-
Thomas made the coral branch chandelier, sea fan artwork and mirror framed with razor clams. The lamp and sofa are from Pezula Interiors, the beaded chair is from Tribal Trends and the coffee table is by Robert Sherwood Designs. The rug is from Mae Artisan Rugs and the scatter cushions from Weylandts and Lindell & Co. -
Blue abalone shells and coral feature in a sconce made by Thomas. -
A vintage botany poster forms the backdrop to red chairs from Spain, and a camphor dresser on which is displayed a decorative bowl by Christian Astuguevieille. -
Thomas and Elizabeth imported the patterned floor tiles laid in the passage and kitchen from Popham Design in Marrakech, Morocco. -
The map depicting Africa in the 1900s was hand-made by Thomas. The sideboard is from Gilles Botbyl, the bronze heads were bought in Benin, the table and chairs are by Vogel and the table runners are by Skinny laMinx. The rug is from Mae Artisan Rugs. -
The white marble wall treatment was created by the couple’s builder, Team Austin. The bath is by Victorian Bathrooms and the laundry basket is from Weylandts. Thomas made the ornate cornices and the framed mirror. -
The headboard in the main bedroom is from Pezula Interiors, the bedside lamps and ceiling lights are by Thomas Boog Paris and the bamboo silk carpet is from Mae Artisan Rugs. Vintage Scandinavian bedside tables complete the picture. -
In this arrangement, three Thomas Boog shell-framed mirrors are mounted on wallpaper by La Farge in the United States. The vase is by local sculptor Chantel Woodman and the clay figurines are from Robert Sherwood Design.
WORDS Tracy Greenwood PHOTOS Micky Hoyle PRODUCTION Sumien Brink
A compact semi in Tamboerskloof is a stylish reflection of the owners’ Parisian sensibilities.
Not so in the case of the intricate art-works created by Swiss-born artist Thomas Boog, a great number of which adorn the walls of the holiday home he and his wife, renowned French stylist Elizabeth Leriche, bought in Cape Town three years ago.
Thomas has been fascinated by seashells since he was a child. They are, he says, one of nature’s gifts, a noble raw material that cannot be appreciated in the murky depths of the sea and that he brings to life with lacquer and polish before arranging them in artful displays.
Thomas’s work in found objects from the sea is in evidence all over the Tamboerskloof home: in the coral branch chandelier in the living room, in the sea fern artwork on an ochre background, in the large mirror inlaid with mother-of-pearl discs above the fireplace in the dining area. Then there are the meticulously detailed cornices in the master bathroom and the razor-clam-framed circular mirror in the lounge. (Thomas, Elizabeth and their two sons picked up the clams on a beach in Normandy while on holiday, making this piece a real family affair.)
Buying a home in Cape Town was also a family affair, and Thomas and Elizabeth’s sons Eliott (19) and Nelson (13) were very much a part of the process. As it turns out, the family fell in love with the first property they viewed: a picture-perfect slice of Victoriana on the slopes of the mountain in Tamboerskloof.
“South Africa is such a creative place; there is change afoot, it’s dynamic and the art is fantastic. South Africa is filled with good taste,” says Thomas, “and that is something you don’t find everywhere.
“The decision to live in the City Bowl was a conscious one, as we wanted an urban pad, not a beach house.”
A short walk from the nightclubs, restaurants, art galleries and cafés that line the city streets, their slender semi is located in a serene suburban road that feels a lot further from the buzz than it actually is.
In a nod to Elizabeth’s love of all shades of turquoise and teal, intricately detailed Moroccan tiles were imported – via Antwerp, no less – to create the striking kitchen floor, and whitewashed solid oak flooring is on order for the rest of the house as a replacement for worn Oregon pine slats that have seen better days.
The family loved the architectural style of the house on sight and elected not to make wholesale alterations, but rather to restore and improve upon the original features. After a wall was knocked out to connect the tiny living room to the dining room and an open-plan kitchen was created, an initially claustrophobic arrangement has been transformed into a light-filled space, the perfect pied-à-terre for these citizens of the world.
