With the decor being A collection of old and new, past and present, Galia Gluckman’s Cape home is an amalgamation of everything that pulls at her heartstrings
Cape Town artist Galia Gluckman has created a family home that speaks of her love for colour, craftsmanship and repurposing by combining heirloom furniture, sentimental artworks and contemporary objets. As some of us are fixated on the future and all that is unknown, she finds herself drawn toward nostalgia. Such sentimentality is apparent in her large-scale abstract works of pigment ink and collage on cotton paper, many titled in Latin and often inspired by the places in which she has lived, historical narratives and cumulative memory. With each act of splicing, layering and joining her delicate painted papers, she depicts something new, while paying tribute to what’s been before. This passage of time plays an equally integral role in the interiors of her home.
A mid-century-modern dining table and chairs, inherited from her grandmother, evoke memories of childhood family dinners. The Danish set is resuscitated in her dining room, with the addition of two contemporary chairs at the head of the table by local design company Vogel. Meanwhile, paintings produced by her mother, fashion designer Dina Adiv, prompt flashbacks of growing up in the coastal city of Durban, where Dina would invite friends over for painting nights. Galia recalls her father sitting for one of these paintings; the framed picture of him in his tennis shorts, with a striking red background, now offers a warm welcome in her living area. Another nod to the never-forgotten, a foot stool in the guest bathroom is upholstered in shimmering sequinned velvet – fabric from one of Galia’s most prized vintage dresses that could no longer be worn.
A renovation of the home, located in Cape Town’s mountainside suburb of Oranjezicht, saw the removal of imposing columns obstructing open-plan spaces, the repainting of mustard-coloured screed to a deep brown (to match the newly stained cherrywood floors) and the fitting of glass-fronted patio doors, so maintaining the integrity of the original triple-storey home with its high ceilings.
‘I wanted to create a feeling of old-world charm that wasn’t frilly,’ says Galia, explaining how the smart shell introduced enough seriousness into the space so that its furnishings could be less restrained. Every piece is, however, carefully considered – some items from the family’s previous home were painted in new hues to match the scrupulously selected wall colour. Under the tutelage of colour guru Freya Lincoln, new shades and complementary palettes were used that bring the interiors to life. The kitchen’s ‘grove’-coloured cabinets, for example, present a soothing, yet modern environment as the family gathers around the stainless-steel Giulio Lazzotti-designed table for dinner.
‘You’d think I’d be okay with colour,’ laughs Galia, referring to her own colour-permeated paintings, ‘but it’s so different when choosing colours for a home. It is one of the main elements that brings the place together, and has such a transformative effect.’ However, building on a strong base of classic wall colours makes everything fall into place effortlessly.
In this spirit, her own artwork has been placed in key locations around the house, brightening bathroom walls and creating showstopper passageways. In the living room, an artwork titled Silva (Latin for ‘forest’) complements the freshly painted teal coffee table and blue-upholstered Robsjohn-Gibbings bench, all given the opportunity to attract attention thanks to the muted cream leather sofas purchased in New York.
The spacious loft was also specially configured to become the artist’s studio – an all-white space with an enormous work table constructed by Gary, allowing his wife ample space for her labour-intensive art forms. Occasionally, while Galia works, Ella and Levi will hang around, doing their homework, but mostly it’s the sound of cutting and pasting that becomes the white noise of this workspace. ‘I’m a big fan of silence,’ smiles Galia. ‘My studio is my place of meditation.’
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