Vision Quest

LIGHT, SPACE AND ART COALESCE IN DESIGNER RUDOLPH JORDAAN’S UPDATE OF A CAPE TOWN APARTMENT

- Piet Smedy

Take me through your initial impression of the apartment. From the get-go, what did you hope to achieve? The home is in De Waterkant and, typical to the historic neighborhood, is quite narrow. What made it so special was the natural light that infiltrated one side of the property from both ends, and a glass roof that stretches over the staircase. It made the entire structure feel lighter and immediately connected you to the views of the harbor to the front and Signal Hill to the back. I wanted the space to become a sacred escape from the daily urban grind while maintaining a strong connection not only to the site but also to the client’s identity and lifestyle.

This aspect really comes through, the collaboration between you and the client. We approached it as an artist would a canvas or a musician a piece of music – it had to tell a story of light and dark with spaces that offered comfort and blur the line between simplicity and opulence. The key touchpoint that we kept coming back to was creating a space that allowed the art to come to life and merge effortlessly with the furniture pieces in a contemporary way.