From Empty Shell to Booked Out: How Naughty by Nature Was Created

What was the starting point?

When we first saw the building, there was very little to it: a roof, walls, aluminium doors and a bare floor. What it did have was the thing you can't build: a secluded spot with a view, a short drive from George. That's the lesson we start every project with. You can design almost anything inside a building, but you can't design privacy or a setting. Those come first.

What did we create?

Everything inside and outside was designed and fitted out by Geani Gold:

• The interior: a themed living space with a statement lounge, a four-poster bed, layered lighting and a full kitchen
• A signature room: designed for connection, with bespoke furniture made by our team
• The outdoor living: decks, landscaped gardens and paths, a boma and fire deck
• The outdoor kitchen: our own design, built for long evenings
• A private hot tub, placed for privacy and the view

What did we learn?

• Couples photograph details. Lighting, textures and one or two signature pieces get shared far more than square metres.
• Outdoor space doubles the suite. Guests spend as much time on the deck, at the fire and in the hot tub as they do inside.
• Cleanable materials matter. Every surface needs to look as good after the hundredth stay as the first.
• The experience fills the calendar. The design gets the first booking. The guided couples' experience gets the review, the referral and the return visit.

What is the result?

Your building could be next

Experience Suites now partners with owners of secluded buildings to create suites like this one. You bring a habitable building that's already approved for guests; we bring the design, the full fit-out, the brand, the guided experience and the marketing. Investment starts from R2.25M.

Part of every stay: the guided couples’ experience.