Editor-in-chief Sumien Brink has selected some of her favourite autumn spaces from past issues of VISI. Here, she shares why these are a few of her top picks.
SUMIEN: “This is a good example of how we all should aim to live, treading lightly on this earth.”
Stand 47 at Monaghan Farm: Kiaat parquet flooring by Van Rensburg Wood Flooring and a stone wall temper the high-tech ETICS walling with a touch of the homely familiar. Amber pendant lights by Woltemade and bowls by Bronze Age further enhance the visual unity. A single fireplace is sufficient to heat the entire space.
Stand 47 at Monaghan Farm: The steel structure of the verandah provides a feeling of enclosure and safety, while furniture by Weylandt adds to the earthiness of the home.
PHOTOS Dook PRODUCTION Klara van Wyngaarden
2. Karoo House
SUMIEN: “This is the ultimate autumn hideaway. It might be very far away from everything but it has all the modern luxuries you could wish for. I also love the touches of red used throughout the building.”
An old handmade ladder was found in the ruins. The coffee table is a bed from Nagaland and the poplar beams are from the surrounding farm.
After the previous owners moved out about 30 years ago, the derelict stone ruin provided shelter for sheep. Now it is a comfortable stone lodge.
SUMIEN: “If you are a collector, this one is for you. I love his quest to find the specific green of a childhood memory scattered around the house.”
A stoep that resembles a hotel dining room. The two middle chairs are painted in Plascon’s Caring Land (G4-C1-2), and the two lighter chairs are painted in Plascon’s Aspen Forest (G4-C1-4).
King George V oversees a whimsical tablescape that was inspired by the Eau de Nil background of the portrait. The regency chairs are painted in Plascon’s Nature’s Abundance (G2-C2-1) and the Woods Ware crockery comes from homeowner Cobus van Niekerk’s shop.
SUMIEN: “I want to sit in this moody, dark café every day this autumn. I love the space, the food and the furniture.”
The bar and coffee counter behind which Prosper Dhlodhlo, Francois Irvine and Mandla Mkandla are standing is made of salvaged wood. A Persian carpet offers a splash of colour against antique chairs, some upcycled and others bearing the markings of having been battered by time and history.
The high ceilings and expansive interior allow for the space to be both café and gallery. Objects and artworks – such as the large oil painting Sex + Money by Anina Deetlefs – are for sale, and the eclectic seating areas invite you stay a while, enjoy the good coffee and immerse yourself in the beauty.
PHOTOS Micky Hoyle PRODUCTION Sumien Brink
5. Franschhoek House
SUMIEN: “I could just take my handbag and move right in. This shoot happened five years after we first photographed it… and it just got better over the years.”
Yin and Yang armchairs, designed by Kenneth Cobonpue, preside over a Linteloo platform table, two stools made of monkey-pod wood and a set of antique Indian stools.
The living area sports oversized chairs, a chandelier that Kim bought in Paris, and Argo Five Stone Floor Lamp from Thailand and a Ben Chair inspired by Arne Jacobsen’s original.
SUMIEN: “If I had some spare time to relax in the Free State, this is where I’d like to be.”
The northern facade of the house shows views right through to the southern side. The original brick building’s corrugated iron roof was lifted to meet up with the rooflines of the new addition.
A clever elongated lounge window lets the sun shine across the round retro lines of heirloom furniture and a Persian rug that once belonged to homeowner Ian Westmore’s grandmother.
SUMIEN: “One day when I grow up I want to have one of these.”
On sunny days, the large stoep at the back is a gathering point for family, friends and pooches, Simba and Suki.
A working wine farm, Jacobsdal is home to a friendly flock of sheep and, of course, the Dumas family.
PHOTOS Micky Hoyle PRODUCTION Sumien Brink
8. Great Outdoors
SUMIEN: “The glow of autumn – what would it be without a signature fireplace?”
Located on a game farm between Bela Bela and Thabazimbi in the Limpopo Province, this holiday home, designed by John Wentzel, is in constant conservation with its environment. An indoor fireplace is painted the same green as the trees – a colour specially created by Africote.
Its lights are glowing as the afternoon sun sets on the Eastern Free State town of Rosendal, but it’s not on Eskom’s electricity roster. This specially designed eco-friendly home depends entirely on solar energy for geysers and lighting, and gas for cooking and heating.