Black Magic Christmas

A Black Magic CHristmas

In the hands of this Cape Town creative, Christmas decorating has been

given an intriguing twist defined by Gothic influences, ornate flourishes and foraged wild botanicals.

ABOUT THE OWNER RUPERT SMITH

On walking through Rupert Smith’s extraordinary and beautiful inner-city Cape Town loft it’s easy to appreciate why he is in constant demand in South Africa and abroad for his work in visual merchandising, installations and high-end media events. As well as Rupert’s consulting work in the retail, fashion, creative and advertising industries, he is a lecturer at VM Central: the design consultancy and training studio that he co-founded with long-time collaborator Sanet Coetzee. And then there is his new shop, CENTRAL; the successor to O.live, his muchloved concept store that was the first to offer the 'Wunderkammer' aesthetic to eager local decoristas. Just like its predecessor, CENTRAL has become a magnet for the city’s magpies, design lovers and seekers of one-off treasures for the home.

Rupert’s own home is a double-volume industrial space with million dollar views of Table Mountain and a spellbinding interior that is ‘a curation of all the gems that I have found on my life’s journey, things that have meaning to me.' It is in this urban, stripped-back setting FEATURE INFO:

TEXT

Mandy Allen

STYLING

Shelley Street

PHOTOGRAPHS Warren Heath

that Rupert has foregone the conventional Christmas sentimentalities and instead conjured up a darker, more dramatic vision that marries the Gothic elements he loves with opulent accents and lashings of foraged botanicals – all of which are connected by a colour palette inspired by the paintings of the Dutch Old Masters. It’s a kind of magic.

IN CONVERSATION WITH RUPERT…

I seem to have come full circle with my home. I used to live in this same building (that was previously offices) but in a much smaller loft. My next home after that was an old heritage cottage. When this space became available and I had a look, I fell back in love with the openness of an industrial building, the high-volumes and warehouse fittings. And there was this amazing view of the mountain. So here I am back in the heart of the city.

For my interiors I prefer a canvas of black and white which I then Iayer with texture, plants and objects that reflect my love for vintage and the unusual.

I love entertaining and having my friends over. Normally it is very relaxed and low-key, but I do like to make a bit of an effort for special occasions like birthdays, Christmas and New Year.

LEFT: Aesthetes will appreciate the visual harmony of wrapped Christmas presents that connect with the greater decorative scheme. Make bespoke wrapping paper to complement the theme of your Christmas decor. Find imagery you like from one of the many public domain museum or art gallery resources (we recommend the Rijksstudio library of the Rijksmuseum rijksmuseum.nl) and have artworks professionally printed onto large sheets of paper to use as gift wrap. Use simple post office tags rather than cards to denote names on gifts. Old-school cool and cost-effective.

Setting an interesting table is something I really like spending time on. A beautiful table can make a get-together so much more memorable.

Colour and textures are very important to me when putting together a table. And of course greenery, beautiful ceramics and glassware completes the setting.

TOP LEFT: A potted, well-established indoor ficus assumes the role of Christmas-tree-inchief complete with gifts positioned in their rightful place. The wrapping paper with its dark background and moody botanicals connects with the greater decorative theme.

TOP RIGHT: An out-of-the-ordinary cake with jewel-box shades seems like just desserts for this moody but merry Christmas. A vanilla sponge has been covered with aubergine purple tinted buttercream. Additional decorations include hand-painted macarons (buy cream or white macarons and paint them with gel food colouring) and grapes sprinkled with edible gold dust, finished with pomegranate seeds.

BOTTOM LEFT: Rupert Smith with cat, Luci.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Rupert’s head-turning kitchen is a laboratory of creativity and a case study for the perfect balance of colour, texture, materials, functionality and style. The central island is a repurposed vintage sideboard that has been set on castors for functionality. Simple white tiles bounce the light and serve as a drawing board – quite literally – to write reminders, shopping lists and, in this instance, the menu for today’s gathering.

RIGHT: Sprigs of pepper tree branches have been shaped into an abstract wreath above the bed; an impermanent living decoration that is in keeping with Rupert’s super natural Christmas theme downstairs. The solemn colour palette and simplicity of the furnishings have a pleasingly austere aesthetic, enhancing a sense of serenity. Though aesthetically pared-down, flourishes of luxury are found in the form of French linen bedding and a limited-edition scented votive candle.