-
The distinctive screen is made of vertical garapa hardwood blades. “It gives the building a lightness and harmony with its surroundings,” says architect Guy Ailion. Paul and Viki bought the loungers at Nikki Beach on the island of Ibiza. -
Viki, Paul, Olivia and Holly Spambo live in the UK but visit South Africa regularly. -
The fabric cable chandelier is a custom-made Molecular design by Ashlee Lloyd, who designed the lighting at The Skotnes Restaurant at the Norval Foundation. In the background is Paul‘s humidor next to the granite bar counter made by sculptor Angus Taylor. -
Paul describes the aesthetic of the house as “contemporary tribal”, where modern Western design blends seamlessly with African tribal flourishes. Above the fireplace is a print of a David Ballam photograph, Rendille Moran VI, Lake Turkana, Kenya. -
“Once inside, you are received in a gallery hall with a double-volume turret and a view through a courtyard, past the living room and out to the deck,” says architect Guy Ailion. “This engages a visitor with the depth of the house and its sitting in the landscape.” A collection of African baskets and a large print of a David Ballam photograph of a Hamer woman from the Omo Valley in Ethiopia adorn the walls. -
For Viki, the courtyard with its pizza oven, braai and outside speakers is the most important part of the house. “I wanted a sociable house,” she says, “and a dining area that is exposed to sunlight.” The table is from Weylandts and the chairs from Nikki Beach, Ibiza. -
The kitchen features American walnut and copper, and a chandelier by Ashlee Lloyd. The dining table by Herman Brink Wooden Furniture picks up on the copper theme. -
Made by And So To Bed in London, the equestrian-themed Handel luxury bed features a cast-iron frame fashioned to look like leather straps. -
Holly and Olivia’s Afro-boho-themed bedroom has a raised level to give the effect of a stage – both girls are avid dancers. -
The bathroom is one of the edgier rooms in the house. Contrasting with the photograph of Kate Moss by Mario Testino is a collection of artfully displayed succulents. The DADO Toronto bath and Bleu basins are from PIPS in Plettenberg Bay. -
The wooden screen and drystone retaining wall contribute to how well the building nestles into the topography.
WORDS Ami Kapilevich PHOTOS Jan Ras PRODUCTION Sumien Brink
When a UK-based family built a holiday home in Pezula Estate, it became a symbol of their strong South African roots.
From the moment that Paul Spambo, a South African doctor travelling in the UK at the time, fell in love with his future wife Viki, who was working as an ER nurse, their relationship has been a synthesis of different cultures.
Viki wanted to get married in a castle, but instead of settling on a ballroom in Cheshire the couple held their wedding ceremony in a castle on Noetzie Beach and the reception at Zachary’s at Pezula Golf Estate in Knysna.
The following year, Paul bought a plot of land at Pezula and they reached out to Guy Ailion of KSR Architects to design a house that was not only an aesthetic tribute to two cultures but also a space where they could meet, meld and grow together. “As a South African working in the UK,” says Paul, “I wanted a space that could give our daughters a sense of their South African roots.”
Guy enlisted Rik Ørts-Hansen of TCNO Architects to work within the aesthetic framework set out by Pezula’s design committee.
“In the end,” says Rik, “the scheme is a combination of TCNO’s input and Guy’s original concept of having a hub where family and friends can gather – like the central space in a village for an imbizo [“gathering” in Zulu, usually one called by the traditional leader] – with individual living units attached to galleries that weave the spaces together. Each bedroom is orientated to have a unique framed view of the landscape.”
The imbizo concept came from Viki’s desire to create a space where the two families can come together for celebrations and to relax. “I just wanted a very sociable house,” she says. “I have many good memories of my family from the UK and Paul’s South African family meeting over the Christmas and New Year period.”
For Paul, who grew up in Umtata and whose father had a farm in Maclear in the Eastern Cape, the house also needed to reflect his Hlubi tribal heritage. One of the rooms is a walk-in cold room designed to accommodate a whole slaughtered sheep hung from the ceiling. “Every time we had a gathering, my dad used to slaughter a sheep,” says Paul, “so the butchery is reminiscent of that tradition, but interpreted in a contemporary way.”
The humidor near the bar also takes on an interesting cultural nuance. “Smoking is part of African culture as an after-dinner activity,” says Paul, “but the concept of a cigar lounge itself is European. So again there is a mix of cultural traditions.”
The house is decorated in a style that Paul calls “contemporary tribal”, which blends the family’s modern lifestyle and traditional roots. But this special house is where two worlds will come together to make shared memories for generations to come.
You can book to stay at the family’s Pezula Estate holiday home via airbnb.
