A thoughtful renovation celebrates the beautiful bones of this vibrant home
This striking abode in Cape Town has been carefully renovated to become a cosy home and a unique showcase of modern design
Stylist and interior designer Laureen Rossouw first saw this property five years ago. She and her lawyer husband Koos were about to move out of their City Bowl apartment in Cape Town, South Africa, when she spotted a picture of “a dilapidated house with classic Bauhaus lines” in the papers. “I thought it might be a bad picture or wishful thinking,” she says, but she quickly made her way to the house, which was ideally located in the City Bowl suburb of Oranjezicht, on the edge of one of Cape Town’s most charming parks.
As soon as she saw the characterful building, Laureen was smitten. “I immediately phoned Koos to tell him I had found my dream house. He loved it too, although when he saw how much work there was to do, he couldn’t hide his disappointment,” she says. It took much persuasion to convince him, she adds— although not that much, it seems, since “at 3pm on the same day, we signed (the offer)”.
Homeowner Laureen Rossouw in the sitting room that’s adjacent to her bedroom; a Paul
Bode armchair from the 1950s that has been reupholstered in a textile from Romo Fabrics; the coffee table in the living room features vases and objects collected by Laureen over the years
The living room celebrates Bauhausinspired geometry with its curved wall and windows, as well as a curvaceous couch by Vladimir Kagan; the Liquorice tufted wool rug in the living room is designed by Laureen’s daughter, Renée Rossouw