home decor trends
This incredibly glamorous downtown apartment in Africa’s only Art Deco skyscraper combines the owners’ love for fashion, art, history, Bauhaus and public spaces in a dramatic way. It’s a space full of extraordinarily beautiful things that belongs to both the city and the family who have lived here for almost ten years.
Originally an office building, the 1939 building was the first in the city to be converted into living quarters. This apartment is a light-flooded, 200 square meter area with double volume, which consists partly of a train station and partly of a Bauhaus film set. In keeping with the strict architecture of the building, designer and owner Laureen Rossouw kept the interiors restrained and the palette subdued, then introduced moments of eccentricity and humor. A huge area of honey-colored parquet greets you when you walk through the double doors with their glass panes in the school hall – the first allusion to Laureen’s fixation on public spaces. I love the shade of the wood that is used for floors and furniture, it’s very warm and welcoming and goes best with the color palette. The furniture is mostly vintage and retro-inspired and gives the apartment a style. Fur furniture covers and a fugue with a zebra print give the room that coveted glamorous feeling.
Bathroom with subway tiles and laboratory details, a Victorian wall clock in the library / TV room, a Swarovski crystal chandelier and an all-white bedroom on the mezzanine that hovers like a cloud over the living room. My favorite room is the bedroom with a gorgeous metallic gold wall behind the unique graphic headboard and a gorgeous crystal chandelier.
From the two terraces and the floor-to-ceiling windows you have an absurdly impressive view of Table Mountain.
Laureen wanted the apartment to be a bit of a hotel, so she snapped a few pictures for inspiration and added a few elements. A steel bookcase with a ladder and platform is a bit industrial, but it doesn’t spoil the glamorous feel of the interior.
