South Villa, Cape Town

South Villa is a five-storey penthouse in the award-winning Clifton Terraces apartments on Victoria Road, Cape Town. Its elevated position on the iconic Lion’s Head takes in extravagant ocean views and local landmarks, such as Table Mountain and Clifton’s pristine beaches. The building is designed by SAOTA with interior décor and interior architecture, by ARRCC and OKHA. The  concept shows connections to the style moderne movement of the Art Deco period of the 1920s and 30s.

This penthouse doubles as a private art gallery, curated by OKHA in collaboration with the client, and features works from galleries such as SMAC, What If the World and Southern Guild. Featured artists include Chris Soal, Galia Gluckman, Michele Mathison, Alexandra Karakashian, Mongezi Ncaphayi, Pierre Vermeulen, Chuma Maweni and Atang Tshikare. There is a broad range of custom-designed OKHA furniture pieces featured in key areas throughout the apartment, from the master bedroom and the dining room to the formal lounge and lobby. Stand-out pieces include the double trapezoid-shaped Morpheus Dining Table and the ViA console in the lobby.

OKHA’s emphasis was intentionally placed on the power of form, mass and materiality. Not wanting to overpopulate the spaces, they increased the scale of the few select pieces. The coffee lounge on level nine contains light Duco joinery accentuated with deep green tones of Verde Guatemala marble and charcoal-grey ribbed detailing, complemented by OKHA’s modular Tectra coffee table that can be separated into three standalone tables and is made from blackened mild steel tube-shaped legs and polished Calcatta Vagli marble.

ARRCC used a classic ribbed wall panelling in a rich dark green in the master bedroom. This together with wooden flooring echo the Cape pines that frame the windows facing Camps Bay. The custom bed with multi-panelled headboard in Oak and French cane, broad, low armchair in rich green velvet and marble-topped timber side tables are all custom-made by OKHA. The en-suite master bathroom, where French cane bronze mirrors and oak are combined with wall-to-wall slabs of Bianco Carrara marble, provides a vibrant backdrop to the dramatic and moody master bedroom.