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Framed printers’ test proofs for a David Goldblatt book add to the study’s
monochrome feel, which contrasts with the foliage outside. The desk light
was built by Ruben; belying its small footprint, the room feels spacious.
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After almost 50 years, the building’s greenery has had time to grow
and cascade from the planter boxes down the facade, providing a soft,
organic juxtaposition to the hard concrete; each bedroom includes large
windows, which offer views of Table Mountain. Michael Taylor’s ‘The Mind
Bender’ print from 50ty50ty (50ty50typrints.com) adds a vibrant burst
of colour to the guest bedroom’s otherwise neutral palette; concrete
pendants from 20 eight (20eight.co.za) illuminate the bathroom, whose
tiles from Johnson Tiles (johnsontiles.co.za) were chosen to tie in with
the architects’ aesthetic; the main bedroom is dressed in grey and navy,
with soft carpeting to enhance the feeling of comfort. ‘We like giving each
other small pieces of art as birthday gifts because it’s a unique, once-off
thing, unlike anything else,’ says Ruben of the pair’s art collection. ‘I like
the work of Michael Taylor because it’s so expressive and humorous.’
As a partner at architecture and interior design firm Block Plan, Ruben’s work
sees him designing thoroughly contemporary spaces for his clients. But with
this dream home, the objective was to pay respect to the Santos’ creation while
reinvigorating its interior. ‘The biggest challenge was: how do you renovate something
from such big architects without messing it up?’ says Ruben, who really took his
time with the interior design, meticulously researching the Santos’ limited South
African body of work, considering every detail, configuration and finish. ‘In
each room, I challenged their decision and thought of new layouts, but nothing
worked. We always went back to the one that was most similar to theirs.’
While the exterior of the home is a revolutionary configuration of double-volume,
boxy apartment spaces, inside, the house reveals itself through a series of curves.
‘It’s a bit like living in a shell,’ says Fourie. From the entrance, your sense of space
is immediately provoked by the dominant coiling wall that separates the mezzanine
kitchen, study and guest toilet from the dining zone. At times, such bold architectural
features like this feel somewhat like an intrusion on personal space. ‘Because
of the use of curves, the home is actually configured into quite small areas that then
flare open in a way that offers you a sense of relief,’ says Ruben.
It’s the juxtaposition of tension and release that perhaps makes this abode feel
at once like a warren and a palace, as if the architects were trying to manipulate its
inhabitants’ sense of containment and freedom. Downstairs, the vast living area
allowed the owners to take big liberties, like installing a double-volume walnut
bookcase to house Fourie’s collection of tomes. Yet one of the home’s most notable
features – the seductive yet very slender staircase – is so narrow that you instinctively
lean on the balustrade to avoid losing your footing. This is one of the defining
characteristics of the space, as the architects devised a double helix – or scissor –
design. ‘The idea was that there would be four ‘house-like’ units, each with a garden,’
says Adèle Naudé Santos in a video interview with Wolff. ‘The site is very constrained,
so we had to come up with a clever way to get in an elevator and two staircases.’
Upstairs, the focus is on comfort, with soft carpeting, a pared-back colour
scheme and restrained styling throughout. The two bedrooms look out onto
planter boxes, installed in the ’70s and now beautifully overgrown, while large
windows open up these spaces to the mountains beyond. ‘The magical thing about
this home is that you feel like you’re living in the trees,’ says Ruben. ‘It’s our treehouse.’
Back on the ground floor, Ruben expanded his own design repertoire for the
decor, conceptualising furniture that would shine in a space that exposes each item
from every angle. ‘Furniture needs to be structural, almost like a piece of art – it
needs to be strong and bold. We drew a lot of inspiration from the 1970s,’ he says,
pointing out pieces like a sensually curved couch upholstered in tan leather.
A palette of ochre, emerald and dusty ‘rose vif’ is in direct reference to Le Corbusier,
while Ruben’s work mingles with some local greats, like chairs by Vogel Design in the
dining room. ‘Most pieces were designed for the space, just as purposefully as the
space itself was designed,’ he says. ‘If Adèle herself had tasked me with the interior, this
is always what I would have done. I hope she would be proud.’ O blockplan.co.za