This Couple Designed Their 900-Square-Foot Cape Town Flat So They're Always Facing the Sea

""It did not look like much when we first arrived," says Juan Moreno López-Calull of the Cape Town flat he ended up purchasing with his partner, Pieter de Groot. "But when I saw that view, I knew we could make something special." López-Calull, founder and principal of John Brown Projects, and de Groot, founder of graphic design and branding firm Graphic Potential, both live in Barcelona, but live seperately-theyutilize their respective homes for both work and play. Each home shows off their personal styles: López-Calull's vibrant and playful spirit shines in his bold, art-filled space, while de Groot's more subtle and organic sensibility comes through in his own Mediterranean abode. Having spent plenty of time in de Groot's native South Africa over the last several years, the pair finally decided it was time to invest in a pied-à-terre together. "We wanted a place that belongs to both of us," says López-Calull."

"Located in the Bakoven neighborhood on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, the 900-square-foot unit was in need of a gut renovation. The cramped original layout did not function for the couple's entertaining needs and nature-centric lifestyle, so they demolished walls and brought in oversized windows in order to create a spacious living and dining room. The small kitchen (it's "mini, mini, mini," says López-Calull) emerged from a former bathroom, while the second bedroom transformed from what used to be the kitchen. "We moved everything around to ensure that the main areas where we spend the majority of our days are always facing the sea," he says. The sun sets at the base of Table Mountain, just out the window, flooding the entire flat in a pink-ish glow each evening."

Juan Moreno López-Calull and Pieter de Groot purchased a 900-square-foot pied-à-terre in Bakoven on the Cape Peninsula. The unit underwent a gut renovation that opened the cramped layout, demolished walls, and added oversized windows so main living and dining areas face the sea. The small kitchen was relocated into a former bathroom and the second bedroom replaced the original kitchen. Original wooden beams were discovered above an artificially lowered ceiling during renovation. The flat receives sunsets at the base of Table Mountain, flooding interiors with a pinkish glow each evening. The couple's contrasting design sensibilities—vibrant and art-filled versus subtle and organic—are expressed throughout the home.

Read at Architectural Digest