DOWN to earth

Get closer to nature with big windows, organic materials and plenty of plants in your décor.

Look out!

This all-in-one built-in bedroom wall unit seamlessly integrates headboard storage for books and toys with a desk area, which doubles as a work and plays space, and a bedside table. The unit takes up less space than freestanding furniture pieces and the inclusion of a large window at desk level allows natural light to flood the small room and offers a view of the garden.

Vintage Carlo Bartoli 4875 chair from Kartell; blue lamp from CLM home.

Everything is connected

The use of airbricks for the balustrades on the upper level of Asher and Gina Stolz’s Johannesburg home is a practical way of maintaining a visual connection between the upstairs and downstairs areas, enhanced by striking geometric patterns. A faceted, pyramid-shaped skylight pours natural light into the center of the house through a lightwell or ‘cut-out’ in the first-floor slab, which creates an exaggerated sense of space with its double-volume height.