Sculpted in sandstone

PHOTOS: Dook | PRODUCTION: Klara van Wyngaarden | WORDS: Jacqueline Myburgh Chemaly

The sky, space and texture of the Free State countryside inspired the soulful design of Krysia Back’s new country idyll, creating the perfect canvas for her extraordinary art collection.

Interior designer Krysia Back fell in love with the sky the very first time she visited the eastern Free State. After escaping Johannesburg for many restful weekends at a traditional stone farmstead near Clocolan owned by friends, she set out to find her own piece of country luxury in this space and sky-filled part of the world.

When she finally chose the majestic amphitheatre on a 400-acre farm between Rosendal and Ficksburg, it was up to Johannesburg architect Johan Bergenthuin to create the contemporary-classic retreat she wanted.

Krysia’s passion for art and classic Italian design meant she needed her home to be a canvas for her art collection and design talents. Her brief was for a modern home that worked with the classic Free State sandstone, since she is “texture mad” and wanted the warmth and character the stone would lend to a modern house.

She also loves his addition of covering an outside passage with wattle sticks – another gentle nod to the soul of the Free State. Johan says he decided to go back to basics by starting with the Free State vernacular so that whatever he designed felt “at home” in its environment.

Krysia, while a passionate South African, was born in Poland and grew up in England. She therefore has a highly developed European sensibility, which meant Johan felt able to rebel against the traditional forms ever so slightly. He was most inspired by the dramatic mountain views behind and in front of the site.

So, instead of designing a house with a conventional roof that slopes down towards the exterior walls, he turned the idea of a pitched roof on its head. The white roof of Krysia’s house slopes inward towards the central courtyard, allowing the exterior walls to open wide with massive glass doors. Johan knew those doors would remain closed at times, as the weather in this part of the world is not always perfect. He therefore added smaller windows above to allow for temperature regulation. The white roof, too, is a brilliant temperature regulator in the summer when it reflects the sun’s heat away from the house.

Simple sophistication

Inside, the house lives around an open-plan lounge, dining room and kitchen. It is simple yet sophisticated, modern yet warm. A barn-like double-volume door invites guests into the house and on the other side a stone-edged dark-coloured pool anchors the design.

On a good day all the doors can be opened to share the house with the environment. It is Krysia’s art that completes her home’s mix of warmth and sophistication, with three dramatic statues outside providing focal points.

At the entrance, a Guy du Toit bronze has a chair balancing upon an impossibly round bell while his hare, in full flight, enjoys pride of place at the pool. Lit up at night, Willie Bester’s bronze lady with a suitcase is the most optimistic sculpture he has ever done. It is fitting that it has found a home in such a happy space.

Inside, Krysia has created a retro modern feel by combining old and new furnishings with dramatic contemporary art. Her signature modern-classic style is created with Italian pieces from Twiice International, while designer fabric gives new life to a pair of Deco chairs.

Pretoria landscaper Beukes Goosen from Grun-Art Designs, tasked with anchoring the house in the vastness of the Free State landscape, has planted masses of grasses and trees that will only show themselves in the years to come.

A giant cliff looms behind the construction, so Beukes planted horizontal lines of trees on either side of the house, thereby creating a comfortable scale. When he discovered discarded sandstone pillars on the farm, he knew these sculptural elements would be the perfect frame for the circular outside fireplace – a site of evening meditation that captures the magic of this country escape.

Krysia shares her country home with an assortment of wild animals. There are eagles nesting in the cliffs above the house and herons and ducks on the nearby dam. It is on windless evenings, when she is sitting outside by the fire and drinking in the night sky and its blanket of stars that seem close enough to touch, listening to the call of the jackals in the veld around her, that her designer house is transformed into a simple home.

• Louis Louw Johan Bergenthuin Architects: 011 781 3663, reception@lljb.co.za, www.lljb.co.za

• Krysia Back Interior Design: 011 646 4338, krysia@mweb.co.za

• Grun-Art Designs: 082 774 9366, designs@grunart.co.za