Perfect Harmony

Located in an historic Art Deco block in Killarney, the ground-floor apartment of two architects references the past while simultaneously speaking to the present

- Layla Leiman

The Joburg apartment of architects Thomas and Tarryn Chapman is a distinctly contemporary family home that seamlessly blends the heritage of the building in which it is located. Situated in Gleneagles – one of Killarney’s most iconic Art Deco blocks that was designed by local architectural firm JC Cook and Cowen in 1934 – the two-bedroom apartment has been cleverly designed to make the most of its compact footprint.

Spilling out through open-plan living areas into a redesigned courtyard, the interiors provide a sense of space not often experienced in a relatively small apartment. You’d be forgiven for forgetting you’re in a block of flats, especially when seated at the monumental matte Carrara marble dining table in the living room, which flows out through full-volume glass doors to the outdoors.

For Thomas, whose architectural firm Local Studio has gained global acclaim for its work around the continent, the apartment’s ground-floor location was an instant draw. ‘For us, it’s about having a relationship with the street,’ he says. ‘The first opportunity we saw was that we could have this layering of spaces, where the lounge feeds into the courtyard which feeds into the semi-public garden which feeds into the street. And so the way that we live, and the way that this interior was designed, was in relation to the street.’