The Peech Boutique Hotel — Johannesburg, South Africa

It's taken 15 years, but James Peech and his wife Vicky have finally realised the potential of their property in Johannesburg's upmarket Melrose suburb. And it was worth the wait.
Shaped around a former family home – a handsome 1950s heritage building topped with a curvilinear wood-shingle roof – the hotel, up until now, comprised just 16 rooms housed within a series of individual new-build annexes inserted amongst the lush tree-swathed gardens.
Now, completing the masterplan, the property has doubled in size, with the addition of another 16 rooms, including the two-bedroom Peech Villa, set on a recently acquired patch of neighbouring land. Among the flourishing landscaped gardens, local studio Meshworks has fashioned a small village of single and duplex pavilions, their boxy profiles assembled with breeze blocks, timber slats and metal mesh screens, which create natural ventilation and bathe the pleasingly minimal interiors with natural light.
Here, Johannesburg-based Design Republic, layered a bold petrol blue and putty palette with natural textures, from Oggie timber floorboards to hand-stitched distressed leather headboards, and local furniture and craftwork, such as bed throws by African Jacquard, bedside tables by Houtlander and screen dividers, hand-woven by Bathany Home, a shelter for abused women.
And while the best of Johannesburg's restaurants are on the hotel's doorstep, it pays dividends to dine in at the newly opened Basalt, spearheaded by Freddie Dias, formerly the head chef at The Pot Luck Club in Cape Town. The restaurant's cool grey interiors, anchored by deep red velvet chairs and parquet flooring underfoot, come together to form a chic backdrop for a global menu of dishes from springbok carpaccio to yield-to-the-fork slow-roasted pork belly ricarda negra with toasted almond mole.
ADDRESS
61 North Street
Melrose
Johannesburg
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Lauren Ho is the Travel Director of Wallpaper*, roaming the globe, writing extensively about luxury travel, architecture and design for both the magazine and the website. Lauren serves as the European Academy Chair for the World's 50 Best Hotels.
-
In Santander, a cotton candy-coloured HQ is a contemporary delight
Santander’s Colección ES Headquarters, a multifunctional space for art, office work, and hosting, underwent a refurbishment by Carbajo Hermanos, drawing inspiration from both travels and local context
-
Florencia Rodriguez on the importance of curiosity, criticism and cultural freedom
Florencia Rodriguez, architect, writer and artistic director of this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial, comments on the state of the States
-
Jean-Michel Othoniel takes over Avignon for his biggest ever exhibition
Originally approached by Avignon to mark their 25th anniversary as the European Capital of Culture, Jean-Michel Othoniel more than rose to the challenge, installing 270 artworks around the city
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Few & Far Luvhondo: an intimate South African eco-lodge
With just six cliffside suites, Few & Far Luvhondo offers front-row seats to the untamed wilderness of South Africa’s Limpopo
-
The world’s best new hotels to love without reservation
Explore the best new openings in the world, from Aman’s exclusive mountain retreat in the Dolomites to Pak Hyatt’s debut in Johannesburg
-
Singita Ebony Lodge celebrates 30 years of wild beauty
Singita Ebony Lodge in Hazyview, South Africa, begins a new chapter with a refresh by Cécile & Boyd
-
A refreshed Cape Grace hotel embraces the best of South African heritage
Cape Town’s Cape Grace hotel reopens its doors following an extensive and playful renovation by international interior design studio, 1508 London
-
Cape Town: 8 things to do and see for the design-minded traveller
Cape Town is a capital of art, design, food and wellness; local resident Sean O’Toole on the best things to do and see, from a Bree Street meander to a Constantia wine route
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia