This high-rise Cape Town apartment in the city centre belongs to a blended family. It’s their base when visiting the city from their smallholding just outside Somerset West.
Decorated by Lifestyling’s founder and publisher Jean-Pierre de la Chaumette, the Cape Town apartment is an example of a successful approach to the merging of a personal space with an Airbnb-rental opportunity.
The interior is a mix of South African and Scandi. This eclectic approach offers just enough personality: a unique experience for paying guests, whilst still feeling homely for the owners. Most people prefer quirk to cookie-cutter (and if they don’t, then they should!).
Those fortunate enough to own a city pied-à-terre should take note of this successful hybrid space. Contrasting textures and materials, with a few playful accents, bounce off a neutral palette. A considered art collection adds a signature.
The result is a compact, comfortable and usable space for all who engage with it.
Texture reigns supreme: sheep and cow skins, leather and riempie, timber and fabric, all used in tandem. The coffee table is by LIM whilst the leather armchairs were salvaged from the home owner’s storeroom and incorporated into the scheme. The handy TV unit is from JVB Furniture Collection whilst the poster-style artworks above it are available from Studio 19.
Floor to ceiling curtains amplify the sense of height. Above the dining table, the vintage style chandelier (from Weylandts) provides some grandeur to the small space. Modern classics add gravitas: the brass inlaid dining table by James Mudge is teamed with a modern riempie bench from Weylandts.
Neutral soft linens and sheepskins contrast with charcoal and black. Further contrast is achieved by mixing in materials like marble and antiqued brass.
A nook off the passageway is transformed into a usable (and generous) home office space featuring a desk by James Mudge and characteristic Haldane Martin chairs. The Lucie de Moyencourt print compliments the horse poster to its left. The horn plaques complete the studious look and are available from Mandibles.
The dark blue accent wall contrasts with the neutral palette of the master bedroom. The four-poster bed offers a touch of opulence. Space-saving wall lights from Pezula Interiors assist in creating more access to floor area. The scatters on the bed were made using a selection of fabric from Home Fabrics. The bedside tables, from LIM, have been updated with drop-in marble tops. Artist Patricia Fraser painted the artwork above the bed.
The bathroom came standard as one of the developer’s choice of schemes. Jean-Pierre added some personality using plants, baskets and art (because art in a bathroom is inspiring: avoid penetrating damp by making sure your art is properly framed).
Focal points are a fundamental element: a cabinet, highjacked from the owner’s principal home, takes centre stage with a grouping of vessels on the top. Art with a personal touch: on the wall, a collection of digitally manipulated family photos.
The second bedroom – created for the children – includes two three-quarter beds (that combine to create an extra-large King). The adjustable wall lights are from Pezula Interiors. The chartreuse accent wall is partnered with a wall hanging by Hotcoffee and the throws and scatters are from Hertex. A further artwork by Patricia Fraser adds extra interest.
