city. The building contributes to a streetscape rich in architectural variety and cultural activity: boutiques, cafés, and historic façades forming a living museum of Cape Town’ s layered identity.
The task was not to dominate this context but to reinforce it. The renovation was approached as an act of urban stewardship, ensuring that the building continues to support the rhythm of street life and the human scale that defines this precinct. The restored colonnade along Burg Street reclaims its role as a generous, shaded walkway. The inclusion of a new coffee shop and eatery at street level brings life and warmth back to the corner, an echo of the social vibrancy that once characterised early-century commercial architecture.
Balancing heritage and modernity Inside, each apartment’ s design balances the intimacy of heritage detailing with the convenience of contemporary living. High ceilings, generous windows and thick walls lend a sense of permanence rarely found in new construction, while modern finishes and carefully integrated services meet the expectations of today’ s residents.
From the basement up, the building reveals its layers of character. The lower level houses New York-style loft apartments – spaces that borrow from the industrial aesthetic of exposed masonry and open-plan layouts. The middle floors contain elegantly proportioned studios and onebedroom apartments, each benefiting from the rhythm of the original window openings and the play of natural light across the deep plaster walls. The top floor’ s twin penthouses complete the composition; their terraces framing panoramic views that stretch toward Table Mountain and the harbour.
Throughout, craftsmanship remains a guiding principle. Whether in the restoration of timber joinery or the specification of new fittings, materials were chosen for their honesty and tactile quality rather than mere appearance. The
76 Venice House