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Moody tones and a perfectly lit off-shutter concrete wall in a lounge that leads off the wine cellar and golf simulator in the basement area. The Marenco sofa from Arflex sits beneath an artwork by Beezy Bailey. The wall lights are from Studio 19, the metal sidetable is from Acre Studio and the Perspex sidetable is vintage. The two ottomans were custom-made by Monsoon Interiors for the owners and covered in fabrics by Kirkby Design. -
Designed in the style of a Cape langhuis, the home is a modern farmhouse. Two barns laid out over three levels are connected by courtyards and a rooftop terrace. By placing the house on the lowest contours of the site, architect Arn Erasmus ensured that the building feels grounded and that, with time, the landscaping will ground it further. In the courtyard that connects the entrance hall to the living area, a life-sized bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree by artist Nic Bladen is a serious wow factor. -
Designed in the style of a Cape langhuis, the home is a modern farmhouse. Two barns laid out over three levels are connected by courtyards and a rooftop terrace. By placing the house on the lowest contours of the site, architect Arn Erasmus ensured that the building feels grounded and that, with time, the landscaping will ground it further. In the courtyard that connects the entrance hall to the living area, a life-sized bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree by artist Nic Bladen is a serious wow factor. -
Designed in the style of a Cape langhuis, the home is a modern farmhouse. Two barns laid out over three levels are connected by courtyards and a rooftop terrace. By placing the house on the lowest contours of the site, architect Arn Erasmus ensured that the building feels grounded and that, with time, the landscaping will ground it further. In the courtyard that connects the entrance hall to the living area, a life-sized bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree by artist Nic Bladen is a serious wow factor. -
Designed in the style of a Cape langhuis, the home is a modern farmhouse. Two barns laid out over three levels are connected by courtyards and a rooftop terrace. By placing the house on the lowest contours of the site, architect Arn Erasmus ensured that the building feels grounded and that, with time, the landscaping will ground it further. In the courtyard that connects the entrance hall to the living area, a life-sized bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree by artist Nic Bladen is a serious wow factor. -
Designed in the style of a Cape langhuis, the home is a modern farmhouse. Two barns laid out over three levels are connected by courtyards and a rooftop terrace. By placing the house on the lowest contours of the site, architect Arn Erasmus ensured that the building feels grounded and that, with time, the landscaping will ground it further. In the courtyard that connects the entrance hall to the living area, a life-sized bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree by artist Nic Bladen is a serious wow factor. -
Designed in the style of a Cape langhuis, the home is a modern farmhouse. Two barns laid out over three levels are connected by courtyards and a rooftop terrace. By placing the house on the lowest contours of the site, architect Arn Erasmus ensured that the building feels grounded and that, with time, the landscaping will ground it further. In the courtyard that connects the entrance hall to the living area, a life-sized bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree by artist Nic Bladen is a serious wow factor. -
Designed in the style of a Cape langhuis, the home is a modern farmhouse. Two barns laid out over three levels are connected by courtyards and a rooftop terrace. By placing the house on the lowest contours of the site, architect Arn Erasmus ensured that the building feels grounded and that, with time, the landscaping will ground it further. In the courtyard that connects the entrance hall to the living area, a life-sized bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree by artist Nic Bladen is a serious wow factor. -
In the kitchen, a geometric marble floor by Continua connects with the marble countertop from Mazista Tiles and the marble inlaid shelving on the back wall. The mix is sophisticated against the wooden cabinetry. The barstools are from Weylandts. -
Filled with owners Nell and Kevin Harris’s collection of locally designed furniture and enviable art, the living room features Ligne Roset sofas, a server by Dokter and Misses, a Tube coffee table by Deft Studios, a Copenhagen floor lamp by &Tradition from Créma, and an artwork above the fireplace by Australian artist Peter Sharp. -
A 12-seater dining table by Gregor Jenkin is paired with Loafer dining chairs by &Tradition from Créma, a Mezzanine server and a PH5 pendant light by Louis Poulsen from Il Lusso, as well as a bespoke bar that was designed by VKDB Architects and built by Evelyn Terblanche from Versfeld. -
The indoor-outdoor braai patio features a sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Kettal from Marlanteak, a coffee table from Lemon Furniture, Weylandts armchairs, and cork stools by Wiid Design. -
The basement ball-play area doubles as a disco for birthday parties. -
In the wine cellar, a cork-and-marble table by Laurie Wiid and Kartell chairs from True Design create another entertainment space next to the Fire and Gas Lifestyles fireplace. -
In addition to loungers by Pedersen + Lennard and umbrellas from Cape Umbrellas, the pool deck is furnished with an extendable Brick outdoor table by RODA from Marlanteak and Pedrali Lamorisse chairs from Inova. -
Nell’s office is a light-filled, playful space with a desk – her own design – made up by Timeless Timbers and a bookcase wall unit by Deft Studios. -
Another bedroom features cupboards by Versfeld and a custom bed. -
A kid’s bedroom is cleverly split to accommodate a bed platform and a living area with a built-in sofa and desk. The swivel chairs are from Hertex and Sofa Company, and the Noguchi table is from Il Lusso. -
The main bathroom opens onto the same private terrace as the main bedroom. Wooden floors are a warm contrast against the dramatic Afristone slabs in the shower and on the vanity. The stone bathtub is by Bone Studio, and the fixtures are from Lavo Bathroom Concepts. -
The main bathroom opens onto the same private terrace as the main bedroom. Wooden floors are a warm contrast against the dramatic Afristone slabs in the shower and on the vanity. The stone bathtub is by Bone Studio, and the fixtures are from Lavo Bathroom Concepts. -
The main bathroom opens onto the same private terrace as the main bedroom. Wooden floors are a warm contrast against the dramatic Afristone slabs in the shower and on the vanity. The stone bathtub is by Bone Studio, and the fixtures are from Lavo Bathroom Concepts. -
The main bathroom opens onto the same private terrace as the main bedroom. Wooden floors are a warm contrast against the dramatic Afristone slabs in the shower and on the vanity. The stone bathtub is by Bone Studio, and the fixtures are from Lavo Bathroom Concepts. -
The headboard design in the main bedroom was inspired by one of Nell’s favourite interior decorators, Kelly Wearstler, and was executed by Hannes Loubser of LWC. The artworks are by Olaf Bisschoff.
Designed to expand and contract in accordance with the changing needs of family life, this contemporary farmhouse is a savvy architectural design that ticks all the boxes.
WORDS Kerryn Fischer PHOTOS Elsa Young / Frank Features
Inspired by its spectacular location in the Stellenbosch winelands, the “forever” home that Nell and Kevin Harris share with their three children is as much a contemporary architectural farmhouse as it is a laid-back family retreat. Inveterate travellers who balance their passion for golf, surfing, trail running and the outdoors with their love of art and design, the couple juggle myriad balls. “We’re a close-knit family of strong personalities,” says Nell. “Our kids are almost grown-up and independent, so we wanted to create a home that’s reflective of our current life stage, but that has the ability to grow with us into the next stage of our lives too.”
To this end, they enlisted the help of VKDB Architects, who had done a renovation for friends that Nell and Kevin loved. Their brief to principal architect Arn Erasmus was for a calm, modern aesthetic – “uncomplicated but interesting, with plenty of natural light and mountain views”. Their desire for a space that could accommodate the needs of their family and the layout necessary to make that happen came with one caveat: the scale of the house needed to be unobtrusive.
With this in mind, Arn conducted an in-depth analysis of the site with respect to natural contours, views, orientation, privacy and prominent winds, and came up with a modern farmhouse design inspired by the Cape langhuis. Laid out over three levels, the five-bedroom home comprises a pair of south-facing, pitched- roof linear barns with two north-facing inner courtyards to ensure that all living spaces and bedrooms have privacy, views and a north-facing orientation. The two barns are also connected by the courtyards, as well as a rooftop terrace that leads off Nell’s office.
Functioning as a series of flexible yet independent spaces, the open-plan living, dining, kitchen and outdoor entertaining areas are located on the ground floor, as is the main bedroom and Kevin’s office. The children’s bedrooms, Nell’s office, a pyjama lounge and the guest bedroom are situated on the first floor. The concealed basement level offers the element of surprise: it’s home to a mixed-use studio/music room, wine cellar and golf simulator, as well as a ball-play area that doubles as a disco venue for birthday parties.
The couple’s desire for a series of flexible and communal areas where they can socialise with ease depending on the gathering and the season has been realised with clever use of space. A hard-working back-of-house kitchen concealed behind the open-plan kitchen can double as an indoor bar and prep counter adjacent to the living area. The same is true of the outdoor spaces, such as the creative studio in the garden, the loggia and the braai patio, all of which can be enclosed in winter.
Arn cleverly solved the conundrum of scale that comes with a three-level design by placing the house on the lowest contours, sinking it into the site, and allowing the plantings and landscaping to ground it in its environment.
Inside, Nell combined her love of Scandinavian style with homegrown designs and the couple’s enviable art collection. Her involvement with the art gallery at Ellerman House – and taking over the design and styling of the boutique hotel from Kevin’s mother, Jeanne – also gave her an opportunity to explore her creative side. “My mother is a pharmacist, but her flair for design and interiors has influenced me hugely,” she explains. “I think that building two holiday homes in Stilbaai from scratch gave me confidence too; so when it came to this house, I was inspired and excited.”
Nell’s aim to create a quiet textural envelope for their eclectic art collection is perhaps best illustrated by the bronze-cast sculpture of a shepherd tree that takes pride of place in the courtyard near the home’s entrance. Having worked with sculptor Nic Bladen on a project for Ellerman House, Nell knew he had made a cast of a life-sized shepherd tree from the Kalahari – and so they commissioned it for this area. Known as the “tree of life” because of its importance to people and animals, the shepherd tree’s deep root structure makes it a symbol of shelter. “It seemed such an appropriate piece for our family home, and a legacy we hope to pass on to our children,” says Kevin. Nell agrees: “It was important to us that five years from now, when the kids are out of the house, it would retain the same feeling of intimacy and flow.” Mission accomplished. | vkdb.co.za
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