Coffee isn’t hard to come by on Cape Town’s Kloof Street, and in recent years the neighbourhood has seen an explosion of spaces that are as much geared towards work as they are to meeting up. 117Kloof’s Daniel Holland is well aware of this, and that there’s no dearth of drinking spots in this neighbourhood, either – after all, he’s the owner of Yours truly, one of the most popular establishments to combine the two. Having made a success of numerous branches of that business, Daniel was determined to do something quite different when he acquired this space, which at the time was a disused mechanic’s workshop. Enter the plants, the long central table and, of course, the range of antiques, for which Daniel and his mother, Sheila, share a fascination.
Photographed by Karl Rogers This mix has attracted a pleasantly eclectic clientele: many of the neighbourhood’s pensioners have fast become regulars, popping in to browse the ever-changing antiques and enjoy the verdant environment, while Kloof Street’s cohort of stereotypical Cape Town creative freelancers are very much at home hooked up to the wifi, takeaway cups in hand fresh from the coffee hatch. A neighbourhood cat is settling in, and canines walking in with their owners are most welcome, but Seven, general manager Georgia van Zyl’s border collie mix, retains the title of top dog, so to speak. If the well-documented millennial fixation with their leafy loved ones is the result of a combination of this generation’s worse qualities and its best – an inability to commit to something more sentient than a delicious monster met with self-awareness and tendencies towards nurturing and conservation – then this might be the ideal hangout for coffee, contemplation, and community.
Photographed by Karl Rogers After all, a passion for antique furniture isn’t far removed from a desire to go green: upcycling and the selection of older pieces top the list of methods to combat mass consumption, in addition to being a wise investment. On a shallower level, the space seems destined for popularity simply because it’s set to become a familiar sight on Instagram feeds everywhere – ready-made portrait settings range from armchairs surrounded by old-world curiosities to elaborate mirrors and all-plant backdrops. At 117Kloof, all of the pieces on display are for sale, so if you form an attachment to a particular chair or painting, you can take it home. One exception to this rule is the monumental table in the centre of the space, which is set to play host to regular dinners at which guests will be able to bring their own wine and enjoy a meal made from locally grown ingredients. The menu will change, and so will the space – as pieces of furniture leave for their new homes and the two generations of Hollands bring in more from their antiquing excursions, 117Kloof’s look and atmosphere is ever-changing, and it’ll stay that way.
Photographed by Karl Rogers
