The Fresh Prince

The newly renovated apartment of Joburg’s most stylish son is a cocoon of low-key panache and quiet charm, the ideal tonic to big-city living

High-profile people live so much in the spotlight that the need for a space of their own – somewhere private and personal – is even more of a priority than it is for most. As a man whose professional side is so well documented – philanthropist, actor, entrepreneur, spokesperson – Maps Maponyane’s home needed to be totally the opposite of his public life, a low-key, low-traffic, high-comfort space designed with decompression in mind.

As a result, when he decided to renovate his Craighall apartment in Johannesburg he needed a designer who would grasp this key element of the project and turn his apartment into a refuge, somewhere to escape to that would house all his passions and reflect his personality. Known for an incredibly sophisticated and contemporary, but layered aesthetic, Studio 19 was the ideal design firm to fulfil this wish list.

In addition to it being a safe space to retreat to, it also needed to be somewhere that would re-energise Maps in between trips. A frequent traveller with a fast-paced schedule, often home for no more than a few days at a time, his routine is punishing and needed to be countered by a soft place to land that serves as an easy transition from his travels – a globally informed resting spot inspired by the cities he visits but rooted deeply in South Africa. ‘Because I’m away so much, I needed somewhere that I look forward to coming back to, somewhere tranquil that would inspire me,’ he explains.