JEWEL PURPOSE
This entertainer’s dream also serves as a glamorous bolthole in the city
Statement structures and ultra-modern spaces are what SAOTA and its affiliates are known for. So this terraced Cape Town home comes as a refreshing surprise — championing a sense of intimacy through warm tones and touchable textures, without sacrificing the glamour they’re synonymous with. The client’s brief for comfort and highperformance entertainment spaces meant that interior design division ARRCC had to find the sweet spot between creating rooms that are a pleasure to live in, and those that impress.
They achieved this with an intense layering of materials and carefully constructed contrasts. Light-reflecting glass and metallics play off the grounding effect of walnut panelling, while rich marble floors and walls, understated linen and wool rugs find the perfect middle ground within a cocoon of luxurious surfaces. This juxtaposition of gloss and matte surfaces is accented by splashes of bright colour, invoking a sense of dynamic living. A synergy of shapes — round organic forms repeated as regularly as the sharp geometric lines — reinforce this dynamism and create a well-rounded space.
SAOTA designed the house with all the guest bedrooms on the lower levels to elevate the main living area and master bedroom, effectively providing the owner with a private penthouse. Custom furniture and furnishings give the space personality, and the jewel-toned palette reflects the city’s sunsets. Spaces are designed to be enclosed or to open up to the environment, offering all-weather options.
This approach can be seen in the contrast between the custom bar, fronted by Pietra Paesina Laminam slabs, Tom Dixon stools and Classicon side tables, which add to the nook’s intimacy, and the expansive, earthy terrace areas.
“The entire living-area floor opens up to an enclosed terrace,” says Mark Rielly, director of ARRCC, “which can be closed completely for weather protection.” Designer Nina Sierra Rubia and the ARRCC team created two outdoor entertainment areas, one encompassing a lounge with furniture in neutral tones, reflecting Cape Town’s beach lifestyle, and the other sporting a cantilevered bio-fuel fireplace for drying off after a swim in the infinity pool.
“It’s a dynamic home,” says Rielly. “One where unexpected materials combine to create a space that is as energetic as its owner.”