Serenity at the seaside

PHOTOS Dawie Verwey PRODUCTION Sumien Brink WORDS Mirelle Leyden

Imagine being able to enjoy an island holiday as often as you please. Guillaume and Heidi Masson have made this dream their reality – and the best part is, it’s a mere five hours’ drive from Cape Town.

As it basks in the first rays of sunlight while the reflective shadows of the lagoon play catch on the walls, the house seems to smile at the all-too-familiar scene taking shape in front of it. The gazebo – complete with scatter cushions and low tables – has been erected on the jetty as usual, and breakfast is about to be served. Two little girls sprint outside, giggling with delight as they count to three and jump into the pool. Mom and Dad come chasing from behind, one bearing an assortment of towels, the other with enough sun block to last the entire summer. And so begins another blissful day in Knysna for the Masson family and their beautiful Thesen Islands home, rightfully called Serenity.

Guillaume and Heidi fell in love with Thesen Islands eight years ago before a single house had been built – the only building in existence at the time was the small sales office. Knowing that they couldn’t afford it, but being the ambitious dreamers they are, the couple went inside and put their names on the list for prospective homeowners. It didn’t come together immediately but after several years of hard work, during which they started their own company – Natural Stone Warehouse, the Massons were able to buy a beautiful piece of Thesen Islands.

A year has passed since the completion of the house and every bit of planning, working and dreaming has paid off. “For us, Thesen Islands is the ideal holiday destination,” explains Heidi. “The moment we arrive, the hustle and bustle of Cape Town is replaced with a feeling of calm, silently announcing that it’s holiday time.”

Though the specifications regarding the style and colour of the houses might have proved restrictive for other Thesen Islands homeowners, this was part of the allure for Guillaume and Heidi. “If we had built anywhere else, we probably would have built in the same style.” Guillaume says. It is therefore understandable why architect Wilhelm Lochner was so delighted at the prospect of working with the Massons. And the feeling was mutual.

“During our first meeting with Wilhelm, he insisted on visiting our Cape Town home before drawing up any plans,” recalls Guillaume. “He wanted to get a sense of our personal style and preferences before coming up with ideas of his own.”

That said, Heidi adds: “In our Cape Town home we’ve used a lot of dark wood and classical reds, browns and creams, creating a more dramatic feel. We wanted the complete opposite in our holiday home.” This was achieved by using a soft green on the outside and an aquamarine palette on the inside, which is offset by the off-white walls and tiled floors.

A warm, inviting ambience

A warm, inviting ambience is the first impression created upon entering the house. Splashes of bright blue accents in the furniture, a quilted cowhide carpet in the living room and fairy lights hanging like a patch of fluorescent grass from the ceiling above the bar capture the essence of the Masson style perfectly: modern, yet fun in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

The fact that the couple conceptualised most of the furniture and interior decorating themselves therefore comes as no surprise. “Often during the building process, one of us would wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for a certain area or furniture piece and scribble it down. If it was legible the next morning, we’d excitedly discuss it and start planning the implementation. It was great fun,” remembers Guillaume.

This talent for design seems to run in the family. Guillaume and Heidi are blessed with two beautiful daughters who have a grandmother whose sole purpose is to spoil them. She therefore designed bunk beds that resemble doll’s houses, complete with windows and curtains that can open and close, as well as brightly painted blue roofs. “When my brother comes to visit with his two daughters of the same age, the girls disappear for hours on end while enjoying tea parties and playing with their dolls or pretending to be the dolls themselves. Who needs babysitters?” says Guillaume.

In the same way, the main bedroom, with an exquisite range of blue mosaic tiles on the bathroom wall and a built-in eco-friendly ethanol fireplace, is such an enchanting space that it can also keep one captivated for hours.

With their fun sense of style, ability to dream and firm belief that one should never work harder than one plays, Guillaume and Heidi have given this house what many others lack: a personality so vivid that it almost seems life-like.

First published in VISI 32. See more of our favourite beach houses online and buy the Endless Summer edition of VISI for the ultimate beach house collection.