When Styles Collide: What This Project Taught Me About Blending Design With Intention

Every home tells a story. Some whisper, some sing, and others, like this Rivonia apartment, invite you to step outside your comfort zone and discover something new. When I began working on this project, my intention was simple. I wanted to merge the contemporary luxury our client desired with the warmth and soul that defines the Sanctuary Ekhaya modern organic style. Simple in theory, not so simple in execution.

Blending styles looks effortless when the reveal photos are polished and complete. Behind the scenes, it requires restraint, clarity, patience, and more than a few deep breaths. This project stretched me as a designer. It challenged my instincts, expanded my creativity, and reminded me why thoughtful design is always a journey of trust and intention.

The First Challenge: Avoiding the Tug of War

When two styles coexist, they often pull in opposite directions. Contemporary luxury leans into crisp lines, structured silhouettes, rich finishes, and a bold sense of confidence. Modern organic seeks softness, warmth, texture, and a feeling of ease. When you place them together, it is very easy for one style to overpower the other.

My biggest challenge was finding the middle ground without losing the soul of either style. The velvet sofa, the clean cabinetry lines, the textured throw, the gloss tiles, the timber dining table, the sculptural lighting, the warm bedding palette. Each element had to negotiate its place and still respect the harmony of the room.

Editing is the Secret Ingredient

The temptation, when blending styles, is to add one more cushion, one more accessory, one more “bridge” item that helps everything make sense. The truth is, over-layering is what creates confusion in mixed styles.

Editing became my guiding principle here. I removed colours that complicated the palette. I simplified the shapes competing for attention. I reduced the number of finishes so that wood, black accents, soft textiles, and structured silhouettes could speak clearly. A blended space works only when you allow each decision to breathe.

Texture and Colour: The Great Unifiers

One thing I have learned over the years is that texture solves problems that colour cannot. In this apartment, the plush sofa, the velvet bedding accents, the ribbed lamps, and the organic greenery all softened the contemporary edges and tied the look together. The palette followed a similar rule. Rich greens, warm neutrals, black accents, and natural wood created a sense of calm that supported both styles.

Texture adds soul. Colour adds clarity. Together, they create coherence.

Designing for Dual Purpose Living

This apartment has two lives. It is a personal home for the client when he visits from the US and a high performing Airbnb when he is away. Designing a space that serves both roles adds an extra layer of complexity. It needs durability without feeling generic, personality without being too specific, luxury without becoming impractical, and warmth without looking cluttered.

This shaped many of the decisions. The furniture needed to be sturdy. Surfaces needed to clean easily. Decor needed to be subtle but memorable. And the layout needed to feel inviting to someone who may walk into the space for the very first time.

The Angle We Often Forget: Emotional Harmony Matters Too

Something I reflect on often is that blending styles is not only a visual challenge. It is an emotional one. Every home holds the energy you create inside it. When styles fight, the space feels unsettled. When they flow, the space feels reassuring, grounded, and calm.

This project reminded me that balance is not just an aesthetic goal. It is a feeling. A blended space should support the life lived inside it. It should feel collected rather than chaotic. It should make sense to the person who experiences it, not only the person who designed it.

Final Thoughts

Stepping outside my signature style taught me a great deal about trust. Trusting the process, trusting my instincts, and trusting that different worlds can come together gracefully when guided by intention. This apartment is proof that contrasting styles can live together in harmony when you approach them with care, clarity, and courage.