The Baby Grand

PHOTOS Micky Hoyle PRODUCTION Sumien Brink WORDS Jacquie Myburgh Chemaly

Interior decorator Francois du Plessis took six years to turn this compact City Bowl Victorian into a white oasis with a heart of green.

How does an interior decorator, seduced daily by the latest products, furnishings, finishes and trends, decorate his own home? They say this is precisely why fashion designers wear black, so surely there must be an equivalent answer or decorators?

For Cape Town’s Francois du Plessis and his partner Graham Jones, the answer lay in a colourless palette with touches of timeless glamour – and plenty of patience.

Their home in Schotscheskloof, the little-known suburb perched on the slopes of Table Mountain between the Bo-Kaap and Tamboerskloof is, at first glance, a classic Victorian complete with wraparound stoep. But with Francois’ accomplished eye and Graham’s extraordinary green fingers, their six-year-long renovation has transformed the hippy terracotta house they found into something of a study in stately style. Plus, what has all the elements of a grand Victorian is in fact a compact and stylish town house. In Francois and Graham’s home, which has two bedrooms and bathrooms, the comfortable flow, lightness and touches of elegance are what contribute to the modest splendour that have become the Francois du Plessis signature.

On the mantelpiece in the dining room, a collection of simple glass vases with single green stems is what draws your eye. In Francois’ bathroom, the cosy alcove around the bath is dressed up with a gleaming silver-leafed mural by Julian and Ilaria of Paintiques. Francois and Graham’s favourite piece in the house is a faded gilt French dressing table with full-length mirrors on either side. These glamorous touches are not over the top, nor have they cost a fortune, yet they add up to an understated sophistication that sets this house apart.

Here, Francois has mastered the art of recycling pieces from clients, his own collection and from the existing house. In the renovation, doors that were removed from inside were repurposed as windows to Graham’s garden. Down the passage, a spectacular collection of art and photographs tells the story of Francois’ life in black-and-white symmetry – designer style with a sincere personal touch.

Francois says the most important part of the renovation was to introduce light into the house by making the doors to the exterior taller and using sandblasted white marble tiles from World of Marble and Granite on the floors of the passage and living area. Dover White Light (47-14P E7) from Plascon complements the effect on the walls.

Graham is the one behind the jungle-like garden, where there’s the feeling that more lies beyond the periphery if you care to explore. It’s a simple recipe: a mass of banana trees and elephant ears – all harvested from the previous garden – planted in front of a wall of “latte” with plenty of ground cover.

The garden room, or conservatory, off the kitchen is a delight – the essential informal kick-off-your-shoes-and-sip-a-gin kind of room that so many houses crave.

The final step that completed the renovation was the creation of a dramatically dark charcoal kitchen at the end of the white passage. The contrast is deliberate; the perfect elegant foil to the rest of the white house and an easy space for guests to chat around the table while Francois cooks.

Plascon’s Rhine Castle (GR-Y10) on the walls and kitchen tops covered in Maron brown marble from the Marble Gallery are the finishes that sealed the effect.

So that’s it then: fashion designers do black; decorators do white and light. Francois cheats slightly with the grey-and-black ikat-covered armchairs in the living room – but you know they won’t hang around for long in this light oasis of timeless style.

Francois du Plessis Interiors 021 461 1166, fdpinteriors.co.za
For more paint-related information and inspiration, visit plasconspaces.co.za