The glam art deco living room can boast of a Swarovski crystal chandelier, floor-to-ceilings windows that let in light and fur furniture covers for a glam touch
This impossibly glamorous inner-city apartment in Africa’s only Art Deco skyscraper marries the owners’ love of fashion, art, history, Bauhaus and public spaces to dramatic effect. It’s a space full of extraordinarily beautiful things that belongs to the city as much as to the family that has lived here for almost ten years.
Originally an office block, the 1939 building was the first in the city to be converted into residential spaces. This apartment is light-filled, double-volume, 200-square-metre space that is part railway station and part Bauhaus movie set. In keeping with the building’s severe architecture, designer and owner Laureen Rossouw kept the interiors understated and the palette muted, then introduced moments of eccentricity and humor. A vast expanse of honey-colored parquet greets you as you walk through the double front doors with their school-hall glass panels – the first nod to Laureen’s fixation with public spaces. I love the shade of the wood used for floors and furniture, it’s very warm and inviting and fits the color palette at its best. The furniture is mostly vintage and retro-inspired, and it gives the apartment a style. Fur furniture covers and a zebra-print fug give that desirable glam feeling to the space.
Bathrooms with subway tiles and laboratory details, a Victorian wall clock in the library/TV room, a Swarovski crystal chandelier and an all-white mezzanine bedroom that hovers over the living space like a cloud. My favorite space is the bedroom with a gorgeous metallic gold statement wall behind the unique graphic headboard and a beautiful crystal chandelier.
There are absurdly striking views of Table Mountain from the two terraces and soaring floor-to-ceiling windows.
Laureen wanted the apartment remind of a hotel a bit, so she took some pics to get inspired and added some elements according to them; a steel bookcase with a ladder and a platform are somewhat industrial but they don’t interfere with the glam vibe of the interior.
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The Trek-style dining table by Gregor Jenkin reflects the owners’ Afrikaans roots
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The natural wood medicine cabinet echoes the honey parquet floors
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The steel bookcase with ladder is both functional and a signature piece; the Victorian clock underlines the “public space” feel
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The main bedroom was designed around Laureen’s passion for the Bauhaus period
