Right At Home

With a sophisticated renovation geared to entertaining, a couple of intrepid travellers have rediscovered the joys of their own space

- Jessica Ross

just nine months after they embarked on their first renovation in their home, Matthew Wild and Marek Raciborski found themselves unexpectedly locked into their own four walls, like the rest of us, indefinitely. ‘Lockdown has been the acid test of the livability of our home,’ says Matthew, artistic director of the Cape Town Opera and Marek, who specialises in renewable energy. ‘We’ve never spent this much time at home, so it’s been rewarding to discover just how comfortable and very, very livable it is,’ notes Matthew.

Indeed, pre-pandemic, it was quite rare to find this couple, known for their peripatetic predilections, at home: when they are not exploring the artsy corners of Berlin, Ecuador or Madrid, or taking time out at local boltholes in Klein Karoo or Scarborough, they are often preoccupied with work, and so for their home, they sought to connect with friends in their living space. ‘We lived in smaller apartments where it has never been possible to have a big table of friends together, so the dining room ended up being one of the big focal points of the design,’ says Matthew.