The Ark
Mental wellness retreat
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE · INTERNATIONALLY ACTIVE
Spaces that hold you.
Interiors for lodges, restaurants, private homes and yachts. Warm, tactile, unhurried — designed to be experienced, not just looked at.
I
THE STUDIO
A philosophy of restraint — and considered detail.
Founded in 2012 by Alysha Craxton and Garth Fourie, Principia is an internationally active practice designing private homes, lodges, restaurants, retail and yachts. Working from Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Garden Route and London, on projects worldwide.
We celebrate African roots while drawing on references from around the world. Our work is unhurried, material-led, and made to be lived in.
II FEATURED PROJECT
The Ark
MENTAL WELLNESS RETREAT · WHITE RIVER
A place made for people who need somewhere to land — warm material, unhurried light, and rooms that ask nothing of you. The most literal reading of spaces that hold you.
FILM
Play Video about The Ark Mental Wellness Retreat — entrance canopy at dusk, warm cove lighting beneath a pitched roof above a planted approach
III SELECTED WORK
Different projects. Same intention.
Jozi Gin
Distillery bar · Johannesburg
Blue Jacket II
Luxury yacht · Knysna
White River Manor
Luxury lodge · White River
Villa Malta
Private residence · Malta
Toyota GR Driving Academy
Brand experience · Zwartkops
IV SELECTED CLIENTS
“We have never worked with such a professional team, with weekly updates and an amazing attention to detail.”
Cricket South Africa · Wanderers StadiumBeauty without comfort is mere decoration.
THE PRINCIPIA ETHOS
V WHAT WE DO
Four disciplines, one practice.
A single hand carries your project from the first idea to the last considered detail. For work beyond our regions we design remotely — the same process, delivered digitally, with local contractors building it.
01
Interior Design
Considered spatial narratives, furniture, fittings and styling — tuned to how a space is actually used.
02
Interior Architecture
Reshaping structure, light and flow. Drawings, detailing and council submission.
03
Craft & Custom
Bespoke joinery, custom furniture and fittings, made for the space they sit in.
04
Project Delivery
Procurement, contractor management and site supervision through to handover.
BEGIN A PROJECT
Tell us about your project.
Whether it is a lodge, a restaurant, a home or something stranger — if it needs more than a catalogue, we would like to hear about it. We listen first, then come back with a tailored proposal.
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