Combining boldly colourful interiors with a forest-inspired verticality, creative entrepreneur Gary Sher’s Cape Town home is a unique and exuberant treat.
Photographs Greg Cox Text Robyn Alexander Styling Adri Clery
Some houses are a wonderful surprise. Of course it is always impossible to know exactly what lies behind someone else’s front door – that’s what the privacy of home means, after all – but nevertheless, we assume many things before crossing a threshold. We know where we are in terms of city and neighbourhood; we pick up on clues from the architecture; we anticipate a look and feel from other people’s descriptions of a space.
None of these signs and signals, however, could possibly prepare a first-time visitor for the bursts of exuberant colour and playful energy that characterise Gary Sher’s Cape Town home. Indeed, the creative entrepreneur – whose eclectic CV includes stints in fashion, design and online retail, in addition to more prosaic business ventures and volunteer work – says that people experiencing his home for the first time “are frequently pretty overwhelmed and excited” by seeing all the vibrant colour in its interiors. “It’s probably because they’re just unused to seeing so much,” he speculates.
The custom-made orange sofa was designed by Atelier (atelierinteriors.xyz) and clad in Esteban fabric in Gambas (F3071011) by Pierre Frey (pierrefrey.com), sourced locally from Mavromac & Gatehouse (mavromacandthegatehouse.co.za). The built-in wood-burning stove is from Morsø (morsoe.co.za), and the artwork on the wall directly above it is by JP Meyer (jpmeyer.art); to the right of this is a pair of artworks by Nico Krijno (nicokrijno.com). The mid-century drinks trolley once belonged to Gary’s late grandmother.
Homeowner Gary Sher on his rooftop deck, which has the feel of a “crow’s nest” observation basket at the top of the mast on an old wooden sailing ship.
With its front door neatly framed by a concrete archway and built-in planter boxes, and a concrete and wood-clad exterior providing excellent purchase for climbing plants, the house is one of a pair of adjoining dwellings that were – together with an apartment tucked into the slope beneath them – built in 2012.
In the living room, a white Carrara marble C.M. coffee table by Tonic Design (tonicdesign.co.za) is placed atop a custom-made rug designed by Atelier (atelierinteriors.xyz) and manufactured by Coral & Hive (coralandhive.com). Items on the table include a mouth-shaped ceramic dish and ceramic candle holder, both of which were made by homeowner Gary Sher.
Homeowner Gary Sher. In the dining area, a steel Turned table by Gregor Jenkin (gregorjenkin.com) is surrounded by custom-made chairs designed by Atelier (atelierinteriors.xyz) and upholstered in bright blue Soho fabric in Cobalt by Romo (romosouthafrica.com).
The mid-century tubular metal drinks trolley, which once belonged to Gary’s late grandmother, is topped with a selection of novelty coloured glass cat- and dog-shaped decanters, which were collected over time by Gary from various trinket stores.
The pale blue colour used for the kitchen walls has proved a hit with Gary – he and Adri are planning to transform this space into an entirely baby-blue-on-baby-blue room soon – and provides the perfect backdrop for a plethora of quirky collectables and ceramics. The vintage stools are part of a set that Gary found at “a random corner shop”, and the framed artworks displayed on top of the upper cabinets are by (from left) Good Good Boy Studio (instagram.com/goodgoodboystudio), Nabeeha Mohamed (instagram.com/nabeeha_m) and Grace Cross (gracecross.net).
A trio of pink glazed bowls by Gary’s ceramics teacher, Natasha Human (clayhands.co.za), and a vase by General Admission (instagram.com/general___admission).
The pale blue shade used for the kitchen walls has proved a hit with Gary – he and Adri are planning to transform this space into an entirely baby-blue-on-baby-blue room soon – and it certainly provides the perfect backdrop for a plethora of quirky collectables and ceramics. The cooker is from Smeg (smeg.com) and the black and white vase is by Gary.
The spacious balcony off the front of the living and dining space offers a panoramic view of the face of Table Mountain. The Palissade outdoor dining table is by HAY (hay.com) and Gary found the set of vintage stools at “a random corner shop”.
The custom-made orange sofa was designed by Atelier (atelierinteriors.xyz) and clad in Esteban fabric in Gambas (F3071011) by Pierre Frey (pierrefrey.com), sourced locally from Mavromac & Gatehouse (mavromacandthegatehouse.co.za). The built-in wood-burning stove is from Morsø (morsoe.co.za), and the artwork on the wall directly above it is by JP Meyer (jpmeyer.art); to the right of this is a pair of artworks by Nico Krijno (nicokrijno.com). The mid-century drinks trolley once belonged to Gary’s late grandmother.
Adri and Gary tried 12 different shades of green before selecting this particular custom-blended, emerald-forest shade for his home office. The Tizio desk lamp is by Artemide (artemide.com), the tiger rug is from Shelby Finds (shelbyfinds.co.za), and the Moonjelly hanging light is by Dokter and Misses (dokterandmisses.com). The monochrome artwork on the wall is by Piet Parra (byparra.com) and the colourful art piece displayed on top of the shelf unit is by Wim Legrand (instagram.com/wimlegrand).
Situated on the top floor of the house, the master bedroom suite is the one part of Gary’s home that is not filled with bright colour – here instead, a rich yet peaceful nude wall colour created by interior designer Adri Clery for Atelier (atelierinteriors.xyz) sets off wooden elements including the original ceiling. The large platform bed, which was designed by Atelier, features crocodile green leather with beautiful stitch detailing, as well as a custom headboard also designed by Atelier and woven by Coral & Hive. The wall-mounted bedside lamps are from &Tradition (andtradition.com), and the curtains were made up in Signature Linen in Laurel from Mavromac & Gatehouse (mavromacandthegatehouse.co.za). The space also includes a small lounging area, delineated by a rug made from recycled materials from Herringbone (herringbone.co.za) and the black and white artworks are by Ben Eagle (instagram.com/ben_eagle_studio).
In the master bedroom’s en suite bathroom, a bath with a seriously beautiful view. The marble side table is by Lemon (lemonfurniture.co).
The master bedroom also includes a small lounging area, delineated by a rug from Herringbone (herringbone.co.za), and furnished with a custom-made couch and a wooden coffee table made by a friend of Gary’s. Ingeniously concealed behind the wooden panelling is a spacious dressing room and wardrobe. The Fata Morgana pendant light is a vintage piece (the original design was by Hans-Agne Jakobsson for AB Markaryd), the three-legged side table was also made by a friend and given to Gary as a gift, and the framed tapestry on the wall is by Jeanne Gaigher (jeannegaigher.com).
Designed by Atelier (atelierinteriors.xyz), the vanity in the main bathroom features walnut wood storage drawers, a powder-coated 3mm steel surround and an integrated countertop and basin in Cian solid surfacing. The mixer tap is by Agape (agapedesign.it) and the ceramic planter was made by Gary.
The “basement”, which houses Gary’s studio, gets plenty of natural light through the glass doors onto the adjacent courtyard garden, and via the light well that is created via the central staircase. The colourful sticker decals adorning the glass balustrades (and the floor of the studio space) were created by Gary and a group of friends as decoration for a recent party at the house: “I liked how they looked, so figured they could just stay for a while,” he says.
The studio is furnished with a bright yellow table made especially for the space by Gary and his housemate Sam at The Ramp Studio (instagram.com/the.ramp_). This table is where Gary works on his own ceramics, as well as various other creative projects – such as the colourful sticker decals on the floor, which were created by him with a group of friends as decoration for a recent party at the house: “I liked how they looked, so figured they could just stay for a while,” he says. The fluffy stools are by Pia Lehtovuori (annocollection.com).
Gary at work on a piece of pottery in his home studio.
Designed by Atelier (atelierinteriors.xyz), the vanity in the main bathroom features walnut wood storage drawers, a powder-coated 3mm steel surround and an integrated countertop and basin in Cian solid surfacing. The mixer tap is by Agape (agapedesign.it) and the ceramic planter was made by Gary.
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