SUMARI KRIGE TRANSFORMS A FORMER HOLIDAY RENTAL INTO A HOMELY BOUTIQUE HOTEL THROUGH A DISCERNING USE OF STRIKING PATTERNS IN ACCENT FEATURES
TEXT TRACY LYNN CHEMALY PHOTOGRAPHS ELSA YOUNG
When the owners of The Thatch House, a family villa on the Hermanus lagoon, decided to transform the property from a holiday rental into a boutique hotel, they sought the timeless approach of La Grange Interiors’ Sumari Krige for the much- needed interior revival. ‘They wanted something that wasn’t going to date,’ Sumari says of the once English country- style private abode, now The Thatch House Boutique Hotel, that needed to appeal to a modern holiday-maker. Keeping with La Grange’s philosophy of mixing classics with fresh elements, the only change made to any structures was to paint them black, instantly imbuing the interiors with a renewed level of sophistication. ‘Everything we could reuse, we painted in black, so we used a hell of a lot of black chalk paint on that mahogany-coloured cherry wood they utilised 15 years ago when the house was built,’ Sumari laughs. ‘We painted vanities, built-in features, joinery, chests of drawers, servers…’ Respecting the historical nature of the classic thatch house, traditional furniture that was salvageable was reupholstered, offering an opportunity for a contemporary approach to fabric application and the introduction of print and pattern. ‘Where 10 years ago we would have used a natural linen, nowadays we make furniture current by using a lot of pattern,’ she reveals. However, it was the sheer volume of the rooms that informed her decision to let loose fully on pattern-mixing. A colossal open-plan living area divided into two lounges and a dining space, and four unusually expansive bedroom suites, each giving onto a children’s room, were doused with contemporary patterns in her quest to create the intimate, homely atmosphere that the hotel owners required. ‘You can probably fit four regular hotel rooms into one of these bedrooms, so the pattern we used was never too big or too much. It honestly disappears, and helps make the humongous rooms feel smaller and more cosy.’ Wallpaper cleverly connects the main suites to their welcome nooks, passageways, lounge areas, bathrooms (some with separate his and hers) and children’s rooms, with focal walls covered in theme-specific applications that are referenced in either the colour of a cushion or ottoman, or by means of a patterned rug, tying each suite together. In the downstairs living room, it’s the two chimneys mirroring each other on both ends of the 35-metre-long space that hold this vast area together. ‘Modern chimneys are so small, so these old- fashioned eight-metre-high ones were such fun to play with,’ Sumari says of her unconventional decision to wallpaper them in a monochromatic 3D graphic print. ‘When you walk into the room, the impact is instantaneous.’ Although a mezzanine library occupies the overhead space in this room, it’s the giant black dome lights from La Grange’s contemporary handmade Indian lighting range that offer visual attraction at this level. ‘We tried to lower the ceiling height with these lights, painting them gold inside to reflect more warm light,’ she explains. Custom-made metal wall lights were dotted around the room for additional accent illumination, adding to the welcoming home-from-home environment. With a swimming pool flanking either side of this living area, one overlooking the lagoon and the other facing the Klein River Mountains, as well as a putting green, treehouse and tennis court, the atmosphere is one of ultimate relaxation for the entire family. ‘It’s not pretentious, and you don’t get the idea of being in a hotel,’ Sumari says. ‘It really feels like you’re at home, where the emphasis is on comfort and finding a spot where you can chill.
La Grange Interiors / lagrangeinteriors.co.za; The Thatch House Boutique Hotel / thethatchhouse.com
@lagrangeinteriors
Bringing comfort, elegance and a mix of organic textures into a home is what Sumari Krige of La Grange Interiors has always done best. So it made sense for a Johannesburg family looking for a ‘home away from home’ to entrust her with the task of transforming their new build – which overlooks Lookout Beach in Plettenberg Bay – into a haven to which they could retreat. With a vast green belt and iconic coastline setting the scene, Krige says that the game changingdecision to stay clear of contrived ‘beach cottage’ references and azure hues is what makes the space so special. ‘We chose neutral shades with yellow accents to pick up the toneof the local granite used in the house,’ she says. The entrance to the home takes you directly into a study, which reveals the first glimpse of the views to come, and then branches off towards the main bedroom and three guest rooms. This landing also leads onto a double-volume stairwell that takes you down to the kitchen, lounge and dining room (which all inhabit the same vast open-plan space) and then a TV room and anotherbedroom. Designed by Joeke Monteiro of Boni Monteiro Architects, the house is orientated so that almost all of its rooms capture the seascape. Because the owners wanted a holiday home that was not only beautiful but practical too, Krige chose a selection of loose-covered sofas for the TV room and lounge, and then added an assortment of wooden sidetables, steel nesting coffee tables, raffia stools and leather ottomans. In a home designed to appreciate the postcardworthy vistas (even the wire lights by Filipino design studio Schema were chosen because they don’t block views at eye level) the design team chose to keep the interiors simple. Natural wood and stone have been used extensively, and the uneven plastered walls have mostly been left bare. The expansive stairwell, for example, ‘is a wonderfully airy part of the home, so I didn’t want to clutter the walls with art,’ says Krige. Instead, a sideboard made of reclaimed wood on the landing – and a built-in stepped wall flanking the stairwell – provide settings for photographs, wooden bowls and objets d’art. ‘In the bedrooms, we kept the furniture pared down and minimal so it didn’t compete with the views. I softened the look with hand-dyed linen throws,’ says Krige. The master bedroom offers outlooks from three different windows and is flooded with light, so Krige chose grey tones with accents of yellow for the soft furnishings. Rustic standing mirrors bring glimpses of the outside in, while the en suite bathroom adds a dash of drama with its graphic Moroccan tiles. Wood and glass feature heavily throughout. Krige explains that she loves the contrast of light-wood oval pieces with the organic shapes of the ‘tree trunk’ tables in the lounge: ‘It’s details such as these,’ she says, ‘that give the home the character that the owners wanted.’ Monteiro also clad the walls of the lounge and study in wooden scaffold planking, adding a rustic element to the interior. And in the kitchen-cum-dining room, the consideredbalance between contemporary and natural textures becomes especially evident. Roughhewn ceiling beams and a large wooden dining table are offset by a slick Caesarstone kitchen island that is surrounded by inviting, upholstered bar stools perfectly suited to both long, conversational breakfasts and quick meals grabbed on the way to the beach. The unobstructed ocean panorama remains, of course, the jewel in the crown. The kitchendining room leads onto an outdoor dining area that feels as if it’s perched above the coastline, with a terraced garden that leads slowly down to the pool. This is Krige’s favourite part of the home, she says, with its numerous built-in benches and loungers. And it’s very hard not to be drawn to the oval Florence daybed that is next to the pool. ‘It’s exactly where you want to sit to best experience the property,’ she says.
lagrangeinteriors.co.za
WRITTEN BY HOUSE AND LEISURE | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7