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Outside-inside house : A neutral palette connects the interior of the house with its environment. -
Outside-inside house : Visitors to the house might be forgiven for believing they were in a New World home in Cape Cod. -
Outside-inside house : Another bedroom features a chandelier the owner brought back from a trip to Paris. -
Outside-inside house : The paint technique echoes the Atlantic sea and sky. -
Outside-inside house : The chandelier, dining table and chairs were imported from Paris. Throughout the house, French-style furniture creates a sophisticated interior. -
Outside-inside house : The airy, light-flooded rooms are tranquil retreats. The paint technique used in all the spaces links them with one another. -
Outside-inside house : White cotton and linen help to create a cool, tranquil environment. -
Outside-inside house : Hints of colour are introduced with quirky personal effects and mementos put on display.
PHOTOS Ryno PRODUCTION Sumien Brink WORDS Jacqueline Leuvennink
In this Cape mountain-and-sea house, the wind and water can make you quite light-headed.
With its understated colours of rock, stone, dune, air and water, this wooden house is luxurious in both its location and simplicity. During the day, full-length glass windows and doors open on an outside world of wildflowers strewn on the dune in front of the house. At night, white American shutters seal out darkness and storms.
The decor is strongly influenced by the New World interiors of wooden houses from Nantucket and Cape Cod. The airy rooms evoke a sense of order, form and composure, while French-style furniture gives a sense of elegance.
Starting from the long dining table and chairs that came from France, interior designer Christo Barnard of Fine Stellenbosch Interiors expanded the theme with foolproof intuition. “My client knew exactly what she wanted, and her picture and my picture complemented each other,” he says. “For example, I took one of the dining chairs that she bought overseas to a carpenter and asked him to make a cupboard that matches.”
The unique location of the home also determines many things. “You would be dishonouring nature if you did not build on the colours and textures that surround the house. It is fitting that one picks fynbos flowers for such a place; after all, the dune is the house’s garden. So shell, stone and sky became the inspiration for a house that is a reflection of what is outside.”
The pervasive painting technique and use of white create the feeling that everything is ultimately one, so that inside and outside are a seamless whole. When it comes to textures, the coolness of pure cotton and linen dominate.
The same light touch is seen in the decorations on the walls. Bare windows in which nature alone is framed, enhance the sense of light and space.
It’s the kind of place where you just don’t want to stop watching once you are seated in one of the deck chairs with arms just wide enough for an elbow and a book.
This article was originally published in VISI 63.
