Paschal Phelan: Hotel Owner

He sleeps in a pod-shaped bed, has room service on tap and doesn't frame his art, writes Craig Jacobs

NOT many people would dream of sleeping in a pod-shaped bed in a room enveloped in a bold patina of purple and black. But then Paschal Phelan is no ordinary person.

Surf the Internet and you'll find him at home in Ireland, locked in a mudslinging match with his former beef baron partner, before coming to South Africa in 2002. To celebrate his "early retirement", he splurged some R240-million on the Cape Royale, a new five-star hotel in Green Point.

And apart from the Cape Royale, built where Claridges had stood, and the upcoming Hotel Missoni, he also counts a science fiction-themed restaurant, Mars 2112, in New York's Times Square, as his own.

The massive bedroom of his sprawling Cape Town penthouse, sitting as it does above the hotel, simply adds to the Paschal lustre.

"It's mad. Fun. You only live once. It says, 'Do it the way you like it and enjoy it'," says Paschal about the room. He says its style reflects his personality because while he is a "serious businessman" he has a "fun private life". "This is fun for me. It's my space and I enjoy it. It's the sort of room that brings a smile to your face; it's not a serious statement about anything."

A case in point being the giant pod-like bed from Hong Kong, which takes centre stage in the space. Because of the bed's unusual shape, the rest of the room had to accommodate it and a recessed ceiling with down lights was created to mimic its shape and bring the room together.

Not one to do things by half measures, Paschal also picked an unusual fabric from Harrods to cover the bed.

"I love purple. It's my favourite colour, and when I found the fabric I knew it would be perfect. So the bed came first, the fabric second and then everything else was built around it."

The purple tone is carried through in the plantation shutters which cover the glass panes on one side of the room and on to the parquet flooring, which was salvaged from the original hotel. This is offset by the use of black lacquer, which moves from the cabinets housing his clothes to the circular "headboard unit" enveloping the bed - both made by Cape Town company All Works.

"I wanted something that was different; something which would show off colour, and I love black lacquer. As a surface, it provides clean, clear lines. Black makes colour work here."

One of Paschal's favourite pieces is the partial teak black lacquered cabinet with a façade featuring an Oriental bamboo-like design made from inlaid egg shells. The piece, which he found in Vietnam, was made by a group of handicapped artisans. The door opens to reveal a rotating bar.

On the walls are paintings by some of his favourite painters, like Graham Knuttel's nude with a cat, and Irish Cubist Francis Tansey. Then there are the surreal Dali-esque pieces by Jamal, a Bulgarian artist, including one which shows Paschal dressed as a Roman legionnaire.

"I have a whole collection of these pieces. They get changed all the time depending on my mood. I refuse to put them into frames because I think that would detract from them."

Because the penthouse sits on top of his property, the businessman, who lives with his family, including twin boys and an older son, says he loves the fact that he can make the most of the hotel's amenities.

"I'm a workaholic by nature, but I don't have to worry about looking after my home because it is fully serviced. I also have access to room service and the 24-hour butler service when I need it. I want to be able to wake up in the morning, have my tea in bed while watching the news, shave and then go out. When I come back in the evening, I come into a place that is pristine, perfect and polished."

But being the workaholic he is, living there does have its drawbacks. "I could be walking into the place and observing things. That's work. However, I have a rule that if there is an issue, I won't address the staff directly - I will speak to the manager."

His Cape Town home is a major departure from his residence in Kilkenny, which he says reflected his "antique period" and was filled with centuries-old works.

"Now I like pieces for their beauty as opposed to their value. I'm going through my colourful period," says Paschal.

As for those starkly coloured fold-up fabric seats in front of the TV? "They're still awaiting their colour make-over," he says.