FINE & DANDY
Attention to detail abounds in this designer home, resulting in the perfect mix of subtle luxury and relaxed living
Attention to detail abounds in this Jo’burg renovation
You can’t go far wrong when, as an interior designer, you reference Tom Ford and Milan’s hip rooftop hangout, Ceresio 7, as your influences. Inspired by a strong, sexy aesthetic with more than a little retro thrown in, the finished look of this Johannesburg home is youthful, sophisticated and unapologetically styled.
‘every corner has been thought out, every room carefully put together and each piece thoroughly considered,’ says designer dean van aswegen of the fourbedroom hyde Park property.
If Ceresio 7 (which, incidentally, is owned by design duo dsquared2) is the home of Italy’s beau monde, then this house is one of Jo’burg’s. owned by young financier couple – doug and Marc – the pair initially called on dean to give the home a minor upgrade, but were soon convinced by the merits of a huge design overhaul. ‘They were dream clients,’ he says. ‘They travel a lot, so were looking for that european hotel look and gave me carte blanche to deliver it. We were excited to go on the journey together that essentially meant starting again.’
When they are not abroad, the owners regularly entertain so one of the main stipulations was a party-friendly space with seamless indoor-outdoor flow. It had to be flexible, too, in order to facilitate everything from laid-back pool parties to intimate dinners and after-dark drinks.
Fortunately, the open-plan ground floor – painted entirely in unifying white – lends itself to hosting. The heart of the house opens up to guests as soon as they step across the threshold and into the double-height entrance hall. Flanked by a staircase on the left, a sunken lounge presents itself to the right which, in turn, opens up via glass walls to the outside.
accessed down two steps, dean has used a u-shaped seating configuration to create a designated indoor living room. This space is grounded by two points:
a curved custom velvet indigo sofa and a black oak-clad wall that houses the TV and fireplace. They are two bold full stops in a purposefully free-flowing space that otherwise leads visitors straight outside.
Mirroring its internal counterpart, the other side of this feature wall has also been clad in black (this time in tile) and anchors the outdoor living area. here, dean’s decision to approach the outside in the same way as he would the interior is the secret to its success. ‘all the furniture was deliberately designed to look like indoor furniture,’ he explains. ‘I wanted the outdoor living room to feel just as sophisticated as its indoor counterpart.’ as a result, cream club chairs from Tonic design and a custom low-slung sofa and bench have been carefully chosen alongside a sink-in grey rug from Papilio. The cluster of coffee tables add interest to the definition-defying space.
classic Tom Ford references abound throughout, with a notable lack of clutter that makes the scheme feel serene. Think smooth planes of deliciously dark oak interrupted only by brass punctuation points or velvet tailoring and cream-and-grey linen offset by a smattering of bold statement art.
With such a lack of distraction in the form of ornament or clashing pattern, the devil is most definitely in the detail; be it the brass feet of a table, the yellow pop of silk backing on a cushion or glossy marble tabletop. Most of the furniture has been designed by dean, with every element there only because it finishes the look.
The master bedroom is the perfect example: the four-poster bed’s base deftly slotting into the bedside tables. one of dean’s favourite parts, however, is the dining nook. here the eye can’t help but dart from the turned legs of a gregor
Jenkin dining table, over the clean lines of a Tonic design mustard dining chair to the black and white fabrics of the breakfast bench. on the ‘zig zag’ bookcase – designed by dean in black powder-coated steel, brass and oak – every piece has been picked for its shape or texture.
‘every element needs to be considered for the finished look to work,’ he says, readily admitting that he still returns once a week to style the coffee tables. ‘It needs to be perfect,’ he says. and indeed it is.
Dean van Aswegen deanva.com