A collection of gurus in interior architecture, interior design, and decor, ARRCC brings laid-back luxury not only to their home city Cape Town, but to the world. Their studio includes enough accolades and successes to ensure they tick all our boxes, presenting the art of curation at a superior level. To find out where the brand’s innate excellence comes from, we spoke to directors Mark Rielly, Michele Rhoda, and Jon Case on all things ARRCC.
What does laid-back luxury mean to you and how are you redefining it for South Africans in the various sectors?
We interpret ‘laid-back luxury’ as the ability to provide spaces where our clients’ homes feel like their own private and unique resorts, redefining its meaning. Through this design style, we aim to enhance our clients’ home environments through a humble and functional design coupled with honest materials, ultimately creating moments of unexpected delight, and adding enrichment to their daily lives.
Can you give us an unconventional piece of advice for aspiring or working interior designers in the country?
Embrace the art of storytelling in your designs, and create immersive experiences that evoke emotion. Rather than merely focussing on aesthetics or trends, consider the story you want your design to tell. Think about the client’s personality, their passions, and the purpose of the space. Incorporate elements that speak to these aspects, whether it’s through unique textures, curated artwork, or unexpected design elements. By weaving a compelling narrative into your designs, you not only create memorable spaces, but they become transformative experiences.
Which would you say are ARRCC’s top 3 flagship projects?
Cheetah Plains Game Lodge
Cheetah Plains Game Lodge in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, reinvents traditional safari-style architecture to create an altogether new safari experience of nature from within. Combining state-of-the-art sustainable architecture with a pioneering afro-minimalist aesthetic, Cheetah Plains contrasts confident contemporary inorganic forms with the natural landscape, creating something beautiful in the unexpected, creative contrast of seemingly opposing forces. Cheetah Plains has won multiple awards – most recently, Luxury Bush Villa, Global Winner at the World Luxury Hotel Awards. Other awards include the Best Resorts in the World category in the Conde Nast Traveler’s Choice Awards, Best Game Lodge at the HOSCO South Africa Luxury Tourism Awards, and Design Distinction in the IFI Global Award Program.
South Villa
South Villa is a five-story penthouse in the award-winning Clifton Terraces apartments on Victoria Road, Cape Town. Its elevated position on the iconic Lion’s Head takes in extravagant ocean views and local landmarks such as Table Mountain and Clifton’s pristine beaches. The interior decor and interior architecture, by ARRCC and OKHA, has stylistic connections to the style-modern movement of the Art Deco period of the 1920s and ‘30s. With this project, SAOTA, ARRCC, and OKHA have matched luxury with maturity and sophistication in a statement that enriches the conversation about the possibilities of the contemporary.
Star 27
Star 27 is topped to be one of ARRCC’s most iconic interiors and was our first project in Miami. Working closely with SAOTA, this project’s
design has gained a celebrity following which has led to many more projects in Miami and Los Angeles. The villa is located on Star Island,
the most sought-after real estate in Miami, and involved the complete uplifting of the existing house and relocating it at the entry to the property, to create a separate guest villa and to allow the new house to be built on the water frontage.
If you had to choose one material to feature in every ARRCC project, which would it be and why?
If ARRCC had to collectively choose one material to feature in every project, it would be natural stone. Whether it’s marble, granite, limestone, or travertine, each type of stone offers timeless elegance in unique patterns, textures, and colours that can elevate the aesthetic of any space. From sleek countertops and statement fireplace surrounds to elegant flooring and luxurious bath features, natural stone is versatile and can be used in a myriad of applications to add texture and visual interest to a space. Incorporating natural stone into our designs also allows us to bring the beauty of the outdoors inside, creating a sense of harmony and connection to nature within the built environment.
This article is an extract from our April volume, click here to read the follow volume!
