Who is Thirteen
Thirteen is a new way to think about hi-fi. Instead of going the conventional route, we have chosen to create new spaces that combine fine are and the finest audio equipment available.
Thirteen is built around two incredible locations: 13 Hof Street, and our flagship showroom: The Loft in downtown Cape Town.
The house in Hof Street is well known to a surprising number of people living in Cape Town. Most Capetonians have passed it once – and for a lot of them the Victorian villa is on their daily way to and from work. Some of those I have met in the past few months have fond childhood memories linked to it. Others have wished and considered buying this really beautiful house. Apparently no. 13 Hof Street has been for sale a few times in the past.
I bought my dream home in May 2012. The well-known interior decorator Ralph Krall was the enigmatic previous owner of the house at the corner of Hof/Kamp Street – a true Rhinelander – like me. Fittingly, on my first visit my future house blew me away with its luxuriance. It literally knocked my socks off. Ralph Krall had performed an excellent job with the design of his home.
The house, the garden, the interiors – are all fascinating artworks in their own right! All of this seemed to be his love for his home transformed into matter. 13 Hof Street was a home ready to move in – so accomplished that one just wanted to live in it – but that would have been the opposite of what I wanted and had wished for. So I started with the “change” – the alterations and renovations in October 2012 and it was definitely not easy to cast out the insistent but refined “ghost of Ralph”. I didn’t want to cast him out completely, but I was representing a different generation, we have our own past, other experiences and our own ideas of a home and a future. I loved creating rooms – the encounter with Ralph and the conversations I had with him were a sincere and enriching experience. I was inspired by Ralph and had the chance to learn important facts about creating rooms.
I approached our Old Lady, as I call the Victorian villa, with respect and love. I kept the beauty and uncovered the hidden, added new – and gave the rooms of the house their own individual style. And a piece of Ralph and Daniele is still to be found in the “masonry” – but why don’t you come around and see for yourself?
