Filipino Design Meets 1920s Art Deco in a South African Crafts Home

Posted by The News Pulse October 09, 2025 Post a Comment

A Unique Blend of Heritage and Creativity

Stephanie Kienle Gonzalez and her husband Chris Gonzalez fell in love with South Africa—specifically the land and the bush life surrounding the city—10 years ago. At the time, they were living in Manila, so they visited whenever they could. When the pandemic rolled around, the young couple—now with three little ones—was ready to find their family home, though still unsure where. One day while in City Bowl, a residential neighborhood in Cape Town, Kienle Gonzalez stumbled across a 1920s Arts and Crafts home at the foot of the mountainside. “I still remember walking in…we were smitten,” she recalls. “It had so much character and soul, I just said, ‘This is it.’”

After a conversation with the owners—an elderly couple who had raised three children in the house, the same ages as theirs at the time they bought it—the purchase felt fated. “I felt this responsibility, like I was being passed the baton,” Gonzalez says, “because the house had been lived in so well.” The kids had come and gone; and the house had seen countless birthdays, and weddings—just as she envisioned for her own family home.

The lived-in warmth and historic quality came at a slight cost, however. As a Grade 3 heritage home (given to properties with architectural significance), there would be lengthy wait times to get council approval for the renovation process. While Kienle Gonzalez always had a vision of what she wanted, the time was a blessing in disguise, allowing her to perfect the details.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Kienle Gonzalez was exposed to the design world at a very early age. Her parents, entrepreneurs, created the business Philux, a Manila-based furniture manufacturer with the goal of bringing elevated Filipino design into homes around the world. Today, she runs it with her sister Jessica Gonzalez, carrying on the same tradition.

West Elm Amelia Woven Table Lamp
$259.00, West Elm

Vintage Brighton Pavillion Side Table
$750.00, Etsy

From the beginning, Kienle Gonzalez knew the house would feature Philux items, a little piece of home away from home—some designed by her father, others by local Filipino artisans. For her own contributions, Kienle Gonzalez drew on traditional Filipino design, weaving it together with 1920s Art Deco in keeping with the home’s character. “But I also wanted it to still feel like we were in Africa,” she adds, noting the many pieces that reflect South African traditions as well.

The result is an incredibly unique hybrid of the three, woven together with creativity and craftsmanship. “We wanted to preserve the soul of this grand heritage home while infusing our personality,” Kienle Gonzalez says. That spirit is evident beginning in the garden, where a giant oak tree and array of plants and flowers frame the house. “This is not something you can build or make—it’s years of love and tending,” she notes. Inside, one can still find the original wood shutters, aged hardwood floors, and cast-iron hand railings. In the living room, where the three daughters often play, there’s the original ruby-red tiled fireplace—after contemplating its removal, the piece became a lesson in “just leave it, and build around in a way that feels way more natural.”

CB2 Paola Pleated Sienna Velvet Lumbar Pillow
$75.00, CB2

CB2 Tara Tortoise Serving Bowls (Set of 3)
$50.00, CB2

In the dining room, the ethos of the home comes to life: On the original floors is a rug handwoven with copper thread by artisans in Mexico—like many pieces in the home, she fell in love with it while traveling, and regardless of the inconvenience, found a way to bring it back to Cape Town. Atop, the chairs, designed by Kienle Gonzalez and produced by Philux, are classic Italian Art Deco in form, clad with solihiya, a traditional Filipino rattan weave often used in chairs. To bring in an element of the Cape Town spirit, she anchored the room with a large painting by Manyaku Mashilo, a young South African artist who draws on ancestry as protection. Kienle Gonzalez notes, “I thought it was a powerful message to have in the dining room where we gather around and break bread and share stories.”

Williams Sonoma Mother Of Pearl Mirror
$968.00, Williams Sonoma

Pooky Nellie Table Lamp
$185.00, Pooky

Kienle Gonzalez did build one room of the home from scratch, however, which took a while to get council approval: the conservatory. The cozy indoor-outdoor room was added onto the back of the main structure and painted in a mossy green. With large windows peering out into the garden and a fireplace, the space creates a warm, intimate, verdant oasis. To add to the botanical feel, the designer chose an array of rattan furniture, including a coffee table designed by her father.

“Three years later, we are living our dream,” she says, smiling from her blush-pink office space, which also has an idyllic view onto the garden. The home, as it was destined, will hold another generation of weddings and birthdays, and a garden that continues to age with care and tending. Kienle Gonzalez adds, “When we look back at it, it will be a wonderful representation of who we were as a young family.”