Walking in through a lime green front door, one is greeted by an oversized ceramic jaguar. Quirky artworks adorn the walls while strange objects like retro telephones and vintage trinkets punctuate the space with character. No two of the plush velvet-covered couches or occasional chairs in the living room are the same colour, nor are the many scatter cushions arranged on them, for that matter. Mirror-covered light fixtures suspended from the ceiling like misshapen disco balls play with the light, while outside, bright red lips – a motif that repeats itself several times throughout the house – adorn the bottom of the swimming pool, complete with a gold tooth.
While many continue to embrace the minimalism and sophistication of quiet luxury, people like Daniela Gottschalk opt for the opposite extreme. The Bohoho, Daniela’s luxury Camps Bay villa and Airbnb is the epitome of opulence and maximalism. Here, luxury bypasses refined elegance and presents itself as a quirky explosion of colour and fun, putting the “camp” in “Camp’s Bay.”
Daniela, the creative force behind this vibrant wonderland, is as eclectic as the home itself. A native of Germany, restauranteur and bar owner, Daniela fell in love with South Africa during a 2007 visit. By 2015, her passion for design took root in Croatia, where she bought and revamped a house that sparked a new career in interior decorating. Guests were so enamoured with her creative flair that one bought the home, furnishings and all, paving the way for her next dream project: a move to Cape Town.
Fast-forward to 2022, when Daniela stumbled upon a mid-century Camps Bay property and her imagination began to run wild. She bought it and set out to transform it into a vibrant homage to 1960s Palm Springs glamour, something of a Slim Aarons’ photograph meets Jonathan Adler’s interior design with a touch of retro Hollywood glam. “I wanted to create the feeling of sitting at the pool with Liz Taylor and Richard Burton while listening to Frank Sinatra and sipping on a martini,” she said.
The result is a visual feast. Plush textures, mirrored surfaces, and bold wallpapers layer pattern upon pattern to create a sense of joyful chaos with playful little details in every nook and cranny. Whether it’s the eyepatch-clad Audrey Hepburn gallery wall or the ornamental bunch of gold bananas, the Bohoho isn’t just a villa; it’s a dazzling spectacle of design, nostalgia, and pure unfiltered joy.
Though ‘Dopamine décor’ – a term referring to the trend of using colour, patterns, and textures to create a space that feels joyful – may not have been Daniela’s intention, it’s hard to walk out that lime-green front door without a smile on your face.
