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Hide-out in the dunes : At night strategic lighting makes it seem as if the house is floating. -
Hide-out in the dunes : The site was originally occupied by three houses, which formed the footprint of the new house. -
Hide-out in the dunes : On the left-hand side, the living room looks out over the indoor swimming pool, and on the right-hand side, a passage leads to the sleeping quarters. -
Hide-out in the dunes : The kitchen consists of two sections: the front section is open plan and surrounded by a breakfast counter that allows the man of the house to be included in the socialising when he cooks, while the sink, dishwasher and scullery are hidden behind a wall. -
Hide-out in the dunes : The original glass roof was retained in the pool room, but the swimming pool tiles were replaced with darker tiles. -
Hide-out in the dunes : The large property allows enough space for the girls to play and to keep their menagerie of horses, dogs and parrots. -
Hide-out in the dunes : The main bedroom was previously a kitchen, but it was converted into a spacious room, built-in cupboards, a dressing room and an en-suite bathroom.
PHOTOS: Lien Botha | WORDS: Carien du Plessis
A modern estate lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean that you must live alongside a putting green – you could just as easily hide away in a forest beside the sea.
The wooden gate is simple; anonymous. It is followed by an army of aloes on the left, standing to attention to welcome all who enter the estate. There is a glimpse of the neighbouring house, but that is soon forgotten as you are surrounded by dense vegetation. On the right are several paddocks – all Dallas-style green grass and white picket fences.
The house itself sits far back, bordering a huge lawn and hidden by trees – almost hiding in the soft folds of the wooded dunes that separate it from the sea.
Architect Haydn Ellis says the well-established garden was the key to the appeal of this property in Sardinia Bay. More than four years ago the family approached him to design a house for the parents, their four young daughters (the eldest is now 11 years old) and grandma and grandpa. The existing house was in bad condition and it took a lot of convincing by Haydn that this was the perfect spot for them.
The original structure was surrounded by vast tracts of paving and was painted white with high, unremarkable windows. The building had previously housed a spa but it had been altered into three adjoining houses that were ‘as confusing as a dog’s breakfast’ according to Haydn. However, these three houses were his point of departure.
Fortunately, he loves a challenge, especially when it comes to transforming an existing structure into something completely new.
‘It’s actually easier to come up with something extraordinary when you’re creating it from something else,’ he says. ‘The more restrictions you have, the more creative you need to be. My client was skeptical at first, but I saw an opportunity. I love the idea of a footprint – something that has already gone before. Instant solutions don’t appeal to me; I really like the idea of structure.’
Haydn retained only the foundation and the roof of the original 1000m2 structure.
House blends in with the environment
It was a difficult, drawn-out procedure and is still ongoing, partly because the growing girls’ needs change as the years go by. When VISI visited, the bar in one corner of the living room was still awaiting shelving, the garage did not yet exist and the cottage at the bottom of the garden had only a lick of paint to its merit.
Hidden in nature this dark-painted home may be, but it is open and accessible – a home with many doors and with almost more windows than walls. A gravel path leads to the main entrance past a rough cement wall lined with tall grasses and lights, which, according to the lady of the house, looks like ‘an airport’s landing strip’ at night.
Steps of smooth grey slate from Cape Town lead up to the enormous rusted steel front door. Fairy lights beckon in the glass panels on each side. Thanks to the dark walls, more strings of lights outside under the roof and stairs help to create the illusion that the house is floating at night. As Haydn describes it: ‘The dark house becomes a negative and the lit elements a positive.’
Inside, the home is open plan with glass corners, glass sliding doors that lead to wooden decks all round, and massive windows fitted with thick burglar-proof glass.
As much as the exterior of the house blends in with the environment, so do the huge windows invite the trees and plants inside. The windows, together with the neutral Earthcote floors (with under-floor heating), the wooden panels and the dry-pack stone cladding repeated throughout, create a sense of continuity in all the living areas.
Haydn designed the house in three parts: formal and informal living areas and one for only the family. In the formal area there is a small, unobtrusive study, a guest toilet, a bar, a dining room and a living room with a stone fireplace, opening up to the entrance hall.
Magnificent views over the grassy dunes
The informal living area is open plan, with a heated swimming pool under a glass roof, a sauna-in-the-making, a living room with a large plasma-screen television and a fireplace, and an industrial-looking kitchen complete with an imported yellow Lacanche stove where the man of the house loves to cook.
The padded cream and brown wall panels in the kitchen are lit from behind, making them ‘float’ at night. They help to create a playful, retro look that is carried through into the patchwork ceiling tiles of the living room in orange, yellow, brown and cream. A floating staircase (with a glass balustrade for the sake of the children) leads from the living room to grandma’s bedroom and the children’s playroom.
The playroom, with different areas dedicated to different age groups, also boasts huge windows with magnificent views over the grassy dunes. A security gate at the top of the stairs means that the girls and their grandmother can spend time alone without any worries.
There is also a security door at the entrance to the family area, leading to six bedrooms. The girls have identical bedrooms and share two bathrooms. Striking glass panels draw attention to where the walls were removed to add the bathrooms. Haydn made extensive use of glass here, as it makes the lush green outdoors feel like a part of these spaces.
With all the children, their pets and souvenirs of travels to exotic places, the interior of this house will probably always be slightly more chaotic than Haydn had intended. But the family is not at all concerned because they have found the perfect hide-out here among the dunes.
• Ellis & Associates: 021 422 2824 , ellisassoc@iafrica.com
