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Cool attitude : The Black and White Room boasts a giant mural of the Pretoria skyline by Audrey Anderson. Hand-made cushions by Yda Walt add a splash of colour. -
Cool attitude : The hotel boardroom is given a relaxed feel with a colourful corner arrangement featuring a laser-cut coffee table created by Sandra and Charmaine in collaboration with Vera Cruz. The fun floral wallpaper is from Hertex. -
Cool attitude : In the Africa pop-themed suite, Yda Walt created most of the hand-embroidered cushion and the wall hanging. Charmaine made the “Africa” cushions herself. The coffee table is from Twiice International and the bar stools are from Spazi. -
Cool attitude : Young Pretoria artist, Audrey Anderson, is also responsible for the upside down cut-out that appears to hang from the bar counter. The slick white African collectables are from Amatuli Fine Art. -
Cool attitude : An oversized Audrey Anderson cut-out dominates the entrance. The chair is from OnQ Design and the standing lamp is by Adriaan Hugo. -
Cool attitude : The Transparent Room is a blissfully calm space filled with... absolutely nothing. The en-suite bathroom was created by the main building contractor, Bard Withaar, the glamorous lighted mirror is from Cocochine and all bathroom fittings are by Italtile. -
Cool attitude : André Eksteen of Earthworld Architects came up with the idea of lining the pathway to the hotel entrance with an avenue of modern “trees” made of white steel piping. -
Cool attitude : Alpine Attitude owner, Charmaine Freyer, created the mirror mosaic wall that welcomes guests at the entrance. The quirky reception counter was designed by Johannesburg sculptor Nicholas Smith and the giant clock is from wholesaler Spaces and Places. -
Cool attitude : A colourful felt cushion by Ronel Jordaan sets the tone for the tranquil nature-themed bedroom suite. One of Sandra’s colleagues painted the blades of grass on the wall and the neutral-toned chandelier is from the Mud Studio in Clarens. -
Cool attitude : The Transparent Room is a blissfully calm space filled with... absolutely nothing. The en-suite bathroom was created by the main building contractor, Bard Withaar, the glamorous lighted mirror is from Cocochine and all bathroom fittings are by Italtile.
PHOTOS: Dook | PRODUCTION: Annemarie Meintjies | WORDS: Jacqueline Myburgh Chemaly
A new boutique hotel in Pretoria is modern, South African and stylish in equal measure. Why wouldn’t you want to stay there?
When you turn off the N1 highway onto Atterbury Road and the hustle and bustle of eastern Pretoria’s busy arterial, the last thing you expect to see right in front of your eyes is the hippest hotel in Gauteng.
But it’s there and it’s unmissable.
A cluster of Eduardo Villastyle white steel “trees” welcome you and line the watery path to the entrance of this thoroughly modern establishment, where you’ll literally disappear into the coolest spot in Pretoria.
The concept of the Alpine Attitude Hotel was dreamed up by owner Charmaine Freyer. With a love for art, local design and everything African, she wanted to create a boutique hotel that was a little piece of Africa but revisited through intensely modern lines and contemporary art and design.
The team that helped her to realise these dreams came from Earthworld Architects in Pretoria and its chief architect, André Eksteen, who was responsible for those striking white trees at the entrance. However it was in Earthworld’s interior designer, Sandra Bodard, that Charmaine found a kindred spirit and together the two women set about creating the uniquely cool and chic South African mood of the Alpine Attitude Hotel.
Charmaine’s only brief to Sandra was that the hotel should be fun and South African. Sandra took a tour of Charmaine’s existing business, a self-catering hotel next door, and soon realised that her client had a fair amount of style and design experience herself. However Charmaine insisted that two heads were better than one and the two have formed a charming bond that is likely to lead to bigger things.
Originality sells
From the outset, it was part of Charmaine’s plan to create a hotel that was totally different to anything that she had ever seen before. The idea was also a marketing strategy. She correctly believed that if she spent her money on creating something original, the hotel would sell itself and she wouldn’t have to spend on advertising.
The basic design palette is extremely neutral. Working with Rudolph and Van Vuuren tiles, Sandra and Charmaine started by selecting a large tile, almost the colour of concrete, for the reception and entertainment areas. Elsewhere, everything from leather to glass and wood-like tiles have been used.
Both Sandra and Charmaine were intent on creating a strong foundation to the design of the hotel, thereby ensuring that it would be uncomplicated to remove and update the trimmings should they tire of the current colour and objets. When it came to choosing a colour, both loved the edginess of acid yellow.
The tone for the lounge and bar area was set by the gigantic cut-out picture of a street scene that Charmaine bought at the University of Pretoria year-end exhibition. Young artist, Audrey Anderson, had already contributed two large artworks and was then commissioned to cut out a design on the light bar.
Petite Designs provided all the soft furnishings apart from Ronel Jordaan’s trademark pebble cushions, which lend an organic feel. Adriaan Hugo standing lamps are modern yet timeless in this environment.
The cut-out theme continues in the outdoor dining area, where you’ll find funky yellow laser-cut steel furniture from Alsalvador in Johannesburg. In the conference centre, guests are invited to store their valuables in a wall of smart laser-cut steel lockers created by Vera Cruz, also in Johannesburg.
Fun touches throughout
But undoubtedly the star of the show in the main area of the hotel has to be the dramatic reception table – a massive silver-grey pebble created out of fibreglass by Johannesburg sculptor Nicholas Smith of De Stijl. It’s this touch of fun that sets the tone for the rest of your Alpine Attitude experience.
Upstairs, seven bedrooms have been individually decorated to take the visitor on a tour of great as well as quirky South African art and design. Charmaine took her original inspiration from Sol Kerzner’s renowned Le Touessrok Hotel in Mauritius, where the beds stand proudly in the centre of the rooms, with the bathrooms discreetly in the background.
Various themes such as leather, nature, glass and pebbles lend the hotel a distinctly natural and organic air. Yet, the extremely modern design shows that green need never be dull and brilliant touches of art and design throughout lift the hotel into the extraordinary category.
The Transparent Room (yes, everything in this bedroom, apart from the bedding, is clear!) is dominated by a dramatic photograph taken by ABSA L’Atelier Art Competition winner Retha Ferguson.
In the Nature Room, Ronel Jordaan surprises with a colourful floral pillow on each bed. Here, a Mud Studio clay chandelier is the perfect foil for the oversized green grass blades painted onto the wall.
Guests in the Leather Room will find a wall entirely clad in leather and, in the Black and White Room, a dramatic wall mural of Pretoria has been painted by Audrey Anderson.
The Alpine Attitude Hotel is very much a work in progress. Although it may appear perfect and complete upon first glance, Sandra and Charmaine still have many plans indeed to expand on this concept of a South African designer hotel.
• Earthworld Architects: 012 346 5400, www.earthworldarchitects.co.za
• Alpine Attitude Hotel: 012 348 6504, 082 579 1628, www.alpineattitude.co.za, 522 Atterbury Road, Menlo Park, Pretoria
