he Joburg apartment of architects
Thomas and Tarryn Chapman is
a distinctly contemporary family
home that seamlessly blends
the heritage of the building in
which it is located. Situated in
Gleneagles – one of Killarney’s
most iconic Art Deco blocks that
was designed by local architectural
firm JC Cook and Cowen in 1934
- the two-bedroom apartment has
been cleverly designed to make
the most of its compact footprint.
Spilling out through open-plan living areas into a redesigned
courtyard, the interiors provide a sense of space not often
experienced in a relatively small apartment. You’d be forgiven for
forgetting you’re in a block of flats, especially when seated at the
monumental matte Carrara marble dining table in the living room,
which flows out through full-volume glass doors to the outdoors.
For Thomas, whose architectural firm Local Studio has gained
global acclaim for its work around the continent, the apartment’s
ground-floor location was an instant draw. ‘For us, it’s about having
a relationship with the street,’ he says. ‘The first opportunity we
saw was that we could have this layering of spaces, where the lounge
feeds into the courtyard which feeds into the semi-public garden
which feeds into the street. And so the way that we live, and the way
that this interior was designed, was in relation to the street.’
The couple bought the apartment in 2015 from a deceased estate,
and immediately recognised the space’s potential. Unlike many
other flats built in the 1930s, the basic structure and layout needed
barely any alterations. The dividing walls between the entrance hall
and kitchen had already been taken down, and the original blonde
parquet flooring with dark inlay detailing was in pristine condition.
The Chapmans moved in before starting any renovations, with
the exception of adding floor-to-ceiling shelves in the living room to
house their large book collection. ‘Living in the space for a while helps
you make informed design decisions,’ Thomas says. ‘We created
a virtual model of the entire apartment,’ Tarryn adds, ‘and every time
we bought a new piece, we’d put it into the model to see how it fitted.’
As architects, it’s not surprising that their approach was informed
by practical considerations about how each area of the home would
be used, rather than letting aesthetics dictate the decisions.
Thomas’ style is clearly visible in the steel and concrete elements
that make up the courtyard, a flexible space that reflects Local
Studio’s reputation for creating clever urban design interventions.
‘We changed the position of the gate into the garden and opened up
the doors leading out from the lounge, transforming the courtyard
into an open space that is an extension of our living area,’ he says.
Inside, a neutral colour palette allows the couple’s collection
of Mid-Century Modern pieces to take centre stage. ‘We slowly
accrued furniture and built the space up,’ Thomas says, adding
that many of their finds were sourced over the years from dealers
around Johannesburg with whom they have built relationships.
T
THIS SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
In the living room bay window stands one of Tarryn’s prototype
lights, whose design is inspired by the ancient city gates of Damascus,
and fabricated out of steel and watercolour paper. Completing the
reading corner is a pair of chairs from Decade Midcentury Modern
(decademodern.co.za); surrounding a Carrara marble table by Tarryn
are chairs that were originally from a Scandinavian airport, and that can
be stacked horizontally to form a bench; the living area spills out into
the patio, where the railing-cum-counter is a design solution by Thomas.
