What would you expect from the home of an art curator? The apartment of Christopher Peter, longtime curator-director of the Irma Stern Museum in Cape Town, more than lives up to expectations: within its compact frame lies a reflection of his enduring passions and his art-immersed past. It’s a bijou space with a big heart.
Peter’s artistic sensibility was shaped from childhood, which was spent between the family farm in the Eastern Cape and school in King Williamstown and Queenstown. “I used to love seeing the fashion plates in women’s magazines, from Rooi Rose to Jours de France. I devoured it – that lavish style, the beautifully coiffed women with hats and gloves, the dresses.” It was a happy upbringing, one that he credits with his enthusiasm for beautiful things, both natural and designed
From there, it was a short and obvious step to art school, where he became a proficient and enthusiastic student. His life at the Museum (some 38 years and counting) further shaped his taste: the Museum was once the Cape Town home of the late, internationally renowned South African artist Irma Stern, and it houses a permanent exhibition of many of her artworks.
When it came time to look for a place of his own, the seafront suburb of Green Point – one of the oldest in Cape Town – was a likely option. A few pockets remained untouched by the new steel-and-glass modernization that was taking place in much of the area, and in one of them he found a gracious Edwardian building, set in attractive grounds fringed by vibrant poinsettias. Its high ceilings, wooden floors, traditional fireplace and other old-world features made it a suitable fit for Peter.
The apartment was originally built as a collection of small rooms leading off a narrow passageway. Peter changed the configuration a few times with the help of designer Marco Helfer, until the apartment had been “completely turned around,” with a cleverly circular layout and a flow absent from its original form.
The interior path of the apartment – from the small, brightly lit entrance hall, to the living room (which doubles as a dining room) to the book-lined second living area, filled with works by Chekhov, Jean Rhys and Katherine Mansfield – makes perfect sense. These are not distinct rooms, but firmly delineated spaces – stylishly separated by a sofa here or a recess there.
The original bathroom was, after judicious reconstruction, reincarnated seamlessly as the kitchen, which is surprisingly capacious despite its compact size.
The bathroom beyond is the true gem: its previous life as the original kitchen has been completely transformed. With deft plumbing alterations, a modern shower and a 1940s Argentinian free-standing basin, it’s both contemporary and classic.
High ceilings throughout give the interior a sense of size that the apartment’s footprint belies.
The space provides a sympathetic setting for the myriad pieces from Peter’s life, reflecting his upbringing, interests and travels. There’s even a fur stole, echoing the old Cussons Powder advertisement.
“My history is all here,” Peter says, gesturing toward the library shelves overflowing with books and walls and display cases of memories and mementos. “It’s my jewel box.”
Photography Courtesy of Greg Cox.
Styling by Sven Alberding.
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