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This large tent – House Canoe – comes with a catering kitchen, and is available to hire for events. The high-backed chairs in the background, from Aura Interiors, stand against a wall hanging by Casamento. The blue trunk belongs to Camp Canoe owner Amy Kropman, and the Adirondack chairs and table on the left are from Patio Life. -
Each of Camp Canoe’s seven luxury tents features a Scout-inspired embroidered badge – these were designed by MR. Design Studio, and made by the team at Embellissh. In addition to an actual canoe, the tented camp also offers wood-fired hot tubs by Podula. The rope hammocks were custom-made by Cape Netting. -
Each of Camp Canoe’s seven luxury tents features a Scout-inspired embroidered badge – these were designed by MR. Design Studio, and made by the team at Embellissh. In addition to an actual canoe, the tented camp also offers wood-fired hot tubs by Podula. The rope hammocks were custom-made by Cape Netting. -
Each of Camp Canoe’s seven luxury tents features a Scout-inspired embroidered badge – these were designed by MR. Design Studio, and made by the team at Embellissh. In addition to an actual canoe, the tented camp also offers wood-fired hot tubs by Podula. The rope hammocks were custom-made by Cape Netting. -
Each of Camp Canoe’s seven luxury tents features a Scout-inspired embroidered badge – these were designed by MR. Design Studio, and made by the team at Embellissh. In addition to an actual canoe, the tented camp also offers wood-fired hot tubs by Podula. The rope hammocks were custom-made by Cape Netting. -
Franschhoek Luxury Tented Camp -
Each of Camp Canoe’s seven luxury tents features a Scout-inspired embroidered badge – these were designed by MR. Design Studio, and made by the team at Embellissh. In addition to an actual canoe, the tented camp also offers wood-fired hot tubs by Podula. The rope hammocks were custom-made by Cape Netting. -
Each of Camp Canoe’s seven luxury tents features a Scout-inspired embroidered badge – these were designed by MR. Design Studio, and made by the team at Embellissh. In addition to an actual canoe, the tented camp also offers wood-fired hot tubs by Podula. The rope hammocks were custom-made by Cape Netting. -
Inside House Canoe, the Houtlander daybed is upholstered by Casamento, who are also responsible for the wall hanging. The trunk is from Haute Antique. -
The server counter on House Canoe’s deck was also created at Boschendal’s woodworking shop. -
Each tent features a custom kitchen unit by Interdesign, as well as their customisable peg-and-hole panel, which allows you to affix the equally clever Hoi P’loy light wherever you need it. -
The table and chairs are from Pedersen + Lennard’s Osaka range. -
The beautiful mosaic tiles in the shower are the work of Bit By Bit Mosaic. The vanity mirror is by Glasshopper. -
Each tent sleeps two adults in a king-sized bed, plus there’s a Houtlander daybed. The bedside tables are by Interdesign, and the bedside lights are from Nap Living. The bathroom is tucked away behind the rear panel and Casamento wall hanging.
WORDS Steve Smith PRODUCTION Annemarie Meintjes PHOTOS Paris Brummer
Nestled on the slopes of the Simonsberg in Franschhoek, this enchanting getaway upends traditional notions of what a luxury tented camp should look like. Pack your Swiss Army pocket knife and get ready to earn your next badge.
“Go wild.” As client briefs go, this has to be both fantastic… and a touch nerve- wracking. On one hand, you can really let your creative energy loose – but on the other, your version of going wild may be pushing the proverbial boat (or in this case, canoe) out way beyond what your client is comfortable with. There’s a lot to be said for a tight brief, right?
Nevertheless, “go wild” was exactly the brief delivered by Camp Canoe owner Amy Kropman to Rotem Shachar and Megan Bond of MR. Design Studio. Having been in the hospitality industry for many years, Amy and her husband Tal created and ran the upmarket B.I.G Backpackers in Green Point, and were now looking for something to do beyond the bustle of the city.
Only 45 minutes from Cape Town, the slopes of the Simonsberg Nature Reserve outside Franschhoek presented the perfect opportunity, and the idea of a fresh take on luxury glamping was born. “I tend to gravitate towards things that I personally would love to see on the market, but am not finding,” says Amy. And while there’s certainly no shortage of luxury tented accommodation available in South Africa, from a design perspective it does feel like different riffs of the same African bush-inspired tune.
Which is where Rotem and Megan came in. They did go wild, yet it wasn’t the wilds of Africa that inspired their design,but the wilds of New England in north-eastern United States.There’s a clear nod to film director Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom in the design approach – if you haven’t seen this wonderful 2012 coming-of-age film, it’s set in a 1960s Scout camp called Camp Ivanhoe – and it’s a completely fresh take on the luxury tented camp concept. “This project encompasses exactly what we want to do as a company,” says Rotem. “We help a client create a brand in an environmental context, from its naming to the rollout of all the smallest details. It was such fun coming up with a Wes-like, Scout-inspired theme, and being able to overlook the design process right through to the logo and branding.”
READ MORE: Suidster in the Langeberg Mountains
From the photos here, it’s clear that Amy loved the idea. “We had our first presentation, and it’s pretty much what you see, but with more refined details,” recalls Megan. The quilted soft walls are the perfect example of that – it’s MR.’s favourite design element in the project. “We collaborated on this piece with Starry Eve Collett of Casamento, and it was a truly interactive process of playing in her studio, pushing too far, coming back… until it felt just right.”
Working to a budget is always a challenge, and while MR. had creative licence to go wild, there certainly weren’t unlimited funds to interpret that financially. “We realised that the most impactful way of effecting the tent’s space – and making use of a limited budget – was to change the wall surfaces and make them exciting,” says Rotem. “Fortunately, the concept lent itself to creating a strong periphery with just a few key interior pieces to tie it all together.”
To this end, along with the work by Casamento, furniture by local designers Houtlander and Pedersen+Lennard, the Scandi-chic-meets-Japanese-rural kitchenette by Interdesign (“with enough peg holes to make any Scout’s fingers twitch,” says Rotem) and a beautiful shower mosaic by Bit By Bit Mosaic all contribute to the design.
“I chose MR. because I loved their approach,” says Amy. “It wasn’t just about the space, but also about the story. I was extremely happy with the way they interpreted the brief.
I said ‘go wild’ – and they did!
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