Hallmark House — Johannesburg, South Africa

Further reinforcing Maboneng’s reputation as Johannesburg’s precinct of urban cool, is the new 46-room Hallmark House, a hotel and residence that occupies a 17-storey former diamond factory, now reshaped by Ghanaian British architect David Adjaye to include a lobby café, a rooftop spa, pool and bar and a soon-to-open basement jazz club and speakeasy.
The interiors, by local outfit Malica Design, have an industrial ‘Jo’burg’ vibe in the public spaces, with exposed cement ceilings and low-slung furnishings in a moody dark grey and black palette, interspersed with pops of colour and local knickknacks including a display of colourful African baskets.
Upstairs in the guestrooms, bespoke blonde wood furniture and neutral walls allow the vibrant Shweshwe fabric-covered headboards to shine through, while the private terraces, each with its own swing chair, are perfect to escape to and take in widespread views of the City of Gold.
ADDRESS
54 Siemert Road
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Mary Holland is a South African writer based in New York. She has written for HTSI, WSJ Magazine, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, W Magazine, the Financial Times and more. She travels to Mexico frequently.
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