Multidisciplinary designer Mia Widlake and her artist and adman husband Rui Alves have given an architect’s former home in Johannesburg a new lease of life.
Could Mia Widlake have discerned the hand of a kindred spirit when she first saw this “long and skinny” house in a cul-de-sac in her neighbourhood? Mia is known for her versatility as a designer. Under the banner of Studio 19, she has tried her hand at everything from textile-, lighting- and furniture design to residential, corporate and retail interiors. She’s also renowned in her home city for her eye for quirky detail and her ability to find objects with personality and integrate them into her interior designs. She seems to have an aversion to dull, formulaic spaces.
She indeed recognised that “The Long House”, as it has been nicknamed, where she lives with her husband, Rui Alves, and their two children, Stella and Oliver, was anything but a cookie-cutter design the minute she saw it. She instantly saw past its biscuit-coloured face-brick walls and generally dilapidated state and discerned that it was something architecturally unique, with quirky details and personality to boot.
The Long House has become a living testament to how, with the right approach, you can take something distinctive and unique and make it your own without losing its essential character.
The entrance hall includes Studio 19’s “Pill Server” and the detail of “The Scarab” light.Just past the entrance hall is a nook with a “Dear Diary Daybed” by Studio 19 and indoor planters bringing greenery indoors. The dappled foresty light here makes it a favourite spot for Mia and Rui to have a morning coffee. The artwork is by Lehlogonolo Mashaba.The lounge is arranged largely as it was before the alteration, although Mia reconfigured the roof beams and replaced the roof of the entire house. Many of the furniture pieces in the lounge, including the sofa, the coffee table, and the side tables, are by Studio 19. The mid-century “Spanish Chairs” are by Borge Morgensen, and between them is a “Cork Low Stool” from Wiid Design.
A vintage metal hardware cabinet adds variety and character to the refined, monochromatic finishes.The kitchen floors are tiled with slate in a herringbone pattern, which complements the monochrome surfaces and cabinets. Green courtyards on both sides beautifully “hold” the kitchen. The light above the kitchen island is a “Harom Pendant” by Studio 19. The kitchen stools are by Tolix.
The “Hypnos Head Board” and “Three Drawer Side Table” in the guest bedroom are both by Studio 19.The en suite bathroom features a “Lozenge” wall light by Studio 19.The master bedroom features a bespoke headboard and “Scallop Bedside” units, both by Studio 19. The “Pointsman Lamp” is also by Studio 19, while the “Lab Light” on the bedside table is by Anatomy Design.
The garden was beautifully refreshed. Once covered in brick paving and lawn, it’s now covered in gravel and stitched together with a lovely green-grey palette of plants. “I’m not a gardener, but I did the garden myself,” says Mia—beautifully established yellowwood trees, along with some wild peach trees throughout, give the space a sense of structure.
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