Big sky country

PHOTOS Dook WORDS Jacqueline Myburgh Chemaly

For architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, the breathtaking backdrop of the Lowveld’s Garden of Eden made designing this contemporary farmhouse a study in space, simplicity and sophistication.

Thousands of years from now, when archaeologists are excavating the flood plains around the rivers of the South African Lowveld, they will unearth a remarkable treasure – a pile of bones belonging to the most unusual beast that ever lived.

They will wonder what manner of mammal this could have been, as they examine what appears to be hippo, elephant, giraffe and lion limbs, all slung together in a creatively orthopaedic construction of chrome brackets and stainless-steel cables.

They will find traces of sand-blasted glass balls lying among the bones and, while eerily beautiful, the provenance of this structure will be puzzling indeed.

Surrounding this bone collection, the archaeologists will find the traces of a traditional Lowveld farmhouse. There’ll be the signature-wide verandah that would have been perfect for watching game across the nearby river, a combined pitched and flat roof in traditional thatch, as well as a hospitable bar where, no doubt, the Homo sapiens of the day had enjoyed many a fine evening under the stars.

But the excavators will unearth evidence of something else here – a contemporary interpretation of the Lowveld farmhouse style where curio chic has been replaced with a tranquil elegance and low-key sophistication not seen in other farmhouses of this type.

A new design style

In all likelihood, these archaeologists will be opening an entirely new category in their files for a design style that is unlike anything they have seen before.

Such is the style of Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens that, wherever they go, whatever they do, their work creates new categories of design. Often imitated, they never want to remain static in their style and are constantly seeking a new aesthetic while remaining true to the African signature their clients are after.

The design duo form a unique team: Both trained architects, theirs is a seamless collaboration to create original structures as well as interiors for their clients. They see architecture and interior design as one and relish delivering a complete product in which they have also designed and selected the objects, furniture and art.

Much of the furniture and decor objects in the homes and hotels designed by Silvio and Lesley are custom-made for that job and are usually not available for sale. Ideas are rarely repeated, possibly adapted – that is the nature of the exclusive, one-stop design service they offer.

Silvio and Lesley are best known for their cutting-edge African lodges such as Ngorongoro Crater Lodge built for Conservation Corporation in Tanzania and the award-winning North Island luxury lodge in the Seychelles created for Wilderness Safaris. Not to mention the Leobo Lodge in the Waterberg, named the “Best Safari House in Africa” in 2014 (see it here).

In this Lowveld farmhouse, Silvio and Lesley have retained their trademark affection for African materials and organic lines, but they have moved into a more sophisticated, pared down space.

They were also assisted by George Boorsma and Lisebo Mokhesi from INK Design Studio in whom they found the perfect collaborators.

Quest for space and tranquility

For Silvio, this design became as much about what wasn’t there, as it was about the structure and objects. In his quest for space and tranquillity, he used the landscape as his source of inspiration and created a house which would frame this piece of big-sky country.

Of course there are several dramatic design elements, such as the bone chandeliers and the giant coffee table made from the polished roots of a leadwood tree. But it is in the Armani-like shades of the cool and unstructured linen sofas, in the organic and watery shapes of the glass vases, carafes and glasses that a new design language has emerged.

Where much of Silvio and Lesley’s previous work was filled with broad and bold brush strokes, the new look is elegant and refined, using only the finest craftsmanship and settling only for a perfect finish. There are always quirky touches. In this case, one of the owners requested that they incorporate some of the springbok skins from animals he had hunted himself.

The result is a designer wooden dining chair, complete with a moulded seat and covered with a springbok hide with the tail dangling on the floor.

Modest sophistication

The genius of this house is that it has all the modesty of a farmhouse, but the dramatic spaces of a sophisticated New York apartment and the tranquillity of a Zen temple rolled seamlessly into one. From the low-key entrance, interior lounge, courtyard, dining area and bar to the outside living area – the sense of space is intoxicating. With all the doors open, the home is literally a vast and elegant shelter overlooking some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world.

For the first time, Silvio made a point of creating corner to corner windows and glass doors that connected the house to its environment. Thus living areas open up to create an entertainment area that could comfortably accommodate two or three hundred guests.

With the spectacular Lowveld sky as the ultimate landscape painting looming over each bed and into the bedrooms, why would you want to leave?

But it is in the effortless combination of African organic, contemporary and seriously sophisticated, that Silvio has moved his signature up a notch. Wherever you look, he has created a still life incorporating each design aesthetic: For example, the bathrooms have a crude leadwood top and a floor-to-ceiling mirrored wall adds the contemporary touch, finished off with seriously chic French-designed basins and taps.

The inside lounge boasts a massive leadwood coffee table, an ultra-modern pebble gas fireplace topped with a black steel chimney, and a gleamingly elegant chrome Arco lamp from Italy.

Contemporary touch

Outside, it’s hard not to tumble into those linen couches which are soft, simple and oh-so inviting – the contemporary touch.

Drinks are served on coffee tables inspired by the shapes of tree roots (there’s Africa) and from dramatically chic coral coloured glassware – the sophisticated element again. It’s a winning formula that Silvio and Lesley have used so effectively throughout this Lowveld farmhouse with a difference.

Look carefully and learn, because Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens are already dreaming up a new language for their next design.

Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, 011 486 1525, adventarch@mweb.co.za
INK Design Studio, 011 726 6661/3, INKdesignlab.co.za