The requested URL /index.php?main_page=index&cPath=54 was not found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. Location: Bo Kaap — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 130 square meters (1399 square feet) Years lived in: Owned 2 years Abi’s home is a treasure trove of unique finds collected on travels abroad and sourced lovingly over time. As soon as you step inside, you’re welcomed into a charming haven full of warmth and personality. Abi is an interior designer who works mainly with safari lodges and travels regularly for her work. This explains all the global influences in her intentional interior. (Image credit: Lana Kenney) Everything was structurally perfect when Abi moved in, so there wasn’t much work to be done. But she did immediately paint the whole interior white, creating a fresh backdrop for all of her eclectic pieces and artworks. Abi also put in the wood flooring and added the central kitchen island.
The downstairs area is a light-filled, open-plan space that is perfect for entertaining. French doors open out onto a exotic courtyard with Moroccan-style tiles, but it didn’t always look this way! This was the only area that really needed attention; it was originally a muddy mess. Abi removed the few odd paving stones and tiled the area with the striking blue and white tiles. Get the look → A Mix of Global Influences & Old-School Glamour Upstairs you’ll find Abi’s bedroom, bathroom and jewelry studio. Abi also has her own jewelry brand, Soul Design. Abi sources beads and stones from across Africa and has all of her brass pieces custom made in Kenya by hand. The jewelry is then produced here in her small studio. Ultimately Abi would love to go up another floor and add a roof terrace. But on a shorter term, two Juliette balconies leading out from the upstairs rooms would be lovely. With the amazing city views on offer, I agree! My Style: Essentially I'm drawn more to a bohemian style with a mix match of pieces, art and a touch of old school glamour.
Inspiration: Abigail Ahern is a brilliant interior designer in London. I have been on one of her courses and follow her blog—she encourages you to go bold and just do it! I'm inspired by the patterns, textures and colours of Morocco, India, Africa and I also love Pinterest! Favorite Element: My Moroccan tiled courtyard with pink fringed sun umbrella I brought back from my holiday in Bali. Biggest Challenge: Putting in my wooden floor downstairs was a bit of big deal, moving everything out...Chaos and dust for a week. What Friends Say: The house has such character and I think it's always a surprise coming in from the hustle and bustle of town into a quiet boho space probably more in keeping with Morocco than Cape Town! Biggest Embarrassment: Buying an 'n' and 'o' in big metal letters from a flea market in Paris because I couldn't spell anything else with the letters they were selling. I wanted the letters so badly that I settled for 'no' and carted them back on the Eurostar to London and then shipped them over to Cape Town a year later.
I did wonder whether a massive 'no' seemed a little negative so changed them to 'oz' and have them on my stairs. Still not relevant but hey... Proudest DIY: Shipping my childhood iron bed over from England and fixing it up for a 'sofa' style seat with cushions for my courtyard. Biggest Indulgence: My Moroccan tiled courtyard! Best Advice: Only buy pieces that you love. It doesn't matter how it will fit together, you just have to love it. Dream Sources: Moroccan Warehouse, Weylandts, Malawi Chairs, Gumtree, Kenyan markets for fabrics from across Africa, Block & Chisel for lamps, Nap, Caroline Gibello for photos, Anthopologie for crockery. Send us your own: → Share your home with Apartment Therapy: House Tour Submission Form → Are you a designer/architect/decorator? Share your residential project: Professional Submission Form. → And see all of our past house tours hereThe Bo-Kaap’s eclectic resident art salon and café ups and moves to Loop StreetDelightful art gallery and antique furniture store Luvey ‘n Rose may have begun its life quietly and unassumingly in the backstage region of the Bo-Kaap, but it didn’t take long for the salon to raise its voice a little, walk out of the wings and step into the spotlight of the Mother City’s CBD.
In early July 2014, the delightful shop, which originally launched in April 2013 on Rose Street, re-opened amidst the fashion boutiques and design store of Loop Street, heralding a whole new era of existence. Though, despite the new address and life phase, what hasn’t changed at all is the venue’s core objective: to re-imagine the traditional exhibition space as a place that’s unpretentious, warm and inviting, not stark and clinical. “The idea has always been to present art differently, in a setting where people can come relax, drink coffee or tea and really spend time with the work,” explains Eastern Cape-born founder Ignatius Claassen, who found his niche in the creative world after 23 years spent in the corporate realm. For this reason, Luvey ‘n Rose (the name is a quirky play on the phrase La Vie en Rose, which translates to ‘life through rose-coloured glasses’) looks more like an art hoarder’s house than a conventional gallery. The double-storey salon stretches across six rooms in an old 18th-century building that still groans with history, and all of the works, furniture and other eclectic bits and bobs are arranged as they would be in a charmingly cluttered home.
Oil paintings, water colours, charcoal sketches and more creep up the walls to meet solid wooden ceiling beams, Persian rugs spread out across creaky floors and a mixed medley of chairs, couches, stools, lamps and old-school cabinets filled with hip flasks, vintage ash trays, kitchen scales and other paraphernalia from days gone by give the space a lived-in feel. Visitors are encouraged to settle down and get comfortable in any of the several rooms – they can play chess at one of the worn tables, take a seat on one of the luxurious antique sofas or spend some time peering into dressers and timber boxes. And yet, almost everything guests can see, touch or sit on is for sale, from hat stands and Victorian easels to grand works by South African masters like Pierneef or Walter Battiss and striking pieces by contemporary artists like Karin Preller, Olaf Bisschoff, Marlene Dumas and Zolani Siphungela. To further shatter the stereotypical image of a gallery, food and drink is available for purchase too.
The rustic downstairs bar serves up Deluxe Coffeeworks coffee, TWG teas, an assortment of juices and tasty pastries, sandwiches and soups made by new nearby restaurant Borage Bistro (the chef at this eatery has worked under culinary stars Heston Blumenthal and Luke Dale-Roberts, so you can expect top-notch fare). Not to mention, because Ignatius is such a fan of cigars, the salon also sells Cubans in various sizes, from small clubs to giant Wide Churchills. So, if you’re in the mood for a puff or a pain au chocolate amidst a setting that oozes equal measures of old-world charm and creativity, trundle down to the gallery’s new premises and see for yourself just why Luvey ‘n Rose is deserving of a centre-stage spot in the CBD. Tip: The salon runs an early-bird special on its coffee between 8am and 9am every morning, so arrive when the sun’s still low in the sky and save a few bucks. Also, if you have any queries about the artworks or furniture and the stories behind each item, just ask one of the staff members – they’re all very clued up.
The Bill: At Luvey ‘n Rose, you can spend as little as R15 if all you’re after is a croissant or as much as R150 000 if you’re in the market for a painting by one of the masters. Coffee ranges from R17 to R23 after 9am, tea is R25, ice tea or juice is R15, sandwiches cost between R50 and R55, soups are all R50 and cigars are priced from R30 to R300. The artworks, furniture and objets d’art cost anything from R2,000 to R350,000. Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 8am – 6pm; Saturday: 9am – 2pm 66 Loop Street | +27 (0)83 557 7156 A fan of creative works? Find out about other art galleries in Cape Town? Use our events section for an up-to-date overview of happenings in Cape Town. to your home screen for quick access on the go! What’s more, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, join our Google+ circle, connect with us on LinkedIn, check out our photos on Instagram and follow our Pinterest boards for updates on what’s going down in and around the Mother City!