17 Killarney Hills is a flat renovation in the Johannesburg suburb of Killarnery. What made this particular project unique was that the flat had beautiful views onto the Wilds and also a continuous balcony on the front facade with views overlooking Johannesburg. As designers, we wanted to take advantage of all these view sites as well as create more open, liveable spaces.

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The design of the kitchen served as a starting point for the overall design, with the spectacular floor-to ceiling windows preserved with their view out onto the hillside.  The overall aesthetic of the flat flowed from the finishes used in the kitchen, and the oak finish was used throughout the flat, including the shopfitting in the bathrooms, living room, and the bedrooms.

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An open plan living area was incorporated into the design giving the main area a feeling of spaciousness. Because of its size though, this central space needed definition, and the low flueless fireplace unit we designed divided the space just enough to comfortably delineate the dining area from the living space without creating a feeling of confinement.

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There were several design restrictions that came with the existing flat that we had to overcome. One of the major obstacles was the existing column and beam structure, which could not be deviated from and needed to be designed around. Where possible we incorporated these columns into walls, and in the living room we used them as a place to stack the sliding folding doors. In the kitchen we even went as far as to design a wine rack around the existing column, so that the presence of this column in the kitchen essentially disappeared.