The Striped Horse in Muizenberg has made its debut in Cape Town, boasting an eclectic design from locally based design firm Haldane Martin. Housed within a heritage Victorian building, the bar’s relaxing ambiance includes an aesthetic of worn patina complementary of the beachside suburb.
Haldane Martin crafted the centerpiece bar, the bar back shelving, outdoor furniture, and signage, while the rest of the interior was led by the bar’s owner Jurie Blomerus. Materials and lighting were chosen to accent the raw and distressed finishes Blomerus created. The focal point of the space is the large, masculine curved black bar clad with Oregon pine bar top edging and a front crafted from laser-cut raw steel profiles reminiscent of the ribs of a naval vessel. The backbar also includes porthole-shaped shelving that is laser cut from raw steel and backed with bronzed mirrors to strengthen the naval theme.
A black and white “razzle dazzle” motif permeates through the space, recalling the zebra-like naval camouflage used by the British navy during World War I. This naval design language appears throughout with illustrations of actual boats applied to wall shelving to establish a sense of place. Made from a plaster relief similar to traditional hotel bars, the exterior signage features a handpainted Striped Horse beer logo facing an exterior wall for an authentic, vintage finish. Outdoor furniture was designed to be a simplified expression of traditional beerfest furniture made from galvanized mild steel and marine plywood.
