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IN PICS | Everything you need to know about Martine Jackson's striking space

An apartment, perched between mountain and sea, playing with geometry, light and textures. This striking space is where Cape Town ceramicist Martine Jackson lives and works.

08 April 2022 - 11:37
By Lori Cohen
The oak cabinetry in the living/dining room warms the space and is custom-designed to accommodate handpicked ceramic works. The blackand-white ceramic piece is by Martine Jackson, the artwork above the fireplace is by Alexandra Karakashian, the wooden figurine is by Norman Catherine and the marbled ceramic is by Patsy Groll.
Image: Elsa Young The oak cabinetry in the living/dining room warms the space and is custom-designed to accommodate handpicked ceramic works. The blackand-white ceramic piece is by Martine Jackson, the artwork above the fireplace is by Alexandra Karakashian, the wooden figurine is by Norman Catherine and the marbled ceramic is by Patsy Groll.

As a ceramicist, Martine Jackson is no stranger to teasing beauty out of muted clay.

So, when she and her husband acquired an unfinished apartment on Cape Town’s Atlantic seaboard, she was undaunted by the task of shaping a family home out of a stark concrete form and geometrically fragmented interior.

Installing swathes of bespoke oak cabinetry was the starting point in making the new residential-complex unit a layered and exciting space to accommodate and celebrate her work.

Jackson at work in her home studio; the kitchen is defined by a bulkhead contrasting with the raw-concrete ceiling.
Image: Elsa Young Jackson at work in her home studio; the kitchen is defined by a bulkhead contrasting with the raw-concrete ceiling.
The lines are sharp and seamless in all the bedrooms, with doors and skirting boards sitting flush with the walls.
Image: Elsa Young The lines are sharp and seamless in all the bedrooms, with doors and skirting boards sitting flush with the walls.

Bright, soft furnishings, a striking floating kitchen island and a succulent laden deck give it a quirky yet laid-back charm.

Designed by architect Roberto Forte of ForteArchitetti, the apartment is one of five units built on a challenging rhomboid-shaped parcel of land.

Forte’s task was to work with the shapes and angles with which he was presented and embrace views of the mountain and the Atlantic Ocean.

Thanks to this vision, the heart of the home is an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area that spills onto a generous balcony.

A small guest bathroom punches above its weight thanks to a marble wall-hung vanity. Jackson commissioned artist Tatjana Thunert to hand-paint the walls to give them a matte, aged look.
Image: Elsa Young A small guest bathroom punches above its weight thanks to a marble wall-hung vanity. Jackson commissioned artist Tatjana Thunert to hand-paint the walls to give them a matte, aged look.
Jackson’s home is a shrine to her mother Barbara Jackson’s ceramics, but also celebrates the work of South African artists and creatives, such as the dining table by Gregor Jenkin. The artworks on the wall are by (from left) Brett Murray, Olaf Hajek and Mariëtte Bergh.
Image: Elsa Young Jackson’s home is a shrine to her mother Barbara Jackson’s ceramics, but also celebrates the work of South African artists and creatives, such as the dining table by Gregor Jenkin. The artworks on the wall are by (from left) Brett Murray, Olaf Hajek and Mariëtte Bergh.

Floor-to-ceiling terrace doors invite in both views and light. Jackson says the most challenging, and exciting, aspect of the space is the unusual shapes and footprints in rooms, delivered by the offbeat architecture.

For example, she says that multi-angular walls and graphic seams in the concrete ceiling and floor left little room for symmetry.

Interior designer Andrea Graff solved this by softening the sharpness in the main living area with a warm, oak-lined signature wall.

A medley of eye-catching cabinetry displays items made by both Jackson and her mother, celebrated ceramicist Barbara Jackson.

The raised deck and “sun shack” gave the poolside the holiday feel that Jackson wanted for their balcony.
Image: Elsa Young The raised deck and “sun shack” gave the poolside the holiday feel that Jackson wanted for their balcony.

• Production by Sven Alberding

• This article was originally published in The Edit Living, an upmarket décor magazine sent to select Sunday Times print subscribers. Click here to subscribe.

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