With a decade’s worth of experience, his studio specialises in signature hospitality and luxury residential projects worldwide. The Cape Town studio will act as his new home base, where he will split his time between work and personal life. The brand still retains its office in Joburg but felt it important to broaden its reach to connect with more local suppliers and makers.
‘It will be a quiet space to discuss loud ideas,’ says Tristan. The space, whose former life was as KLûK CDGT’s Atelier, was completely stripped out, renovated and converted into its own design studio. ‘I wanted to create an open-plan studio that allowed for open collaboration and communication.’ The designer travels extensively between Cape Town, Joburg and Dubai, so he had exacting requirements for his new base.
‘I wanted my home city studio to feel light, uncluttered and peaceful. a place to ground and slow down time, away from the fast-paced days spent travelling.’ Adjectives such as airy and sophisticated come to mind when stepping into the studio on iconic Bree Street.
As the brand works on many varying styles of projects, the space was envisioned to be a blank canvas of sorts. ‘More than anything, we wanted it to be neutral so that it did not cloud our minds creatively – though we did sneak in some marble details,’ he adds.
From a design perspective, some key moments stand out to the designer. ‘I love the communal desk that we made from three blocks of marble, travertine and walnut. The big windows and plinths displaying local art and the city as the background are my favourites.’
For the renovation project, Tristan du Plessis studio collaborated with furniture manufacturer guideline MNF, stone masons Marble classics, luxury Italian furniture designers IL Lusso, and JL Joiners & shopfitters.
