Project Oxford Drive By Wanda-Michelle Interiors

Today’s phenomenal home renovation by Wanda Michelle Interiors (WMI) is situated among some of the most luxurious homes in South Africa, located in Oxford Drive, Sandhurst, Johannesburg. 

The brief was an interior designer’s dream come true because the client asked for a complete renovation and a means to modernise this entire home. This meant that WMI were able to collaborate with the client, and from there add flesh to the client’s vision through their own style.

Being a return client, she had full trust in her selected design team. Here she wanted something different to her previous home, which had a more classic contemporary style to it, but at Oxford Drive, Sandhurst she still wanted the contemporary, but with a dimension of warmth added to create a sense of absolutely elegant comfort.

The homeowner wanted a space to reflect an essence of sophistication and elegance as an expression of the client’s personality and individuality.

On a project with as open a brief as this, WMI drew on every aspect of the vision, innovation and keen eye for detail that is born out of the experience of over 18 years in the interior design industry, both locally and internationally, bringing the same passion for savvy design to bear here as they do on all projects.

With the emphasis on designing a completely modern and contemporary look and feel on the Sandhurst project, they set out to create a work of art that would speak for itself in every space of this classic home, floor to ceiling.

This project was handed to the interior design team as a blank canvas on which to work a special brand of magic, which meant that the team had been given laissez-faire with the bulk of all the changes to come as the project progressed.

Wanda-Michelle Interiors would have a hand in pulling new flooring, lighting, window dressings and interior design together to create sheer perfection for the client at the handover of the completed project.

Flooring

Using marble as the beautiful base for the flooring in the dining room, living rooms, kitchen and bathrooms, the perfect colours and veins were chosen to completely reflect the personal taste and individuality of the client.

Naturally, rugs play a major role in adding depth and warmth to any marble floor, and the team pulled out all the stops on these luxurious extensions of beautiful flooring.

Marble added a timeless opulence to the lower levels of this home, an opulence that is eternal, as is evidenced in ancient buildings such as the Taj Mahal and the beautifully inlaid floors of Roman churches such as the Sistine Chapel.

Solid wood added warmth upstairs and in the bedrooms, bringing in perfect comfort for these spaces to create an island of peace for the client at the end of the day. Beautiful rugs in the main bedroom add warmth.

Lighting

The right lighting is essential if the effect of modern elegance given the perfect contemporary look is expressed in style.  To reach this standard of perfection WMI headed towards the use of pendant lighting on stairways and throughout the house, where this lighting worked best to highlight specific areas.

Standing lamps are also essential in a home like this, creating focus points for object de art, custom chairs and side tables used in corners to create a sense of warmth and completion everywhere one looks.

LED lighting in the crown moulding of the ceilings and mirrors in the bathroom reflecting off the lighting added a further dimension to the warmth of the contemporary look.

Window dressings

The transparent sheer curtain in the lounges and bedrooms became a beautiful dressing for the windows that would block out harsh sunlight in the bedrooms and lounge.

The texture of these gold curtains also added a high level of privacy and sound control without having to draw them closed completely.

Timeless elegance reflected throughout the interior décor, working with a neutral palette as the background, the interior designers added accent colours into the mix, bringing texture, and stone, wood and metal together to form the timeless elegance that can easily be updated at any time, without major financial implications.

Turquoise, shades of grey and gold worked beautifully in the TV lounge with its modern mirror-like centre coffee table to give the room a sense of space and comfort.

Contemporary art and ceramic sculptures on handcrafted centre tables completed the look of the home that would be handed back to the owner as a passionate reflection of the skill and experience she had expected of the interior design team from the outset.

Fireplaces

As a final touch to the warmth and lighting in this home, beautiful gas and biofuel fireplaces clad in stone took style and sophistication to an already stunning level as a final artistic creation from the team.

Take a journey through this and other projects in the WMI portfolio and experience the depth, vision and innovation that sets the team apart as interior designers in South Africa.

They have moved into the design of lodges deep into the beauty of Africa, as well as taken a place as designers and manufacturers of bespoke handcrafted furniture in South Africa, throwing in stunning décor and design to create executive spaces that reflect comfort, light and energy.

For more visit WMI.