This private sanctuary in Cape Town’s suburbs, by architect Jo Noero, is geared to cultivate and nurture family life, with particular consideration for simplicity, natural light, functional design and mountain views.

In 1984, just starting his practice as an architect, Jo Noero designed his first large house in Johannesburg for a client by the name of Val. Some 35 years later, he received a phone call from Val’s son Ryan – whom Jo remembers as a little child playing at the building site – asking him to look at transforming a house that he and his wife Samantha had bought. “This was a project I had to take up,” says Jo, “and it turned out to be a real pleasure, working for a very nice family.

Perhaps if I live long enough, I might be fortunate to be able to create a house for Ryan and Samantha’s daughter or son – who knows?”

From the outside, it isn’t clear how vast and well-thought-out the home is. It’s intentional, of course; the exterior maintains a sense of privacy, creating a sanctuary where family life can thrive.

But, as is the case with all of Jo’s work, there’s depth in the design beyond just functionality. “The central ideas that governed the design were discussed and agreed upon right from the beginning, before we put pen to paper,” says Jo. “Most importantly, a distinction between luxury and necessity was drawn, and it was agreed that this distinction should shape all our decisions.”

Built on the footprint of the previous house that had its focus around a central living area, Ryan and Samantha’s new home is a double-volume space. Jo’s design reinforces this centrality by placing the bedrooms on the first floor; the access to these rooms happens along a circulation space adjacent to the double-volume and overlooking this space. The volume is illuminated from the top by a large roof light.

The home may have an understated and clearly modernist look, but it has a warm heart that clinically clean minimalism often lacks. What makes the space so special is the fact that it is fundamentally designed to be a home, away from the public gaze. Once you leave the street and enter the front door, the large double-volume living area that extends to a backyard with Table Mountain as the backdrop is revealed. As you get closer to the heart of the home, you begin to understand it more: the various layers express the age-old need for a sense of community and connection with those we love. This is a home created to build bonds and nurture the very nature of family life – the comfort of closeness and our attachment to it.

You can’t look at this home without picturing Samantha, who loves cooking, running the kitchen as it sits in the command centre of the house. From there, she’s got a feel of where everyone is – and there’s a sense of certainty that, in return, everyone knows what’s cooking too.

Ryan is a bit of a techy geek, who admittedly had to have a smart home. You can imagine the joy he took in automating everything he could think of, with understated subtlety meeting the perks of convenience. “We wanted something that was beautiful in a timeless way,” says the couple, “something that fits our lifestyle.” They’ve done exactly that by creating a home that serves as an ode to a closely-knit family unit and the bonds that keep them together – regardless of distance and time.

For more info, visit noeroarchitects.co

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Take a look at the West Coast Fossil Park designed by Jo Noero.

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A young Cape Town family’s private nature reserve in the Bainskloof valley is inspired by Indian and Swahili design and decor.

“We wanted this space to be a special place to connect with nature and make memories with friends and family,” says Keri Paddock, who together with husband Sam (founder of GetSmarter and JEFF Fitness) and toddler twins, Violet and Fletcher, makes every effort to spend as much time as possible at India House on Kerala Estate.

Home to the elusive Cape leopard, caracal, duiker, buck and impressive birdlife, this private reserve boasts access to spectacular mountain hikes and trails, and proximity to the Witte and Bastiaanskloof rivers. “We say the water has magical properties because we always feel so fantastic after a swim,” Keri says of the picnic-perfect river frontage just 150 metres from their door.

After purchasing the Bainskloof valley property two years ago, the couple tasked Bridget George of KLG Architects with updating the main stone building, and creating a sense of symmetry and purpose with a few considered additions. For instance, the new master suite boasts a deck, walk-in closet and outside shower; while a pavilion and pergola addition, framed by a gabion wall that recedes into the mountainous landscape, affords the family a unique outside space to socialise and relax.

READ MORE: Klein Karoo Farmhouse

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom dwelling is arranged around a central courtyard that, with its low-slung heritage Indian coffee table and quirky cork stools, lends itself to informal gatherings.

Also making their property available for exclusive-use hire for four weeks of the year, the Paddocks explain that the main intent at Kerala is for guests to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying dialled-back luxury in which no area is too precious for the busy feet of young children and active dogs. Hard-wearing polyurethane floors in the entranceways and bedrooms give way to sugar-gum planks in the reconfigured open-plan kitchen and dining area, adding warmth, interest and texture; while exposed trusses overhead imbue the home with a generous, airy feel.

Keri, who assumed the role of interior designer and project manager, chose to keep the Swahili elements of the previous owner’s vision while adding her own unique stamp. The rich colour palette reflects the surrounding landscape – but her affinity for India, Morocco and Zanzibar aesthetics is evident in the striking pieces throughout India House. An ornate, burnished-gold chandelier is offset by retro pendants; cherry-red lacquered pedestals pop next to contemporary fourposter beds; and elegant benches and daybeds evoke feelings of laid-back Lamu Island style.

“After doing a DNA test for fun a few years ago, I realised my family has Indian blood,” Keri says. “That’s why renaming the estate Kerala (a state on the south-western Malabar Coast of India) seemed to make sense.” The couple also made every effort to draw on their wealth of creative friends to pepper the homestead with quirky yet meaningful art.

READ MORE: Kerala Estate Cottage

Cue bespoke wallpaper by Katie Lund, punch-needle artworks by Caro Hickson and photographic art by Filipa Domingues of Check My Plants. Landscaping company Oasis Design skilfully integrated India House into the terrain, softening edges, planting grassy verges and creating unexpected garden spaces filled with fynbos and proteas.

The end result is a harmonious living space that pleases the eye and sits respectfully in the landscape. Keri and Sam still have many plans for the surrounding buildings and cottages, but at present are content to focus on the main reason for owning the reserve – spending quality time together as a family. India House at Kerala Estate is available for hire as an exclusive use villa – complete with chef, nanny, butler and guide – for four weeks of the year.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.

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With panoramic views of Table Mountain, this newly built home reconciles high design with family living – and has fun doing it.

Sitting proudly at the top of one of the most gear-crunchingly steep streets in Cape Town, this family home is imbued with a unique combination of ebullience and lived-in-ness. It’s a blend created by the artistic eye and deft hand of its owner.

“When my husband and I approached Wynand Wilsenach Architects to build the house,” Paula says, “we had a few non-negotiables, like a large front and back lawn for our children, and enough open spaces inside the house for them to run around. Most of all, we wanted it to be a place we could call our forever home.”

Paula isn’t kidding about the last part. Step out of the rambling lounge-kitchen area onto an airy patio overlooking the city, and one wall is covered with an illustrated tiled mural depicting the family tree, created by Cape Town artist Michael Chandler. “He made a note of all the plants growing against the part of Table Mountain that’s behind the house and included them in the work, along with elements that were significant to our family. We’ll never leave this house, because we can’t leave behind our family tree,” she says.

Chandler’s is just one of seemingly innumerable artworks adorning the interior, which Paula designed in collaboration with Liesel Rossouw of Ginger Lee Interiors. The aesthetic axis around which the kitchen – and the entire open-plan living area – operates is one of Caryn Scrimgeour’s bold table-setting still lifes, in a happy pink. “It was Liesel’s idea,” says Paula. “She said, ‘Who says you can’t put a painting in a kitchen?’ Because everything is so open-plan, we didn’t want a kitchen that looked like a kitchen.”

READ MORE: Bainskloof Family Home

Also contributing to the “non-kitcheny” aesthetic is the unconventional floor of glazed green tiles arranged in a herringbone pattern, custom-made by Gerrit Oosthuizen of Southern Art Ceramics, and the steel kitchen island designed by Wynand, which adds an industrial edge to the space, along with the brass-and-wood drinks cabinet that Liesel and her husband Sias, a carpenter, designed.

While there is evidence of four 10-and-under kids to be found all over the house, their official den is the playroom downstairs. Another specially commissioned mural – this one by Lucie de Moyencourt  – takes up the whole of one wall, depicting Table Mountain centre stage and featuring the eldest three kids peeking from behind a curtain on the right. “We still have to ask Lucie to draw in our 10-month-old!” says Paula.

The top floor houses the family’s five en-suite bedrooms, each with their own unique personality – and enviable art collection. Ten-year-old Christo’s bedroom, for example, has a surfer theme, boasting a custom-built steel platform bed with a hammock suspended underneath; nine-year-old Sophia’s room is punctuated with pink flamingos; and five-year-old Johan’s space is all about dinosaurs and bugs, and culminates in an elaborate mosaic mural by Lovell Friedman in its en-suite bathroom.

These are the rooms of kids whose mom gets them – just like she understands the fact that, sometimes, they’d rather explore her black-and-white chandelier-appointed study, or the luxuriously appointed guest room with its antique haberdashery cabinet, when she’s not looking. You can’t blame them: in this house, there is wonderment to be found at every turn.

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For the architecture and interiors of this family home and office in Geneva, Switzerland, the teams from architecture and design studio SAOTA and interior design studio ARRCC drew inspiration from the owner’s Senegalese heritage.  

Located on the banks of Lake Geneva, the property’s striking proportions and sculptural shape were a response to the triangular footprint of the site, as well as an answer to strict planning parameters and prohibitions, which imposed considerable restrictions on the design. Dark zinc cladding defines the silhouette, the curved edges offset with sharper geometry and elements of textured granite and reflective glass.

To make the most of the setting, the double-volume living area looks onto the lake through a curved glass wall façade. A contemporary flow sees the ground floor blend the living, dining and kitchen areas, while the bedrooms and en-suites are located on the upper level, accessed by a spiral staircase or a glass-cylinder encased elevator.

For the interiors ARRCC Director Mark Rielly took his cue from the building’s bold forms. “The contemporary architectural space defined the design direction, resulting in a modern approach with brands of diverse origin chosen for the decor,” he explains of working with the owners to source pieces from South Africa and internationally. The sculptural elements, materiality and textures all combine to subtly imbue an African-inspired aesthetic.

Internally, the finishes include walnut joinery, marble and travertine floors and light granite wall cladding with stainless steel detail insets. The emphasis for the soft finishes is comfort. The generous, open-plan layout of the living room has been divided into two zones with a formal and informal area centred around the suspended feature fireplace. To accommodate the irregular shape of the main living spaces, ARRCC selected pieces with rounded and organic shapes and modular furniture that can be easily reconfigured to create continuity between the two living areas.

The studios refer to the design as a “symbiosis of iconic European design and an emerging African aesthetic”, which has been achieved through the designers and brands they’ve used and the conscious layering of tones, textures and materials to ensure the home reflects its global family. 

Stay up to date with SAOTA (@_saota) and ARRCC’s (@_arrcc) projects on Instagram. 

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A “dialogue with the topography” is what inspired the design of this 700 m² modern family home by architect Simone Mantovani. 

Simone worked with the site’s steep terrain and narrow plot to created four levels – asymmetrical concrete blocks that overlap and appear to float thanks to strategically placed, unobtrusive concrete pilotis. This choice of construction meant that each level is very open with few walls resulting in a modern, transparent space with an easy flow.

Named the “Pilotis Residence” by Simone for the columns’ significant structural impact, each of the four volumes has a specific function. The main “living” floor, entered through an enormous 4.5 m front door, is set above the garages and street level, providing security and privacy. Here the family cooks, eats, plays and entertains. A staircase leads to the “sleeping” floor where the home theatre and the bedrooms are.

High above the street, the final top floor allows the owners to enjoy the view and have their own vegetable garden. The home is run off solar and features energy control systems and rainwater collection. This rooftop garden also insulates and reduces direct heat on the building. In the backyard, a pool, sauna and gourmet kitchen encourages outdoor living.

The double-volume internal atrium connects the floors visually and spatially and reinforces the light, open feel of the interiors. There are minimal design details, but rather straight lines and sharp corners. Instead Simone allows a conversation between the concrete, timber and surrounding greenery, which permeates the building thanks to an abundance of glass.

To view more of Simone’s projects, visit simonemantovani.com.br.

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Architectural collaborators Pelletier de Fontenay and François Abbott took inspiration from Hatley, Canada’s agricultural context for this family home. 

Located in the south of Quebec, its landscape is characterised by farmland and rolling hills, farmhouses, barns and sheds, and acres of pastures, orchards and forest. These agricultural elements have been interpreted into the language of the building – wood, metal and stone chosen to weather naturally with the seasons. “The house belongs to its environment,” says François.

Built on a natural plateau in order to maximise views of the countryside and mountain range, the home is composed of three wings: the central communal, master and guest/children’s wings. The orientation of each serves to exploit the site.

The 8 m double-volume wings share a roof height and the steeply pitched gables so typical of the area. The three volumes are linked and unified by this galvanised steel roof, as well as the horizontal concrete foundation and timber lattice façade that wraps around the entire house.

The two smaller wings feature private mezzanines above the bedrooms warmed with wooden cladding. Skylights in every double-height space, large picture windows that frame selected views of the landscape, and sliding doors flood the minimalist interiors with light.

The masterful layout of the house means its shape changes depending on the angle it’s viewed from. Read more here. 

(h/t) v2com

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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.

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Primely located below Lion’s Head in Cape Town, you’ll find Kloof 119A, a contemporary family home designed by local architecture studio SAOTA.

From the busy road on which it sits, a traditional Cape-style wall tells little of the home’s grand interiors. After dark, the roof becomes a glinting lightbox that affords the inquisitive passerby only an air of mystery. A clerestory window on the upper level is borne of the unique roof and takes the connection between urban living and nature to impressive heights.

A large metal door leads you through a small entrance lobby that links to a courtyard garden swathed in green. Upon exiting the reclusive garden, you are met with vivid city views that demand nothing less than a moment of appreciation. Three levels comprise an open-plan kitchen, a dining room, lounge, work and bedroom spaces, a garage, gym, cinema, and guest room.

Aside from mountain and sea vistas framed by expansive windows, the outdoors is brought in even further by affording each level its own set of courtyards and gardens that extend directly from the mountain face, volumes of light- and air-filled places that would have otherwise been steeped in darkness. Muted hues and warm washed oak, including ceilings by Oggie Hardwood Flooring, pair luxuriously with OKHA furnishings, such as the To Be One and Lean On Me standing lamps.

See more projects designed by SAOTA here.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Take a look at the colourful Uxolo Apartments in Cape Town.

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Devilliers du Toit Architects is behind the design of a functional classic-meets-contemporary family home in Pretoria’s Southdowns Estate.

The homeowner, who runs a fresh produce business, wanted a three-bedroom farm-style home with modern accents, including an open-plan living space and a separate guest cottage.

“The style of the house is slightly more traditional, evoking the unembellished Victorian residences built in the Highveld around the turn of the century,” says Devilliers. “Contemporary design elements include exposed steelwork on the patio and balcony, as well as timber screens for privacy.”

The design is inspired, in part, by the location itself. The house is bordered on both sides by cow pastures with views across the estate. “To make the most of the location I placed the house and the cottage parallel to each other to create a courtyard and to ensure proper solar exposure for all of the rooms,” says Devilliers.

The family, who actively participated in the design process, wanted their home to have a relaxed atmosphere, something which can be felt throughout the space, from the open-plan dining area to the entertainment area on the patio. The neutral colour palette features pops of colour in the form of scatters and artworks, while a combination of carefully selected lighting and plush rugs has been used to add a sense of warmth to the pigmented screed and engineered timber floors.

To see more of Devilliers’ projects, visit devilliersdutoit.com.

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