At Home With ... Richard Hirsch

Richard Hirsch, the CEO of Hirsch’s, is invigorated by the urban views of his small Johannesburg home from home, loves to cook in his “invisible kitchen” and occasionally just chills to the sounds of Adele on his green couch, writes Nia Magoulianiti-McGregor

- By Nia Magoulianiti-McGregor

Who I am is essentially a shopkeeper. I’m also a family man – a husband and dad. I’m a foodie and co-author of His and Hirsch’s, a cookbook that focuses on healthy, quick, easy food. I’m quiet and hard-working – a behind-the-scenes guy who is comfortable in his skin and especially in the shop.

My favourite home styles are classic and contemporary. I enjoy the comfort of classic styles, but also the clean lines of on-trend design. It shows in the appliances I love too. For example, the Smeg design as well as the super-modern smart appliances of Samsung both speak to me. I’m lucky – I work with amazing brands that are always forward-looking while at the same time there’s always something retro that catches my eye.

This flat is my home away from home, and it’s also a corporate apartment for our staff who travel to Joburg. I live in Durban but work in Johannesburg a few days every week, so it’s what the French call a pied-à-terre. It’s a small home and we needed it to be neat, compact, very efficient and low maintenance, yet still have space for us to entertain and, of course, to cook up some delicious dishes including my favourite: crusty potato and salmon slice with a side salad.