23 Jun 2010 – At the moment, the eyes of the world are on South Africa. Why? Because of the Football World Cup, which, for the first time, is being held on the Dark Continent.

However, unlike the International Football Association, holidaymakers discovered this part of the world and the country of the Cape of Good Hope, in particular, a long time ago. Consequently, it is all the more surprising that the portfolio of Design HotelTM includes only one hotel in Africa – Ten Bompas in Johannesburg.

The hotel’s name is also its address: 10, Bompas Road. Owner Christoff von Staden grew up here. Architect Luc Zeghers has added two more buildings housing ten suites, each designed by a different interior designer, to the original villa.

As far as the furnishings are concerned, their sole objective was to create a modern ‘home from home in Africa’. “Having travelled extensively on business for several years we wanted to build a hotel that we would want to stay in”, explains Peter Aucamp, von Staden’s business partner.

So the interior designers had quite a lot to play with. Admittedly, the spatial facts are identical – a lounge, bedroom, bathroom, guest cloakroom and balcony or patio – but, where they end, the individual interpretation starts.

What this means, in the case of interior designer Dee Cunningham and suite no. 4, is flat beige and cream tones with different accents. Nature provides the materials. Terracotta tiles and sisal carpets act as the demarcation lines between the different living areas.

In the lounge stands a timeless living room suite, while as far as possible all the other items of furniture are Robert Adams style reproductions. They create a link to the colonial era while the black and cream coloured upholstery symbolises the dust and the mine dumps of the city of Johannesburg.

Anuschka Leroni interprets the task in a different way. In suite No. 6, black, taupe and arctic grey dominate. On the walls, in black and white, the urban district of Sophiatown. In the bedroom, the cool cotton bed linen encounters the velvety softness of chenille. The African rosewood of the walls and furniture quite deliberately warms up the minimalist design of the suite.

Zeghers, who was not just the architect but also the interior designer for the reception area and suite no. 9, sums it up as follows: “The overall result of the merging of architecture, interiors and landscapes is a relaxing cosy home from home boutique hotel that displays Africa in a contemporary way.”