Tiziana Giardini & the Cape Grace hotel

DESIGN: Cape Grace and the art of Tiziana Giardini’s walls

MIDAS Earthcote was proud to have been chosen as a coatings supplier in the refashioning of Cape Town’s grandest five star hotel at the edge of the ocean – the Cape Grace hotel.

The Cape Grace combines modern luxury with traditional Cape culture. Every room was custom-designed using eclectic, handcrafted décor to reflect the tradition and elegance of the Cape.

The refashioning project, led by interior design company Weixelbaumer Design, represents an amalgamation of the best artisan talent in the Cape. Extreme care was invested in creating beautiful, tactile finishes, from the Giardini coloured walls to the hand-painted silk window dressings and soft furnishings to artisan-made leather and glass items.

Tiziana Giardini and the Cape Grace Hotel

For the exterior of the Cape Grace Hotel, Tiziana Giardini custom mixed a warm, earthy shade of ochre in Midas Fresco. This statement colour gives real personality to the classic architecture and it somehow also harks back to the flamboyance of the Huguenots.

The Cape Grace Challenge

Kathi Weixelbaumer is known for her skill in juxtaposing the modern with the period and the rare with the humble – tying it all together with spontaneity.

The challenge was to provide finishes that added to the layering of texture, in a look that is both contemporary and reminiscent of the elegance and history of the Cape. All wall finishes needed to be low maintenance and, from an aesthetic perspective, needed to “pull the elements together.”

The exterior required a finish that would wear well next to the ocean, offer weather resistance and, like the interior, deliver an aesthetic that straddles the historic and the contemporary.

The Art of Tiziana Giardini’s Walls

For the interior, Weixelbaumer Design commissioned paint artist and colourist Tiziana Giardini to recommend a restful, unobtrusive palette of textured colour.

“Kathi Weixelbaumer has a great eye for colour and it was a privilege to work alongside her, providing interpretations to her interior approach”, said Tiziana Giardini. “It was an organic creative process. I was given fabrics and other interior pieces as inspiration and from those I developed a customised paint colour palette for each room.”

“Nothing came straight out of a tin. I used special pigments and made up my own recipes, using Midas 240 acrylics as a base, and my own special tinted ageing scumble glaze to take the edge off. This gave the walls a broken, lived-in look that is subtle and visually restful, as it has a lot of movement”
– Tiziana Giardini.

Cape Grace Hotel interior.

The use of a washable ageing glaze over Midas 240 acrylic delivers durability. The slightly worn, broken look creates a seamlessness between the walls and other interior elements, like washed timber and hand-painted fabrics.

For the exterior, Tiziana custom mixed a warm, earthy shade of ochre in Midas Fresco. This statement colour gives real personality to the classic architecture and it somehow also harks back to the flamboyance of the Huguenots.

“We used Midas Fresco for practical and aesthetic reasons,” said Giardini. “Fresco is a robust, gritty coating that very efficiently conceals hairline cracks and will last well in all-weather conditions at the coast. The ultra-matt graded texture adds a softness to the look, which gives the building elegance.”

The work of Kathi Weixelbaumer and Tiziana Giardini on the Cape Grace hotel is still representative of modern luxury mixed with traditional Cape culture.

** More Midas Earthcote Special Projects **

A Midas Makeover of The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay

The Bay Hotel’s Midas makeover with Matt acrylic Midas 240 and Midaroof

A Midas Earthcote makeover of The Bay Hotel transformed this well-trodden Camps Bay landmark into a well-grounded, elegant building, with shades of Coney Island. There were several challenges with this special project, the primary issue being that a pure white building by the seaside results in uncomfortably high glare. Environmental pollution on the roof (caused by seagull droppings) was also a reality that needed a practical resolve.

Midas Makeover of The Bay Hotel

The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay, Cape Town.

The solution was Matt acrylic Midas 240. A shade of light grey was used which helps to absorb light – making the building feel more sympathetic to its environment. The effect is simple, clean and fresh – enhanced by the addition of natural timber exterior elements like Balau balustrades and pergolas. To minimise the visual impact of seagull droppings, the roof was redecorated in custom-tinted grey Midaroof.

The Bay Hotel interior.

The exterior changes were so effective that hotel owner Maree Brinks decided to update the interior as well. The result is interesting, individual and eclectic. Each room was treated individually, with unique one-off elements creating a boutique hotel feel.

Matt acrylic Midas 240 was used extensively in restful tones of complementary greens, greys and blues. Pandomo, with its cloudy, veined, highly polished stucco-like look, was used on accent walls to create ambiance and to inject a contemporary feel into The Bay Hotel.

“The inside needed to be a seamless extension of the natural elements outside”, said interior decorator, Arina Cilliers. “The colors and textures were therefore chosen from the neutral and soothing side of the spectrum. Beige and driftwood grey were combined with soft aqua and green, to represent both the sea and the surrounding fynbos . This was to be the backdrop for solid wood, hand-woven wicker and nautical stainless steel.”

More Midas Earthcote Special Projects:

• The Cape Sands paint job
• Midas Fresco Old World Style
• The Triplon 2000S CTICC paint job
• The CTICC, Triplon, and the years to come
• The historic Domaine Des Anges farmhouse
• Midas Earthcote, Steracon and Hidden Valley Winery
• The Department of Foreign Affairs paint job brought to you by Boere Baroque, Boet se Moet and Baked Beans on Toast

The Triplon 2000S CTICC paint job

SPECIAL PROJECT: CTICC Triplon paint job

FIVE years after the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) opened for business, it still looks remarkably sparkly and white. It promises to remain so for years to come. This extraordinary building, conceived in collaboration by architects Anya van der Merwe Miszewski, Revel Fox and John Ferendinos, is an iconic contemporary landmark on Cape Town’s Foreshore. Since 2004, the CTICC has excelled in providing a world class meeting place in the Cape, while attracting tourism and creating employment.

“When Midas Earthcote was appointed to supply paint for the project, the issue of maintenance was a real concern, especially considering the harbourside location and the impact of atmospheric pollution,” said Tom O’ Connor, of Midas Earthcote Cape Town. “We had to consider robust, long-life products that would reduce long term maintenance costs, without compromising a smooth high quality finish.”

The Triplon 2000S CTICC paint job

Being self-cleaning, the Triplon 2000S system used on the CTICC repels environmental pollutants such as fungi, algae, exhaust emissions or shot-blasting residue.

The solution was Triplon 2000S – an ultra-durable paint system developed by Midas Earthcote. The system comprises three coats of paint, offering a self-cleaning, protective finish in either a smooth or a stippled look, depending on the desired aesthetic.

Being self-cleaning, the Triplon system will repel environmental pollutants such as fungi, algae, exhaust emissions or shot-blasting residue. These are important considerations for a building that’s close to the harbour and the freeway.

Triplon comes with a ten to fifteen year quality guarantee, depending on the location of the site. Qualytech, a quality control management company, independently audits the condition of the painted surface before, during, and at various intervals after application.

“We monitor Triplon after application to ensure that the fungal resistance and dirt repulsion properties are effective and active” said Allen Clack of Qualytech. “Triplon is one of the finest solutions for CBD and coastal buildings. It is possibly the only paint system with such a long life guarantee.”

Related Posts:

• The Cape Sands paint job
• Midas Fresco Old World Style
• The CTICC, Triplon, and the years to come
• Midas Earthcote, Steracon and Hidden Valley Winery
• The Department of Foreign Affairs paint job brought to you by Boere Baroque, Boet se Moet and Baked Beans on Toast

The historic Domaine Des Anges farmhouse

Lovely old farmhouses never die. Given the right treatment, they just get more and more beautiful…

The oldest farmhouse on Domaine Des Anges.

“The property is the oldest home on the Domaine Des Anges estate” says Paul Silberman of Midas Earthcote, Franschhoek. “The owner wished to retain many of the original features, but with a contemporary look and practicality. In certain areas, a sleek, open, very modern approach was called for by the interior designer, Conrad, of John Jacob Interiors. This was an exciting and interesting creative challenge, as the coating solutions were integral to the design feel.”

Paul Silberman was asked to come up with a coatings plan to help this historic 1913 Domaine Des Anges farmhouse step proudly into the 21st Century. His solution was awarded the Midas Award of Excellence in November 2008.

“The exterior lent itself to a softly graded textured look to complement the vernacular style of architecture and the painterly rural winelands setting with its oaks and olive trees. We used Midas Fresco – a gravely textured paint that has the subtle nuances of a cement based paint but which doesn’t streak or mottle. Being very robust, it has excellent water-resistance and holds up well in the face of weather. Because it’s a thick coating, it masks imperfections beautifully.”

Silberman explains how he and his team wanted to insinuate the style of old beesmis farmhouse floors, but with a look that is a lot sleeker and more current. To achieve this, they used Earthcote Floorcote in certain areas as a practical hard-wearing surface. “Our ultra matt, rustic Earthcote Sand Paint, essentially an outdoor paint which is not washable, was used extensively on the interior
walls. We also used classic, traditional Earthcote Stucco. A hand-packed application method helped to create a more current feel,” says Silberman.

The final result of the historic Domaine Des Anges farmhouse project is rustic, but maintains real historical integrity. This was thanks to both a well conceived product solution and to an expert team of world class applicators.

“Our top crew of experienced, old-hand applicators was put onto this renovation” said Simon Fraser, Marketing Director for Midas Earthcote. “They are incredibly versatile and well versed in all styles of coating techniques. They went straight in on this very complex renovation project after having just returned from Amsterdam where they had been doing demos for the biggest Decorex show in Europe.”

Related Posts:

• The Cape Sands paint job
• Midas Fresco Old World Style
• The CTICC, Triplon, and the years to come
• Midas Earthcote, Steracon and Hidden Valley Winery
• The Department of Foreign Affairs paint job brought to you by Boere Baroque, Boet se Moet and Baked Beans on Toast

The Cape Sands paint job

CAPE SANDS PROJECT: Concealing imperfections with a subtle texture

THE Cape Sands – a landmark sea-facing contemporary building in the Strand, was looking good in every respect. However, surface imperfections, which are all the more visible with the glare at the coast, posed a challenge to Pierre Volschenk, who was tasked to improve the finish. Volschenk worked alongside Cyril Bekker and Sean Rack, partners in Midas Earthcote Somerset West and Strand stores, to come up with a cost effective, quality finish.

The solution was a paint system that conceals imperfections while providing a subtle texture. The first coat, Midamite Coarse, has a heavy stipple texture that provided the necessary uniformity. This was over-coated with Midas exterior acrylic (Midafelt 225). These robust products also stand up well to weather at the coast. Being matt, Midafelt 225 helps to diffuse and reduce glare from sea.

The Cape Sands paint job

The Cape Sands

“This was the optimum solution, considering that re-plastering wasn’t an option. Conventional acrylic paint at a rate of 8m2/L cannot cover and correct what a textured paint like Midamite can do at 1.5m2/L,” said Bekker.

“Cyril and I have a collective four decades of experience in the paint business,” said Rack. “Experience tells us that a full service is the only way to properly fulfill customers’ needs.”

Midas Earthcote provides a service at floor level where orders are taken, colours are accurately tinted by eye, delivery is swift and solutions are offered that work with the aesthetic, technical and cost requirements of a project. Synergy ensures a package that works for customers and leaves a long-lasting finish every time.

Related Posts:

• Midas Fresco Old World Style
• The CTICC, Triplon, and the years to come
• The historic Domaine Des Anges farmhouse
• Midas Earthcote, Steracon and Hidden Valley Winery
• The Department of Foreign Affairs paint job brought to you by Boere Baroque, Boet se Moet and Baked Beans on Toast