Name: Haldane Martin
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Size: 810 sq.ft.
Years lived in: 0 — we shot this space in the very first week he moved in!
When Haldane agreed on a house tour, less than 48 hours after he moved in, you would expect the normal chaos that relocation brings. However, we totally underestimated the determination of this successful furniture designer and entrepreneur from Cape Town. He was a man on a mission to get his nest ready and livable in no time.
Haldane later reveals; decorating your own space, as a furniture designer can be a real curse, the search for perfection is endless, therefore the sooner it gets done, the better! The house was in a shabby state when he purchased it, but creating a “clean canvas”, proved to be a winning recipe. He painted the entire flat white, including the damaged floorboards, he then introduced color to the all-white nest, by painting feature walls in a primary color. Haldane is a creative genius and his designs can be seen throughout his house and it comes at no surprise that he is making waves with his designs worldwide. Haldane’s philosophy of living with integrity is reflected in every piece he creates, and he dreams of making a positive contribution to the evolution of culture through his creative work as a designer and teacher. See his collection at: Haldane Martin.
AT Survey:
My Style: Contemporary South African
Inspiration: The wealth of creativity I am exposed to in Cape Town.
Favorite Element: My white floor, and occasional bold dashes of pure primary colors on the otherwise neutral grey walls. It “lifts” the space and gives a contemporary edge to an otherwise quite conventional Victorian building.
Biggest Challenge: Not obsessing about every single spec of dust on my pure white floor! I am sure I will let go of this as I settle into my new space and as the floor gets a little more “worn” in.
What Friends Say: I haven’t had my house warming yet!..
Biggest Embarrassment: Living with the untouched exterior courtyard that I haven’t got to yet. Very hard for the perfectionist that I sometimes am!
Proudest DIY: I hate DIY! I have employed contractors to do absolutely everything.
Biggest Indulgence: My Fiela Feather Chandelier, it is one of my own new designs. It brings an a soft angelic ambience to my living room.
Best Advice: Know yourself, love yourself, express yourself (without becoming a self absorbed narcissist!) This is the rare luxury of being single that I am currently enjoying.
Resources:
Kitchen Appliances and Hardware: All over
Furniture: All from my own company HALDANE MARTIN. New Slant modular shelving system. Riempie Couch, Weightless Coffee Table, Weightless Round Glass Table and Weightless Tub Chairs.
Lighting: Existing and from my own company HALDANE MARTIN. Fiela Feather Lights.
White Flower ball by Heath Nash in my bedroom.
Rugs and Carpets: Inguni Cow hide - African Game Skins
Window Treatments: Curtains — St Ledger & Viney Print designed by Cathy O Cleary
Beds: Head rest Cushion by Helen Melon, Round meditation cushion by Jenny Gifford
Artwork: Living Room: Sue Pam Grant (domesticity series), Dining Room: “It's Beautiful Here” wire coat hook by Heath Nash. Other artwork "Mary & Joseph" by Zimbabwe wood carvers, Wire & Bead animals from Heartworks at the Biscuit Mill.
Paint: LT Discount Paint
Thanks, Haldane!
This House Tour comes from Liezel Strauss, a worldwide traveler and new contributor at ApartmentTherapy DC!
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The feather chandelier and kitchen chairs are amazing!
Yowza. That place is awesome. Bravo, Haldane Martin!
That chandelier is spectacular, i want to live inside it.
WOW! Looks great! Love the feather chandeliers and the feeling of warmth the place has while still looking modern.
Such an amazing place! The furniture is so unique and the feather lamp simply stunning. I'm not big on the primary colors, but they are working for him.
what a pretty little place. looks wonderful.
oh my goodness, that chandelier is breathtaking
That easy chair looks great as well...
simply elegant. i love the vase with the doll legs.
Where can I get that meditation pillow? It's lovely.
I think the chandelier in the living room looks like it pooped on the rug.
Cape Town is such a creative city. I was lucky enough to spend the summer there a few years ago and was dazzled by the mix of styles and influences and the unique craft/art scene.
Love this apartment.
yes, i stayed in south africa for a month a couple of years ago and Cape Town is absolutely magnificent!!!
What I like about this place is that it is NOW. So much of what we're seeing in the United States right now is this rehashed Mid-Century Modern thing. I feel like no one has the guts to go out and support the contemporary design of today. Fortunately, we can rely on the rest of the world to stay current and fresh!
What a lovely space you have created. Is there any way for you to show us the chandelier when lit?
Love the minty blue, icey grey hint of white and honey colored wood piece in the living room, do like like the skin rug but very nice space and settings.
Once again AT thank you. As a South African who lives in Canada it is awesome to see international appreciation for South African designers. The embargo's of the eighties and early nineties led an already creative people to be more creative and self sufficient. The Cape is easliy one of the most cosmopoliton areas in the world.
I have already sent an e-mail price request and am going to look into shipping options on several pieces.
wow!!
does one use a feather duster to dust those pendants?
heh. I crack myself up.
very nice.
I LOVE your use of color. So soothing and calming.
wow - thanks for sharing your way cool home
Same reaction as KateMick: we are witnessing the room in the process of relieving itself. By the looks of it, its poop apparently smells pretty damn amazing.
more fuel for my ostrich feather obsession!
Gorgeous!! Please tell what the grey paint color is in the living room - by Pantone # or paint name… very curious, as it works beautifully, and greys are SO tricky!
SA - already on my "travels" list - but now even more so!
I'd love more info on the bookcase. It was fantastic.
amazingly beautiful! the feather pendants are so rad. as are the dining room chairs. i love it all!
good god you have nice stuff (and maybe more importantly, you don't have a bunch of extra not-so-great stuff lying around to clutter it all up).
Beautiful. Where can we buy your pieces, particularly the feather chandelier?
LOVE everything about the living room. I agree that it is nice to see a deviation from mid-century. The blood red bathroom freaks me out, though.
HOW cozy does that bed look? Love the lamp on the floor next to it too.
That's it--I'm removing everything from my house and starting over.
so talented--great photographs!--and who is this heath nash--fantastic. The only time I've heard "I hate DIY" on the internets. hee
This is one of the most fun house tours on AT recently. Thanks.
that green wall is the exact same colour as my bathroom cabinets & door - that i can't wait to get RID of! it looks nice here though.
hmmm...I am definitely not diggin' the feather chandeliers. They certainly bog down the room for me and bring the eye down way too much, too heavy for me(living room). Also, as one of the other posters mentioned, those lamps must be imposible to keep clean. Not very practicle. the color in the living room is soothing i agree. i like the color of the couch but it looks like a cheap fouton with that weird lattice work thing on the end and the artwork is well...ugh. the only thing i loved was the doll vase :) haha
the bedroom is boring. I am so over the uber minimalistic design. come on, no alarm clock? no bedside table? and that ball of flowers on the floor is so uninspiring and unoriginal. also, i absolutely HATE words on the wall for decoration(coat rack). it's sad that you have to spell out something instead of inspiring that message. it's just tacky and you see that poo in JC Penny catalogs, not to mention his is pretentious. ha. ok i just noticed that the "shrine" is next to the bed so, my bad but still. nothing seems very functional just overly designed to me.(minimal in amount but it just looks like a bunch of knick knacks bought last minute to make the house look "cool"
I hate the curtains in the main bedroom. I agree though the bed does look cozy. And its probably pretty in there with just the floor light on at night. I do love the childrens room. Very simple, inviting, I love the flowers on the mantle, but it does seem to appeal to the adult in me and it makes me sad to think the child maybe had no part in picking this design since there really is no design. Overall, I wouldn't find anything worth taking away from this home. Sorry
Very nice...love the feather pendants...love esp. the upholstery color (as well as the very fresh looking take) of the sofa. Overall, my first impression is that your space is not at all cliche. Also, now I think I understand the use of irony in decorating w/those stunning bathroom walls. Well done u.
I think the feather pendants look like an allergy waiting to happen -- dust catchers and oddly "fluffy" -- not for me.
I love the dining chairs, though.
And 48 hours after moving in??? Whimper! It's going on three weeks for me, and still SOOO much to do!
I have a rug like this for my living room but am skeptical about laying it out in a high-traffic area. How would you keep it clean? You can't tell visitors not to step on the rug.
it's almost pornographic (in the best way possible). i am swooning!
hi, i'm glad you enjoyed the post, thanks for all the great comments. there's more to come from south africa soon. watch this space :)
most of the furniture is from haldane's collection, you can find more info on the lights, chairs and bookcase on his website, the link is on the post. enjoy!
ps: i will get the name of the grey pantone in the living room asap...
Please! Somebody tell me where I can get those dining room chairs!
This is beautiful!!
i think I died and went to heaven in this house.
i would still like the shade of grey on the walls - i am walking a new path for me (the greige path, that is) in my bedroom and i'm kind of excited to go all out.
Hi all,
Thanks for all the nice comments,
(except yours loufromlou! ;) ).
I see there is some concern with the Fiela Feather lights gathering dust. I was also worried about this when I was designing them 2 years ago. But once I had made some I found that they didnt get too dusty, and a small shake of the shade would get rid of all the dust.
My mom, who is probably my biggest fan (some things never change!), has one of the first Fiela Feather lights I made 2 years ago, and its still looking great.
I don’t have a Pantone spec for the grey wall, but here is the local paint info;
Plascon Paint, Cashmere, Plush Matt, Colour Plaster E16-2.
Its a very light neutral to warm grey. I will see if I can find my Pantone guide, and get back to you with this.
Please email me if you have any other questions, or blog away...
Thanks
Haldane
Absolutely stunning! Love-love your weightless table and chairs--Beautiful!
did any1 mention the source of the sofa yet? i'd like to know more about it.
nevermind, i see it on his site.
I like that this is a very natural looking home, the feather chandeliers add a wonderful texture to the room. I love the splashes of color, in very natural, from the earth tones. I hate it when people assume earth tones are always muted browns, golds and greys...very beautiful, peaceful and "clean" looking. You are lucky to have such great natural lighting in the space, is this all day or at certain times of the day?
Nice work, something to aspire to! I have been having such a challenge trying to think of something to do with my new home. Thanks!
I just love the DR table and how spacious your place looks, what can you tell me about this table?
Witty and imaginative. Not what I'd do, but is really specific to the individual and wonderful to boot!
Your taste is amazing! Those chairs and the lighting is impeccable! Congrats on doing such a good job on your home!
Does anyone know where a similar coffee table can be found?
tbh, i find the feather chandeliers kind of scary... like a critter ready to attack anytime.
but i love the living room. and i love that the owner managed to make the place minimalist but quirky at the same time :D
LOVE Haldane's designs!!! Checking out his website now....
I like the kitchen and the outside area.
This is a calming space, but I find all of the animal skins and feathers to be sad. I don't think they add anything. Instead, they seem decadent, heavy, dead. These spaces would be even more beautiful with other natural elements brought in.
This is so beautiful it brings a tear to my eye. perfect. my FAVORITE tour ever.
Those feathered ceiling lamps are weird. I can imagine the size of the droppings... gross hahaha
LOVE the feather lampshades!! I feel a DIY project coming on... now where did I put those feathers