WORDS Annette Klinger PHOTOS House of Zaan

When it comes to renovating buildings in Cape Town’s city centre, property developers tend to bet safe, choosing return-on-investment monochromatics and unobtrusive fittings and finishes. It takes major backbone to sell an aesthetic vision for an iconic heritage building that involves equal parts Wes Anderson quirk, old Hollywood glam and Parisian sex appeal.

Then again, interior designers Nicola Orpen and Hayley Turner of Bone Studio have never been afraid of putting all their chips on the table. “‘Design with spine’ is the tagline we came up with when we started our business 13 years ago,” says Nicola. “A huge part of interior design is staying committed to your concept.” Luckily, Rawson Developers’ director Morné Möller was just as keen to push the boundaries of Cape Town’s existing hotel landscape with something fun and unique – which is how Commerce House was reborn as The Trade boutique hotel. High risk number one was enveloping the exterior of the building in seven bands of colour, gradating from a deep burgundy, through corals and peaches, to a warm biscuity hue. It was an extreme makeover with none of the invasive surgery. “We actually couldn’t decide on a colour, so when we were looking at one of Dulux’s colour decks, we thought, why not just go for a brush-down? It worked perfectly with the horizontal plaster bands of the building.”

The stakes get even higher once you step inside. To realise their singular Wes-meets-Beverly-Wilshire-in-Paris vision, Nicola and Hayley opted to employ the same slightly muted exterior shades, but punched them up with high-impact hues such as electric purple, cobalt blue and limoncello yellow, and anchored them with classic black-and-white details.

Each of the hotel’s seven residential floors features its own colourway, and each of their respective suites is decorated according to the themes of Ginger, Fred or Ruby (as in Rogers, Astaire and Keeler). “The goal was to create rooms that are whimsical, fun, spontaneous and romantic, but that could also serve as self-contained apartments,” says Nicola, explaining the aparthotel concept of the developers. “The challenge was to make sure the rooms had personality while still being highly functional spaces.”

To furnish and accessorise the interiors, Nicola and Hayley leaned heavily on pieces by local artisans and designers, complementing them with hand-picked antiques and vintage finds. The rooftop bar, for example, showcases bespoke lampposts, barstools and Parisian café-inspired seating by Ironstone, softened with cushions and awnings by Ascot Upholstery, and layered with vintage pieces such as an old marble chess set and mirrors.

While renovation is often synonymous with demolition, Nicola and Hayley don’t believe in swinging the wrecking ball just for the sake of it. The most notable example of this is in The Wes Bistro & Bar on the ground floor – the public face of the hotel. Here, the original parquet flooring was meticulously restored and polished; the awkward curved bulkhead over the entrance was softened with a dusty blush hue; and the dated, river-stone-clad pillars were transformed into contemporary focal pieces with a gentle pale sage. “So often in a development, people have an everything-goes attitude,” says Nicola. “By seeing the potential in existing features and pairing them with something new, you can create the personality that makes a space.”

Competing for first place in the selfie backdrop stakes is the Cara Saven wallpaper depicting Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel – albeit with a slight name change – and a stone fountain filled with dried flowers and crowned by a dramatic fabric chandelier. “I like to call it the wedding cake,”
says Nicola, smiling. “There’s a sort of Great Expectations whimsy about the dried-up fountain.” It sure is cinematic… Wes himself would agree. thetradehotel.co.za | thewes.co.za | bonestudio.co.za

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WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Supplied

As its name implies, cult American filmmaker Wes Anderson is the inspo behind this whimsical space. It’s both a bar and an eatery with bistro style food conceptualised and designed by food guru Peter Goffe-Wood. Along with an extensive cocktail menu, there’s also a selection of local wines from SA’s Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Hemel en Aarde, Swartland, and Constantia wine regions.

The person behind it all is owner Megan Kritzinger who also founded Stellski Coffee Bar & Café that has stores in Bree st and Salisbury st in Woodstock. We asked Megan to give us the insider info on how The Wes came to be…

“The name and décor drew inspiration from Wes Anderson, the filmmaker behind Life Aquatic, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Royal Tenenbaums, who’s famous for his unique visual style, symmetry, and whimsy. I am a big fan of his movies along with his quirky style and humour.  Our interior design reflects this, thanks to Nicola Orpen and her team at Bone Design. 

“Whilst I’m a big fan of Wes Anderson, I absolutely love a classic French bistro which to me symbolises a passion for food, wine and culture. I happened to live and work in Nice after school, studied French throughout university, and been lucky enough to travel this beautiful country which has always left me feeling inspired … and a little French. 

“My intention with The Wes was to create a truly unique space, one where the moment you walk inside it becomes a feel good experience … where the atmosphere, design, service and food come together to create something special … to delight and inspire our guest by delivering exceptional and unique service and a memorable dining experience.” | thewes.co.za

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For those wanting to experience a Wes Anderson-inspired holiday, Airbnb and Universal Pictures has revealed 9 listings from around the world that perfectly fit the aesthetic.

Wes Anderson is one of cinema’s greatest auteurs who regularly brings a sense of nostalgia to life with his Iconic symmetry and rosey colour schemes. These Airbnb homes offer the ideal setting for anyone who dreams of recreating their own Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel or Asteroid City-inspired moments.

Off Grid and Forty Feet Up, Tiller, Oregon, US

Built in 2009, the Summit Prairie lookout tower is modelled after Fire Lookout Towers built by the US Forest Service in the early Nineteen Hundreds.

UFO ‘Futuro styled Flying Saucer’, Redberth, UK

A unique ‘space’ to stay – the UFO sleeps four and is located in the heart of South Pembrokeshire.

Camp Grits Solar Yellow Camper, Tennessee, US

Camp Grits’ Solar yellow vintage Camper is nestled in the Tennessee woods among our other little dwellings on the camp grounds.

Kind of Blue 1959 Airstream, Joshua Tree, California

This renovated 1959 Airstream is a minimal, modern space inspired by the surrounding desert.

Pop art apartment, Puglia, Italy

The Pop Art apartment was made by Salento artisans and young artists to offer a truly unique experience, with its colours, playful and unexpected furnishings.

Retro Caravan Nights, Auckland, New Zealand

Claris the retro caravan offers guests a unique overnight experience situated in the pohutukawa coasts stunning Omana clifftop regional park.

Colourful Canalside Flat, Venice, Italy

This colourful apartment overlooks the Rio Marin Canal and filled with vibrant colours, striking paintings and decorative rugs.

Secret Suite, Santorini, Greece

Located minutes away from Oia’s centre, this bright and colourful abode offers mesmerising sea views.

Wes Anderson Film-Themed Century Home, Ontario, Canada

Mr Anderson’s House is technically no longer available to rent out, but we couldn’t resist including it. Each room in this home is themed after a different film in director Wes Anderson’s repertoire.

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Beyond the dreamy scenes in his much-adored films, director Wes Anderson has created another fantasy – this time, of the locomotive kind.

Celebrated director Wes Anderson has spent nearly three decades creating intricate on-screen worlds in films like The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums and The French Dispatch. Now he’s deployed his trademark use of striking imagery and quirky narrative style to the interior of one of the Belmond Group’s British Pullman train carriages.

The carriages date to the first half of the 20th century, and sport whimsical names such as Cygnus, Perseus and Audrey. Recognised for lavishness in their heyday, they featured on the silver screen and even hosted royals before being restored in the early 1980s to make the most of the Art Deco interiors, antique marquetry, vintage lighting and heritage upholstery. Now Cygnus, named after a constellation and meaning “swan”, has been given the Wes star treatment.

The project is a match made in rail-buff heaven, as Wes has a keen interest in train travel and has created several elegant carriages and trains in his movies. “I was eager to make something new while participating in the process of preservation that accompanies all the classic Belmond train projects,” he says of his design for Cygnus. “They are keeping something special alive – an endangered species of travel that’s nevertheless very suited to our time.”

READ MORE: Franschhoek Luxury Tented Camp

The finished product is like stepping into one of Wes’s films – a carriage that references history but is bold and modern too – and it relies heavily on his filmic calling cards, which include a love of balance, distinct colour palettes and a retro aesthetic. Cygnus features a delicate pastel- pink ceiling, green tones in the carpets and chairs, and dreamlike wooden panels emblazoned with clouds, stars and ziggurat-shaped sunbeams. Wes’s characteristic use of symmetry and angular equilibrium can be seen
in the space’s bold lines, and in the shape of the chairs and mirrors. The carriage epitomises the notion that travel is about the journey and not the destination.

Leaving from London Victoria Station, the British Pullman offers high tea and Champagne-fuelled day trips, and journeys to historic sites and sporting events.

Our own slice of Anderson

If you aren’t able to board the Wes Anderson Royal Pullman carriage, Cape Town’s Mount Nelson Hotel (also a Belmond property) is known for its striking resemblance to the eponymous establishment in The Grand Budapest Hotel. We wouldn’t be surprised if the film’s famed concierge, Monsieur Gustave H, was personally responsible for the Nellie’s signature pink paint job. For a more outdoorsy expression of the Anderson style, check out our feature on Camp Canoe in Franschhoek, inspired by Moonrise Kingdom ’s iconic Camp Ivanhoe

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The interiors of this stylish café in Chengdu, China, were inspired by Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Melbourne-based, multi-award-winning studio Biasol combined marble surfaces with dreamy pastel hues and sharp geometric angles with retro curves.

The café’s owners chose an Australian design studio to create an environment that would appeal to an international audience. Architect Jean-Pierre Biasol, looked to the “vivid and nostalgic colour palettes” seen in movies by American filmmaker Wes Anderson.

To achieve this aesthetic, the designers chose a powdery palette, light-grey marble and speckled multicoloured terrazzo, which complement the pastel greens and pinks of the walls and furniture.

“Like Anderson, we create imagination and evocative spaces,” said Jean-Pierre. “Our design for The Budapest Cafe has a relaxed and indulgent atmosphere; a whimsical and elegant aesthetic; and a hospitality experience infused with Melbourne’s café culture.”

(h/t) dezeen.com

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Symmetry and colour are two of the things that come to mind almost immediately when thinking of director Wes Anderson’s distinct style.

In this clip, Andrés Peña has created a virtual colour palette inspired by scenes in some of the director’s most iconic films, namely The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom.

This quick, fun clip is for anyone whose a fan of picking paint swatches… and Wes Anderson films, of course!

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Australian design brand The Daily Edited (TDE) has opened a Wes Anderson-inspired café in the middle of a Melbourne shopping mall.

Created in collaboration with decadent dessert company, LuxBite, this is TDE’s first ever café, with the coffee and sweet treats made to complement the brand’s collections.

The soft retro hues used in the interiors are inspired by renowned director Wes Anderson, and his film The Grand Budapest Hotel, in particular. Pastel pink shades accented with dark green and gold makes you feel like you’re on the set of one his imaginative films.

While visitors are treated to decadent eats, they can get their TDE pieces personalised with a custom monogram.

For more information, visit thedailyedited.com.

(h/t) thedailyedited.com

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Wes Anderson, well known for creating films such as The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel, is a true imaginative artist with an eye for detail and an appreciation for colour in ordinary life.

Recently, fans of the director have shared snaps of retro locations all over the world that they think would fit perfectly into his next movie.

People are sharing photos of these Wes Anderson-style locations to the subreddit known as Accidental Wes Anderson. Above you’ll find 27 – and you never know, you may spot one of these quirky locations soon on a screen near you.

(h/t) mymodernmet.com

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Using watercolours and paper cut-outs, Barcelona-based illustrator Mar Cerdà has created a range of miniature dioramas that depict scenes from classic Wes Anderson films.

Iconic sets from The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums and Darjeeling Limited have all been recreated in miniature form.

We just love the detail! View more of Mar Cerdà’s work at marillustrations.com.

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A small beach house, notebooks inspired by inkblots, a new jewellery collection by Kirsten Goss and a statement outdoor log holder are just some of the top VISI picks of the week series – week 97.

1. Wes Anderson Postcards by Mark Dingo Francisco

“I need these postcards in my life!” says special projects manager Cecilia du Plessis. (They’re actually available to buy online at society6.com)

Image credit: markdingo.tumblr.com

2. The Whangapoua Sled House

Art Director Anton Pietersen can’t get enough of well-designed small spaces this season. Missed his favourite pick last week? Here it is.

Image credit: architecturedesign.net

3. Steel Circle Log Holder

Editor-in-chief Sumien Brink knows we’re fast approaching summer, but she just couldn’t resist this contemporary wood holder.

Image credit: shopterrain.com

4. Kirsten Goss OXO Collection

Acclaimed SA jewellery designer Kirsten Goss has launched a brand new collection inspired by the boldness of the ‘80s. “This necklace is everything!” says online editor Lindi Brownell Meiring.

Image credit: kirstengoss.co.za

5. Bronze Vase

“I’m on the hunt for the perfect vases to fill my house with flowers and celebrate spring!” says managing editor Lise Avis.

Image credit: @home

6. Rorschach Notebooks

“I am mad about stationery, so I want these notebooks, inspired by the Rorschach Inkblot tests, so badly. I can’t choose between the peach and the chartreuse so I may have to order two sets,” says features editor Tracy Greenwood.

Image credit: riflepaperco.com

For more Picks of the Week, click here.

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