel has turned, and I am proud to announce that I again have secured the agency, through Ironmongery Warehouse Africa, for MANITAL that I first brought to South Africa in the early 1990s. 

MANITAL is one of the world leaders in Lever furniture.

MANITAL is an award-winning, well-diversified, and well-thought-out range of 60 varying styles of lever furniture with matching pull handles. Many of the styles are designed by well-known European architects and designers.

Base metals: 

  • Brass
  • Stainless Steel
  • Zinc Alloy

Finishes:  

  • Polished or Satin Bronze
  • Polished or Satin Chrome 
  • Polished or Satin Copper
  • Polished or Satin Nickel
  • Anthracite Antique
  • Antique
  • Antique Iron
  • Black
  • White

Designs and Styling – Ranges Vary: 

  • Ultra-Modern
  • Modern
  • Classical
  • Minimalistic
  • Contemporary
  • Floral Ceramic
  • Rustic
  • Contract Ranges

Written by the forever passionate Jonathan Wener, Founder, non-executive director, and shareholder of Ironmongery Warehouse Africa.

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