COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio
Farms, converted barns and country homes nestled in rolling hills – get inspired by these charming local (and international) rural retreats.
Klein Karoo Farmhouse
With a reputation for designing trailblazing buildings across the globe, Greg Truen and his partner Nancy Kashimoto chose to use a different approach when taking on the renovation of this 200-year-old farmhouse. Instead of putting their own contemporary spin on the structure, they breathed new life into the property in the most respectful way. Lured by the charming building in Buffelsdrift, a farming district nestled between the Swartberg and Langeberg mountains, Greg embarked on a design and renovation process that spanned four years and would transform the neglected property into a working olive farm.
Read more about this house here.
Kerala Estate Cottage
The vast tracts of private land that fan out from the Witte and Bastiaanskloof rivers in the Bainskloof Valley are home to the elusive Cape leopard and impressive birdlife. This is the Kerala Estate and reserve, and being here is a nature lover’s ultimate escape – a chance to unplug while appreciating the fynbos-scented air and the thrill of bracing mountain-water swims.
Keri Paddock and husband Sam understand this appeal, and after purchasing their sweeping Bainskloof property in 2018, set about creating serene living spaces so their family and friends can fully benefit from the surroundings. In fact, their 800-hectare chunk of paradise forms part of the Boland Mountain Complex in the Cape Floral Region, one of nine areas in South Africa designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
Read more about this house here.
Muldersdrift Farmhouse
When you own a share in a farm just outside Joburg with the Crocodile River running through it, setting up a weekend getaway place makes more than a little sense. But the owners of this property took their time. In fact, years went by, says architect Joe van Rooyen of JVR Architects, before they decided to commit to the project.
The homestead is essentially made up of three “pods”, Joe says, built around three old trees. Trees and views, that is. “Every room has a view,” he says; “to me, this is a very appealing aspect of the house.”
Read more about this house here.
Comporta Home
With its golden sand with golden reflections, trails of foam and broken seashells, and iodised perfumes intermingled with the woody scent of pines, this corner of Praia do Pego is a refuge for those lucky enough to be able to acquire land here.
Lisbon interior architect Rita Andringa of Andringa Studio worked on this farm-style house with architect Nuno Lopes, the creator of many of the beautiful houses of Comporta. “We share a great love for the vernacular architecture of the Alentejo coastline,” she says. “The proportions here certainly have little to do with traditional fishermen’s huts – but as to the rest, we are connected by the materials and ancient techniques of local architecture.”
Read more about this house here.
KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Farmhouse
It took the owners of this KwaZulu-Natal farm 10 years to collect the reclaimed timber and stone ultimately used to build their dream home.
The project was not a conventional build. A small core team led the process and were assisted by teams of contractors and craftspeople who dipped in and out as needed. There was a sense of ancient tradition on the site at times, with artisans living on the property and working on the project, making furniture, honing stone, panelling walls, and installing floors, ceilings and partitions.
Read more about this house here.
Barn-style Southdowns Home
The farmhouse is a double barn, splaying out in a V-shape with a grassed courtyard garden in the middle. Taking their cue from the stand, the two barns hug its western and eastern boundaries, maximising on live able square metreage and affording the family a garden with multiple connections to the house. Architect Carl Jacobsz of C76 Architecture describes it as “living into the courtyard”, an aspect that brings with it privacy from outside eyes.
The footprint also opens up the barns to the northerly view of the estate’s agricultural corridor, currently a crop of corn that begins just beyond the low garden fence. Come winter time, the corn field will be superseded by lucerne and grazing cows.
Read more about this house here.
Contemporary Canadian Farmhouse
Architectural collaborators Pelletier de Fontenay and François Abbott took inspiration from Hatley, Canada’s agricultural context for this family home.
Located in the south of Quebec, its landscape is characterised by farmland and rolling hills, farmhouses, barns and sheds, and acres of pastures, orchards and forest. These agricultural elements have been interpreted into the language of the building – wood, metal and stone chosen to weather naturally with the seasons. “The house belongs to its environment,” says François.
Read more about this house here.
Montagu Country Farm House
When Jacques Erasmus and Hein Liebenberg bought the 1854 Cape Dutch house in Montagu, they knew only that it was the second-oldest house in town (the oldest being the museum building) and that they would have to do major renovations.
They envisioned a steel-and-glass conversion that would sit daringly but comfortably alongside the Cape Dutch features of the house, but the grande dame decreed otherwise. Jacques says it’s as if the house were a living entity and that both he and Hein had to adhere to her desires. What ensued was akin to a conversation with her.
Read more about this house here.
Pniel Farmhouse
Smitten by its location in the picturesque village of Pniel at the foot of the Simonsberg mountain in Stellenbosch, Dané Erwee and Chris Willemse bought this 2.5-hectare piece of land 10 years ago. The idea was to start a flower farm that could supply their floral retail business, Okasie. “There was nothing here then besides a few gardenia bushes and plum trees,” recalls Chris, a horticulturist. “Our first mission was to build a road that would allow the builders to access the land.”
Architect Henri Comrie was entrusted to design the house. “We chose Henri for his strong ideas, and because we knew he’d give us something timeless,” says Dané, a master florist and landscape designer. “In fact, his answer to our brief for a re-imagined farmhouse was so spot on that, from the moment we received the proposed plans for this house, we honestly didn’t change a thing.”
Read more about this house, here.
Looking for more architectural inspiration or dreamy local escapes? Take a look at these off-grid tiny cabin retreats and local beach houses.
