Urban Legend
Once a grimy, crime-ridden area to the east of Johannesburg's Central Business District, Maboneng is slowly emerging as a hotbed of urban cool, thanks to local real estate company Propertuity, which is snapping up derelict buildings to transform the precinct into a creative hub of galleries, cafés and lifestyle spaces. The latest opening is Hallmark House, a 46-room hotel and residence that occupies a former diamond-polishing factory. Set over 17 storeys, the property has been re-shaped by Ghanaian British architect David Adjaye to include a humming lobby café, a rooftop spa, pool and bar. 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. The guestrooms' bespoke blond wood furniture and neutral walls allow the vibrant Shweshwe fabric-covered headboards to shine through, while the private terraces offer widespread views of the City of Gold.
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