It is the office of Mary Oppenheimer & Daughters in Johannesburg, envisioned and created by the design studio Giant Leap.
The ideal balance between classic and modern interiors has made this office a light and airy space with a feeling of home and coziness. As this is a family company that is rich in tradition, the solution that just imposed itself was to create a classic ambience with only a few modern and innovative details.
The renovated building retained the original structural elements to a large extent, and this was achieved through the use of high mouldings, complex cornices and several cabinets with panels. Wooden floors were chosen due to the complex carpentry and the fact that in this way the classic element was added to the entire space, which perfectly connected with the existing antique furniture.
The classic style of structural elements is diminished by modern lines of glass facades and the addition of colourful and modern wallpaper in the meeting room. The rest of the office space remained as neutral as possible, while the walls were used to display a large family collection of works of art.
Beautiful antique furniture is integrated with the work side of the office, so some custom pieces are combined with more modern and flexible office furniture. Some pieces in the meeting rooms are even upholstered in bright colours which brought a bit of fun to the interior and better connected the two styles.
By the way, the building itself enjoys an ideal view of the city, and it is designed to absorb the best light from the upper floors. Accordingly, all windows have been replaced with larger frames that allow almost perfect penetration of natural light.
