Bohemian rhapsody

PHOTOS: Adriaan Oosthuizen | PRODUCTION: Sumien Brink | WORDS: Justine Charles

Stylist, cook, baker extraordinaire and free spirit, Tina Bester has conjured up an atmosphere new home and patisserie in Cape Town’s laid-back suburb of Observatory.

There are those people who plan their lives down to the minute, and those who don’t. The latter usually take the road less travelled, finding themselves in unusual places and not always sure how they got there – or why.

This road less travelled has always been Tina Bester’s preferred route through life. A prolific and talented décor stylist, Tina has worn many other hats, too, including that of graphic designer and, until a few years ago, country bumpkin – a time that saw Tina and her daughter, Alexandria (now 12), exchanging the relative glitz of Cape Town for the calm of Calitzdorp.

Fortunately for city residents, Tina is back in town and firmly committed to her newest undertaking – her charming pâtisserie and lunch stop, Queen of Tarts, in Lower Main Road in the Bohemian suburb of Observatory.

Inspired by a recent trip to Paris, Tina’s popular spot is enchanting and has foodies stopping by for her freshly baked breads, delicious cakes and chunky savoury tarts – all enjoyed in beautiful, vintage-inspired surrounds. A poster girl for multitasking, Tina can keep things creative in her shop, fit in school lifts for Alexandria, catch up on emails, cater for small gatherings and plan an occasional décor shoot – all from the same address.

The original building was also a restaurant and shop, but with a series of mismatched rooms. Tina’s renovation, mindful of the building’s historical frame, has rendered it a practical business premises that’s also perfectly suited to her busy family life.

Sturdy, purposebuilt concrete counters dominate the candy-coloured kitchen downstairs. This space is the perfect foil for her pride and joy, a pink Smeg fridge. Tina’s love of all things vintage is revealed when she opens the doors to her kitchen cupboards: Great Depression-era glass and kitsch collectables are lovingly grouped beside family keepsakes in colour-coordinated displays.

Her casual eatery with its display of authentic kitchenalia reflects her magpie tendencies, and is pulled together with all the irresistible charm of an ice-cream sundae.

Above the bakery

Upstairs, away from the clinking of glasses and the buzz of the cappuccino machine, is Tina’s and Alexandria’s private world. Traipse past the wall of family photographs and up the narrow staircase – one of the charming original features Tina has retained – and the colourful spaces downstairs fade from memory to be replaced by more subdued but just as engaging decorating schemes.

The living room, painted in a rich, Bloomsbury-inspired green, is home to Tina’s favourite possessions. These include a sofa that’s ‘been covered and recovered a thousand times’, a collection of faded paintings, picture frames waiting to be filled and an old lamp rescued from her mother’s home. ‘Some people don’t understand why I keep a ripped lampshade, but that rip’s exactly why I love it,’ she laughs.

Tina’s bedroom is mysterious; this boudoir is dressed in shades of black (Plascon’s Midnight [E26-7]), rich purples and a myriad of collected vintage fabrics and furnishings she’s held onto over the years. The insides of people’s wardrobes are telling reflections of their personalities. In Tina’s bedroom, drawer upon drawer is filled with designer shoes on skyscraper heels, revealing a penchant for fashion and the finer things.

Already following in her mother’s stylish footsteps, Alexandria’s room is a prettied-up space that reveals her teenage tendencies as well as a striking inherited talent for showing off the things that make her tick. New additions to the building include an outside deck with a view. It introduces a contemporary edge to this Victorian home and provides Tina and Alexandria with yet another nook to call their own.

What both the public and private spaces of this building reveal is the owner’s talent for tying together different looks, making them work together in a colourful patchwork. The result is a multidimensional and always entertaining affair.

• Queen of Tarts: 021 448 2420, 213 Lower Main Road, Observatory