MODERN MONOCHROME

The lavish use of shades of grey in this 1950s renovation has the surprising effect of adding a feeling of space and tranquility. Finished with black and white furnishings and punctuated with natural wood detailing and pops of green, it’s a family home that finds the perfect balance between comfort and contemporary edge.

“IT’S ALL MUCH MORE COSY; MORE CHATTY.”

Since 2001, Danielle and Colin Howard have been living in their Green Point home in Cape Town, looking out onto the city and Atlantic Ocean beyond from the high mountainside perch on which their house is built. It’s here they have raised two sons, Dylan and Jack, while Colin grew his production company Egg Films and property business Upper Pepper Workspace, and Danielle developed her eponymous interior decorating business after years spent as a fashion buyer.

Throughout this time, they have watched the bauhinia, a tree reaching out from their poolside garden deck, grow bigger and bigger, each year offering more shade under its towering branches. “It’s full of leaves now,” says Danielle, “but when summer comes all the leaves fall and it’s just full of these purple flowers.”

The Howards are accustomed to such changes. Although very well settled in their abode, they’ve subjected the 1950s structure to three renovations, the latest being a dramatic overhaul that included opening up walls and then painting many that were left in a dark, textured grey, allowing the sea view and bloom-festooned bauhinia to capture the attention even more through their brighter contrast.

This recent renovation had the couple call on the aid of Johannesburg-based Studio 19, run by interior designers Mia Widlake and Debbie Votin. Studio 19 had previously designed the interiors for Upper Pepper Workspace, a serviced office space for creative companies in the Cape Town CBD, and the couple knew the contemporary approach would suit their personal lifestyle too.

“It was a real collaboration,” says Danielle. “Mia and Debbie helped me design the space, and then I executed it all, while they gave their input from Joburg.”

“It’s very different to how we normally work,” says Widlake, explaining how collaborating on an interior decorator’s personal environment calls for a unique approach. “Danielle is very talented, but sometimes when doing your own home you have many doubts and uncertainties, so it was about helping her see things differently and step out of her comfort zone.”

Danielle’s inclination is toward a Japanese aesthetic. “I like peaceful, tranquil spaces,” she says. Votin, who happens to be Danielle’s stepsister, jokes about this: “Because I’ve known Danielle almost all my life, I could say to her, ‘Stop with all that weird, light, Japanese stuff – we need to move on.’”

The result of “moving on” is a moodier interior sporting a dark grey Earthcote paint called Ja Boetie Johan, with touches of colour added in the form of velvet cushions, sculptural side tables and indoor plants. One artwork – a seascape photograph by Patricia Driscoll – is the only piece that offers a hint of blue on the bottom storey. Upstairs, on the bedroom level, two Jeanne Gaigher artworks pop with vibrant yellows. All the other artworks are black and white.

And there are many, collected by the couple over their years together, including photographs by film directors, artists and musicians with whom Colin has worked. They are spread across the home, and preside over furniture pieces gathered over decades, too – from vintage sideboards and seats, to more modern local pieces by the likes of Haldane Martin, Dokter and Misses and LIM. New Bird hooks and mirrors by Studio 19 enhance the modern slant.

“There’s a warmth that vintage pieces add to a space,” says Widlake, “so we like to layer them with new items. We loathe waste, so we often try to rescue furniture and help people reinvent what they already have.”

“THERE’S A WARMTH THAT VINTAGE PIECES ADD TO A SPACE.”

The biggest reinvention, however, came from opening up the living, dining and kitchen areas and creating more of a sociable flow between the different rooms.

By installing custom-made screens to define spaces, they maintain their identities, while the placement of an additional dining area in the kitchen has become a treasured novelty.

“Having two dining areas means we can use both when the kids have friends over, with each party having a different space,” says Danielle.

The kitchen nook includes a Studio 19 Panel sofa, making meal times casual and lounge-like, while the more formal dining room now has shutter doors that open to a small outdoor patio, affording a breezy, light-filled environ. “It’s all much more cosy; more chatty,” says Votin.

Whether gathered indoors or under the flowering bauhinia, there’s a place for everyone in this family house, which maintains its homeliness, no matter the evolution of walls, paints and seasonally influenced trees.

In complementary black and white, Boston terrier Coco relaxes on a day bed in the chic yet cosy living room, which faces out onto the garden.

Clockwise from right: The kitchen is designed for easy entertaining while family and friends perch along the island counter; Custom-made slatted screens between the kitchen and dining areas define each space while maintaining a feeling of spaciousness; Natural textures create a serene environment in the TV room; With the exception of just three pieces, all of the many artworks throughout the home, including those in the bar nook, are black and white.

Clockwise from above left: Splashes of rich green tones and the addition of indoor plant life in the bathroom, dining area and Danielle’s office add vibrancy and texture to the otherwise entirely monochrome interior aesthetic, while also subtly connecting the indoors to the garden; A vintage chair has pride of place in the guest bedroom; The patio leading from the dining room onto the garden is where the family gathers to play board games; The owner’s love for Japanese style is evident in the low futon-syle bed, while the original 1950s ceiling adds a sense of openess and elegance.