Situated on the West Quay of the world famous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the five star ARTEH® Hotel, Cape Grace, is about to embrace a new look for each of the 121 guest rooms and suites.
Well respected Cape Town interior designer Kathi Weixelbaumer - born and bred in the Western Cape - is typically ‘Cape’ in her approach to the refashioning. Weixelbaumer has long been established as a designer of repute with custom-decorated private homes being her main focus to date. She has a talent for juxtaposing the modern with period and the rare with the humble, whilst embracing all with spontaneity and excitement.
The new look and feel which will start taking shape in April 2008 is sure to reach a new level of individuality. “We are committed to this refashioning for its originality. Unlike many competitor hotels, there’ll be no mass purchase feeling,” comments Weixelbaumer.
Weixelbaumer’s vision for the rooms will not only be aesthetically pleasing, but unbelievably interesting too. Personalized interiors showing real integrity will allow guests to experience more than just beautiful décor, but also the charm of the Cape’s history and the beauty of the botanical kingdom which gives the region its rich and colorful character, evident today.
The understated elegance and complete sense of place which guests have become accustomed to will stand their ground as fascinating stories of the past unfold in the rooms, suites, passages and lobbies of this gracious hotel. The refashioning vision will also encompass elements of modernity. “Modern designer pieces have been carefully selected to complete the overall picture,” says Weixelbaumer with a smile.
Its stories such as that of the Dutch East India Company which was established in the 17th century to create a trade route between the East and Holland that will come to life over the next few months.
The sea route around the Cape was the only possible way, with the Cape region playing a paramount role as the halfway house - a place to mend ships, heal the sick and collect fresh produce grown by farmers in the area. As the crossroads between Asia and Europe, the Cape was gifted with a rich heritage of porcelain, paintings, furniture and silver left behind by the trading companies of that era. It’s these valuable China plates, prized antiques and interesting artefacts once found in the Cape that will create the new and unique interior.
Bespoke hand painted fabrics using the fine workmanship of local talent will create yet another platform for the Cape’s colourful character to come alive. Many of the rooms will reveal the story of the rich botanical kingdom evident in the region. The bold, blue Agapanthus, native to South Africa and a highly respected plant in the world of flora is just one of the indigenous plants that will take root in the refashioning process.
The project is due for completion in September 2008 with the result being a variety of distinctively designed rooms, nothing like hotel décor seen to date. A team effort of local small businesses co-ordinated by Weixelbaumer Design will ensure exceptional once-off tailored pieces harmoniously styled to create a special resting place for travelers who choose to navigate their way past the Cape.
Discover Cape Grace with ARTEH® |
