Images by Dieter Losskarn
From 1978 to 1981, the late actor Robert Urich starred as private investigator Dan Tanna in the hit TV series Vegas. Tanna occupied a small building behind the Desert Inn Hotel & Country Club in which he maintained his home, office, and parking spot for a mint condition 1957 Ford Thunderbird. The door would open, the ’Bird would roll in, and the door would close as Tanna hopped out of the car. Outside of the Batcave, there were few places as inspiring to car guys as that. Dieter Losskarn has done something similar by designing and constructing a 300 square meter home in South Africa in what he calls the residential warehouse style. The space is open, flowing, and a bit industrial. All the rooms share the same highly polished floors, the ceilings share exposed steel trusses, and there’s a cool, modern feel throughout. Not as plush as Tanna’s place, it has a directness that’s of its own style.
“I designed it and built it of light steel construction with 3 bedrooms en suite, 1 guest toilet,” he said. “I wanted a home that was unique and would serve my automotive interests, and provide a beautiful surrounding.”
We’d say he achieved just that.
Unlike Tanna, Dieter has separated his two-car garage from the living quarters, which is probably wise to avoid fumes, leaks, and so on that cars (especially elderly cars) can exude. Dieter’s Checker A-11 NYC taxi is the only one in South Africa, and pops of yellow against the clean, crisp garage he’s created.
In spite of the modern styling of the home, Dieter has decorated in a way that brings a unique historic feel to it. Partial to Shell Oil memorabilia for the bright yellow and red coloring, Dieter has collected a number of pieces from that company including a slick oil can turned desk lamp, a gang of oilers, and numerous elderly pieces sprinkled here and there, but of particular interest is his bed.
“I am a travel book author, therefore always exploring Southern Africa for updates to my books,” he said. “While driving through a township in Namibia, I saw the yellow from a distance, and bought the 1930’s partial Shell signs directly from the shack. A carpenter friend of mine used vintage Oregon pine wood from my very first house that I built in South Africa when I came from Germany in 1994. I saw people breaking it down in 2014 and bought some of the wood back. The glass on top of the rusty Shell signs makes the bed look really upmarket, almost like archeological pieces.”
The space took only four months to construct in 2014, and is exactly as he envisioned it. Sharp lines and edges add to the modern styling, as do the lofty ceilings and highly polished polyurethane floors throughout the space. In spite of the young age of the home, Dieter admits wanting to design something else, maybe this time using an historic place instead of building from scratch, and bringing modern elements to it.
The majority of his décor is automotive, but uniquely shares space with European, African, and American pieces creating a continental theme. Dieter scours swap meets and enjoys yard finds, something any of us can appreciate. Clever pieces like the hanging Campbell’s soup can lamp from German light designer Ingo Maurer, and rusty chandelier make for inspiring conversation pieces, as do so many other elements.
“Whenever I travel I ask people if they have old stuff they might like to sell,” he said. “Even in pre American Pickers times, I was always in search of something.”
One sign of particular sentimental rooting is the Trattoria Luigi sign. In 1994 when Dieter first came to Hout Bay, South Africa, Luigi was his first and subsequently favorite restaurant.
“Many winter nights, when it was stormy and rainy, the white, green, and red neon made my tummy grumble in anticipation of the upcoming prosciutto pizza,” he said. “After 30 years, in 2014 Luigi went out of business, and I bought the sign from the landlord.”
After 30 years of service outside, the sign still works perfectly, with all three Italian colors glowing beautifully, and reminiscent of warm Italian food on cool stormy nights.
One of the most interesting pieces at Dieter’s is the Car-B-Que. “The South African word for barbecue is braai, and I wanted to combine something very South African with something typical German,” he said. “The Merc Braai was the result.”
Overlooking the harbor and bay, the seat built into the trunk space provides a fabulous view and space to enjoy a meal and wind down the day. Dieter’s residential warehouse is one of those places that makes a mark of its own, a place that’s as inspiring as anything Hollywood might create for their hero.
