Perched high on the sun-flecked slopes of the Constantiaberg, Villa Lion View gazes out over Cape Town, with Lion’s Head standing sentinel in the distance. At once open and intimate, the design of this boutique hotel echoes the calm beauty of the surrounding mountains. The space’s recent renewal marks the return of designer, Marie-Louise Koen to South Africa after several years in New York City — a homecoming captured through a design language grounded in context, craft, and connection to the landscape. From the beginning, her concept was rooted literally and conceptually in the surrounding mountains. A commissioned artwork of the Constantiaberg landscape, painted by the designer herself, became the beating heart of the project, informing its colour palette, texture, and mood.
Guiding it from structural shell to considered completion, her role extended beyond aesthetic refinement; helping shape the very bones of the project. The task was to reenvision the existing guesthouse’s communal interiors and design a new six-suite executive villa addition. Working closely with the drafting architects, build team, and landscape designers, an integrated architectural and interior narrative was composed to link past and present.
At the mountain’s edge
The exterior palette bears imprints of the mountain’s geology and hues: blackened timber cladding and natural slate reference both the original slate-roofed building and the rugged terrain beyond. Slatted timber pergolas, visualised as sculptural yet functional elements, filter light and shadow while posing a tactile contrast to the bold geometry of the architecture. Designed to weather gracefully, they will gradually soften, reflecting the evolution of the mountain itself.
Landscape design, developed in collaboration with Cara Smith Landscape Design, negotiates between architecture and topography. Indigenous planting softens the transition between the existing guesthouse and the new villa, making the building seem as if it has always belonged to the mountainside.
Internally, the design extends this seamless dialogue. Expansive glazing maintains uninterrupted views. A tonal palette prioritising texture and flow allows the landscape to remain the focal point. Timber, raw stone, and marble form establish a serene, cohesive interior order. Bespoke furniture and curated artworks that accentuate spaces, while an understated base palette enhances the impact of selective bursts of colour.
Framing the landscape
Through measured restraint and a refined material palette, this boutique hotel carries the essence of place. Each of the villa’s six suites features a commissioned painting from Marie-Louise’s Cape Town collection. These artworks — lively echoes of the Cape’s landscapes — add moments of energy into otherwise muted interiors.
At the heart of the design, local craftsmanship roots the interior scheme in a distinctively South African sensibility. Furniture and detailing introduce texture, eclecticism, and personality to the project. A fluted fireplace and continuous timber ceilings weave through the renovated and newly built spaces, discreetly connecting them through material continuity.
Bathrooms here open to the outdoors, with large windows framing rugged planter boxes that blur the boundaries between interior and exterior. This recurrent dialogue between expanse and intimacy embodies the essence of Villa Lion View: spaces that feel both open and calm, elegant yet grounded.
Villa Lion View exemplifies modern South African refinement — not through excess or elaborate design, but through restraint, material integrity, and a profound relationship with place. Architecture, interior, art, and landscape exist in considered harmony, each elevating the other. This mountain retreat becomes a conduit for the soul of the Cape: a space that responds to its surroundings, exists within them, and, ultimately, becomes one with them.
“This recurrent dialogue between expanse and intimacy embodies the essence of Villa Lion View: spaces that feel both open and calm, elegant yet grounded.”
SUPPLIERS:
Furniture: Bofred, James Mudge, Wiid Design, SOFACOMPANY, Deft Studios, HoutHakker | Flooring: Oggie Hardwood Flooring | Tiling: Opia Design, Studio Masson | Marble Slabs: Sangengalo | Joinery: Silverbirch Kitchens | Lighting: Hoi P’loy, Greg Marshall Design, Curación Collection | Tapware: Meir | Outdoor Furniture: Alifurn
MEET THE TEAM:
Interior Designer: MARIELOUISEKOEN Interiors | Architect: Masterplan Architectural Design | Structural Engineer: ADA Consulting Engineers | Landscape Designer: Cara Smith Landscape Design | Contractor: David Dugmore Projects | Plumber: Enjoi Plumbing | Electrician: Global Electrical Solutions | Sanware Specification Specialist: Sandy Warner
