Killarney Hills is a 1950s landmark apartment building in Johannesburg that exemplifies the city’s architecture under the influence of Brazilian tropical modernism. This interior alteration and renovation aimed to create a contemporary dialogue with the building’s heritage. While the interior spaces were reconfigured, other details, such as the concrete beams, reveal aspects of the history of the building’s construction in new ways. A restrained but rich palette of materials and fine detailing, such as engineered wood floors, granite tiles and sleek cabinetry, unify the spaces. Steel-and-glass screens – one of which incorporates some of the original textured glass salvaged from the renovation – allow natural light deep into the interiors. The furnishings combine vintage pieces with contemporary local designs, many of which reinterpret traditional designs in a way that resonates with the approach taken in this alteration. Furnishings and fittings include several bespoke designs by jvr architects and interiors. Gregory Mark Landscape Design advised on the terrace planting.