It’s true: it doesn’t take much to imagine the home you want. Just a few basics. A bath. A bed. A fire. And a view. Purpose is key. And herein lies beauty. It’s that simple. 

1. A bed

Rest is not negotiable in this pared-back bedroom. Keep unwanted guests at bay with sheer netting, custom-made according to your preference by Kiwinet.

2. A bath

Step out of your bath in style onto a deliciously heated cement floor. It takes the edge off the cold and makes going about your bathroom business a breeze. 

3. A fire

An authentic fireplace is the essence of this country space, with its eucalyptus-beamed ceiling. Add a wooden table and four chairs and you’re good to go. Get the cool cement-floor look with grey stoep paint available from Plascon’s range of floor colours.

4. A view

Drink in the majesty of the mountains, the flavours of the veld. Walk barefoot across the wooden deck, sit down, rest your back against the timber table. Listen. Rustic wooden tables are available from Eco Furniture Design.

The post Spaces: Simple Decor appeared first on Visi.

White needn’t be cold or boring. Here are 7 spaces that use white with dark wood, black or neutrals to create inviting spaces.

1. All White Now

The McGowan’s farmhouse just outside Calitzdorp in the Western Cape got the white treatment. Walls, old furniture, the bath, an old coal stove… nothing was spared. It was an ugly-ish house, and white is very forgiving, hence the colour overload, explains owner, Trevyn.

trevyn@source-sa.com

2. Blank Canvas

The Nirox residency, 40km outside Johannesburg, offers local and international artists a space to create, connect and exchange ideas and experiences. It’s a space for artists to relax, unwind, muse. The only distraction: a crackling fire and views over landscaped gardens, lawns and wetlands.

niroxarts.com

3. Bird’s Nest

Ostrich-egg lights take centre stage in the McGowan’s mostly white bedroom in their mostly white farmhouse, Pear Tree Farm, outside Calitzdorp. White sheepskin rugs on the off-white tiled floor provide subtle warmth underfoot.

trevyn@source-sa.com

4. White on White

A variety of textures in this all-white playroom provides subtle nuances and breaks the one-dimensional look. A bookcase and a collection of old chairs provide an eclectic mix of shapes and forms jotted around the table.

trevyn@source-sa.com

5. Simply Sorted

While enjoying views across the majestic Maluti mountains from their Ladybrand home in the Eastern Fee State, Werner and Philippa du Toit run their handmade ceramics business, Mud Studio. Stacked here in a wooden rack is a collection of their work and, in front, on the old sandstone fireplace, perch bowls and jugs of distinction.

mudstudio.net

6. White Wash

Inspired by an American barn, a corrugated Free State home in Clarens has a midwestern antique theme running through all its spaces, even the bathroom. The chrome was stripped off the taps and spout for an authentic-looking, old-world appearance. The custom-built basin completes the look.

Carlo di Mezza 082 373 1428

7. Daydreaming

The uncomplicated hand of Californian architect Jim Jennings is evident in this space, where air and light take precedence over clutter. For this simple, corrugated home in the Napa Valley between the towns Calistoga and Santa Rosa, Jim drew from the surrounding landscape for design and materials inspiration.

jimjenningsarchitecture.com

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The Koue Bokkeveld is a farming region on the far side of Ceres, named for good reason. It’s cold there. Some even call it desolate. But, if you know your way around, or get directions to Rietfontein farm like we did, you will discover unexpected warmth. In both the place and its people. 

Willie van Zyl and his wife, Engela, often drove past their farm’s original yet derelict Wolfgewel house. On these occasions, as they were on their way to the modern home they lived in then, the couple imagined the day it was going to be restored. 

When their dream became reality, the first thing Willie did was to erect a new thatch roof to protect the original wire-clay and stone walls from further damage. Once the basic dirty work had been done, they needed some magic and called on the expertise of their friend and seasoned decorator, Margaret de Villiers. She was there in a flash and quickly decided that, on top of general refurbishing, she wanted to create a separate and special room for each Willie and Engela.

Many months later and the now clean, stripped facade of the house suggests a sense of dignified stillness: a quiet composure. Its history tangible, but the house’s previous state of disrepair and abandon, unimaginable. The wide sandstone patio stretches straight ahead, into the lawn, where three large oak trees are evenly spaced in front of the house. The intermittent rustle of their leaves is audible in the warm breeze. 

It is unusual weather for this time of year say Willie and Engela. The Koue Bokkeveld, where Rietfontein is situated, is usually a couple of degrees colder than the surrounding lower-lying areas. But this is just the way they like it and a climate best suited to their onion and fruit crops. “That’s why I needed an extra-large fireplace in my room,” explains Willie as we walk towards the back door. “It gets very, very cold here.” He instinctively lowers his large frame while walking through the small door opening, typical of such historic homes. 

Inside, the thick original stone walls, surrounding the open-plan mahogany kitchen and plush lounge, emanate warmth.

“This is Willie’s room,” says Margaret, arms extended to either side. “He is a man who enjoys the finer things in life: cooking, entertaining, having a glass of wine!”

The engraved wooden bar stools, the open beams, the sandstone tiles and his beloved fireplace are all an embodiment of Willie and his life story that inspired Margaret before she started pulling all the threads together. He told her of his family’s winter travels when they took their sheep to warmer areas of the Karoo, and of the Karretjie people who travelled from farm to farm, shearing sheep. Margaret was charmed, especially by the names of the stopovers: Pramberg, Kliphuis, Katbakkies, Skitterykloof, Bassonsgat. “I just had to do something with this bit of history,” she says. “So, I decided that Willie’s room should have its very own Bokveld toile.”

Dianne Christian from African Sketchbook was called in and together they worked on a special hand-painted design incorporating all the elements of this bit of Koue Bokkeveld history. Willie’s heavy, corduroy-backed curtains, as well as a Roman blind, now tell this story in a unique way. These personal touches allow those things closest to Willie’s heart, expression.

“The two are so romantic,” says Margaret about her clients as we walk past a Roman blind hiding a large window on the landing. Printed on it is a poem by the couple’s favourite poet, Boerneef, also a design by Dianne Christian. 

The dining room is clearly the oldest part of the house. Here, the original wooden beamed ceiling was left intact and a Flemish chandelier dangles prettily from its centre. Twelve green leather chairs, backed with imported hound’s-tooth upholstery, flank an extra-long, custom-made mahogany table. 

A luxurious tapestry print, imported from England, livens up an original antique settee and two matching chairs, a trademark of Margaret’s work ethic; beauty is as important as functionality.

French-polished antique buffets and display cabinets, all pieces from the couple’s original home, reach up close to the ceiling, comfortably inhabiting this space, which others may have thought too small. 

Thick wall-to-wall carpets warm the floors, their neutral shade flowing seamlessly into those of the walls. Luxurious Persian rugs brighten steps underfoot, all the way into Engela’s music room. Here, it is immediately clear: the best was left for last. Engela used to be an opera singer and this is undoubtedly her space.

Through the large window the washed-out silhouette of the Skurweberg mountains simmers in the distance. The grand piano’s form is etched black against the white light; flashes of autumn leaves intermittently brighten its bulk. 

As Engela slips onto the chair and opens the piano, she becomes part of the sketch. Surrounded by much-loved objects and furniture, silk curtains printed with her favourite arias, the house’s transformation seems complete.  

DECOR TIPS FROM MARGARET:

• Establishing threads of uniformity throughout the home is a clever way of pulling together a variety of different prints and textures.
• Choose similar colours for wall-to-wall carpeting and walls, and stick to one shade for wooden furniture.
• Don’t be shy when choosing luxurious upholstery, but mind that the pursuit of beauty doesn’t cloud practical inclination.

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There’s a farm in the Overberg that never sleeps. It’s always busy there. If the owners aren’t converting the farmhouse, the outbuildings or the barn into a lively party and wedding venue, they’re rearranging the furniture. Or the potted plants. 

You can safely bet on the good morning crow of an out-of-time rooster when you visit Halfaampieskraal. But that’s it, and that’s good. For the rest of your time there, you have to allow things to unfold in expectation of wonder, because this is a working guest farm where surprise is part of the collection of furniture, and that’s good. With this established, let’s move on. 

The beginning is a good place to start – if only we knew where it was, of course. So, let’s pretend. Or, let’s take it from where Jan-Georg Solms took over the reigns of the farm himself. The time from when he worked on the original homestead, knocking down walls so light could fill the rooms, when he lifted carpets, stripped and painted walls and broke down ceilings to expose the heavy beams, when he created a new sense of space – his own – with due respect though, to the original structure. He found new homes for the family heirlooms and arranged these to fit neatly around his own fabulous finds. Collectors items from here and there, from far away, from Greece especially, but specifically from wherever took his fancy.  

Not long after the dust had settled around this renovation, his partner, Cobus Geldenhuys, spotted the farm’s dilapidated shed and their minds started ticking… Club Havana it was to be, and so it was. A place for celebration, for joy, for entertainment. And, enough space to dance. All year round. 

Work started and immediately a party was organised and friends invited. But, as the numbers on the guestlist increased, so did their concern. Where would everybody sleep? They looked at the old farm school and blacksmith’s forge with new eyes and, within six weeks, the historic outbuildings were turned into a luxurious three-bedroom guesthouse, en suite bathrooms to boot.

The looming party was the driving force behind their tireless labour, and the end result was a delight. Two of the guests were in for an added surprise when they discovered the showers were built on the outside, with Jersey cows and a free-roaming goose their only voyeurs. 

With all in place, Club Havana, as well as the guesthouse, were both ready to roll and their doors were opened to let in old friends and new guests. Halfaampieskraal wore a new, shinier, if slightly unusual, jacket – not out of character of its inventive owners.

Soon the news spread of the stupendous hosts and their hospitality, of Cobus’s propensity to cook paella in their large fireplace, of the world’s most amazing glass of gin and tonic. And so, this became the place to be if a party was on the cards, if knots needed to be tied, in fact, if anything for any reason had to be celebrated. 

But, just as everything seemed to be rolling along nicely, Jan-Georg and Cobus saw more indoor fixing-up to be done. They added a new fireplace to the farmhouse’s foyer and the walls became canvasses for Jan-Georg’s fine artist sister, Nelia du Toit. Inspired by the romance of the Renaissance, she singlehandedly painted a forest-like dreamscape in tones of green oil washes. Whimsical portrayals of all sorts of foliage now serve as backdrop to actual plants and trees extending the old world-mood into this, now aptly titled, Plantation Room. 

New, large wooden folding doors provide a natural flow between the foyer and the porch, brimming with more plants. Trees of all types and sizes, hide the Adirondack chairs dating back to the 1920s.

Maybe time for a breather now? Or not. A little birdy came calling, bearing news. And it wasn’t the croak of the out-of-time rooster that told us that Jan-Georg and Cobus have plans to turn another little house on the farm, situated on the other side of a ravine, into a minimalist marvel. One just for them. In the words of Jan-Georg himself: “It may be a place like Gandhi lived in when he spent time in Johannesburg. Quiet, white, open spaces, and lots of natural wood. And shutters, mostly shut. We’ll see.” 

kraal.biz
adrimeyer.blogspot.com 

The post Overberg Oasis appeared first on Visi.

In the winter of 2010, ceramicist Clementina van der Walt and her partner, entrepreneur Albie Bailey, decided to go on a road trip. On the street outside their Green Point apartment, World Cup fever was at a pitch.

Their journey would be slow, with the possibility of scouting for a place in the country and an itinerary that included Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn and Barkly East – all the way to Grahamstown. But before they were due to set foot in the “City of Saints”, they fell in love with a rambling Victorian school in the Groenfontein Valley. 

Eleven kilometres outside Calitzdorp, en route to their weekend stay at Klipkraal, they passed the ramshackle dwelling set amid rustling blue gum trees. When they were told the farm was for sale, they suspected there’d be no turning back from the title deed for the 35 hectares of land, which also included some outbuildings, three koppies and a graveyard. 

What the farm lacked was infrastructure, but Kraaldoring has the good fortune of the convergence of two rivers. They invested in a wheelbarrow, a water pump and some pipes – and embarked on another journey, fuelled by the process of inventive renovation. Albie’s hands-on tenacity was going to be tested and Clementina’s sense and sensibility would stand them in good stead during the months ahead. They sold their BMW and bought a bakkie. 

Only once, at the beginning of an endless to-do list, and without the amenities of the city, did they experience a tremor of regret. After that, it was business as usual, as the dark mildewed interior and narrow passages were flattened out and opened up, light flinting history’s lessons with a sense of deliverance.

The craftsmanship of another century revealed Oregon-pine floorboards, yellow-wood lintels, handcrafted shutters and architraves; every architectural detail that was recovered would be considered. This was to be the first renovation of the structure, which made it easier in the sense that they did not have to remedy previous insertions. 

Albie and Clementina asked local artisan builder Attie Januarie to handle their project. Attie’s focus was the slow integration of the valley vernacular through his traditional approach of “repair and reuse”, which has contributed to the valley’s revitalisation over the past decade. 

Almost everything was either recycled or sourced locally. Reeds for the brandsolder (“a fire ceiling”, which is a layer to prevent fire from spreading) were harvested from the riverbed; old roof sheets were stripped of rust; where rotten floorboards had to be replaced, a bookshelf materialised from salvaged wood. Secondhand doors and windows were sourced between Lutge Gallery in Cape Town and Boshoff Boumateriale in Oudtshoorn. Wherever possible, they made use of the stone available on the farm. 

Now, four years later, Clementina and Albie alternate their time between a slick city apartment in the Bo-Kaap and prolonged stays at Kraaldoring. On the farm they slow down, even though there is always so much to do, and being far from the hub compels people to find alternative solutions to everyday situations. They make jam and bake bread and, when friends visit during December or Easter, the conversations reach deep into the night – luminous with stars and an eagle owl’s call. 

The semi-arid landscape is a magic web of animals, ranging from small buck to porcupines and tortoises. Swallows fly through the house and sometimes you wake up to the sound of leiwater rushing past your bedroom.

The city, with its gritty texture, is a contrast to the rural openness of the Little Karoo. On the farm they use gas, paraffin and candles; in the city they flick a switch to light up their hi-tech fishbowl. In town, they’re aware of security and there is one main entrance to their apartment; on the farm there are so many doors, each one leading to the land. 

In the city, their view is Table Mountain; on the farm they see Dam se Kop nodding under a full moon. In the city, there is always a hum: the air con, sirens and mosque. On the farm, the sun’s energy links them to the internet and continuity with the workflow in town.

It’s a good synergy, one that has already started influencing Clementina’s increasingly tempered palette. She has also embarked on an exploration of the symbolism of rock paintings in the area, with the enigmatic results visible in her work. 

Albie’s focus has shifted to the photographic documentation of the people in the valley, people whose lives have never been recorded – such as the 90-year-old labourer whose existence was shrouded in obscurity. Until now.  

clementina.co.za

The post Karoo Farmhouse appeared first on Visi.

This modern barn on Jacobsdal wine farm in Stellenbosch is home to Koba and Cornelis Dumas and their two young sons.

At the southwestern edge of the Stellenbosch wine region, on the vine-shrouded slopes overlooking a gleaming False Bay, is a silver-grey barn. A barn filled with beautiful furniture and books and photographs and laughter. A barn that’s actually a house. And in the house lives a little boy called Pieter, and his father and mother and baby brother, Stefan, and their two dogs, Suki and Simba. Happily ever after.

Pieter’s parents, Cornelis and Koba, built the house on Jacobsdal, Cornelis’s family farm. Here the Dumas family has been living and making wine for almost 100 years. It’s a stone’s throw from Pieter’s grandparents’ house, separated by a jungle-garden where many an afternoon is spent exploring.

Unlike the house that Jack built in the popular nursery rhyme, this house was not randomly assembled. Nor does it have any stray malt, a cat that killed a rat, a priest all shaven and shorn, or a forlorn maiden who milked a cow with a crumpled horn.

The house that Pieter’s parents built was meticulously designed by longtime family friend and Cape Town-based architect Francois du Toit. His brief from Cornelis and Koba was centred on needs rather than definite ideas: lots of light, generous cooking and entertaining spaces and, above all, it needed to be practical and accessible for the constant visits from people, animals, kids and cowboys. It is Pieter’s house, too, after all.

Francois’ design philosophy is driven by an analytical approach, not a predetermined style. He borrowed extensively from his background in industrial architecture and applied similar designs and construction techniques. He also decided to keep the structure free of any ornament and decoration, letting the lush farm exterior and eclectic decor tell the story instead.

The result is an ultramodern abode, consisting of two parallel barn-like buildings – a single-storey living space and a double-storey unit housing the bedrooms and study – that are connected by a glass box. The structures comprise a series of prefabricated steel portal frames, bolted to concrete foundations and clad in corrugated Zincalume sheeting. They are a striking sight on the farm, even more so if one considers that the method and materials used resulted in reduced construction costs and time – the steel frames were literally erected on site in a few days!

The house has an abundance of enormous windows, Scandinavian larch flooring and flawless white walls. A perfect blank page for the tales that are told by the furniture and faces in and around it.

So yes, the house that Pieter’s parents built does, like Jack’s, tell the stories of people past and present, of family and friends, of love and loss.

Not that it was really planned. It just happened, like all good stories do. The furniture and fixtures are a combination of inherited, bought, restored and handmade pieces. Pieter’s family is very sentimental, and has passed on exquisite pieces from generation to generation, such as the white baby grand piano his mother started playing when she was eight, the antique cutlery from the days his great-grandfather served as a Member of Parliament, and the 12-seater Rhodesian teak table from his great-great-grandfather.

It also helps that Pieter’s father is a furniture designer with a particular penchant for good-looking leather chairs. His work is scattered throughout the house but is best enjoyed while sitting next to the fireplace in the lounge, sipping a glass of pinotage, gazing through the bay window at the garden. If you’re lucky, you might spot a suikerbekkie drinking nectar from the flowers of the Cat’s Whiskers plant.

Filling the gaps and white walls is mostly left to Pieter’s mother. Between being a part-time accountant and full-time mother, Koba carefully curates the bounty of her smart shopping trips alongside heirlooms, and Pieter and Stefan’s toys. She says it’s a work in progress. An evolution. Like building a peculiar puzzle, where no piece has a definite place and no-one knows what the final picture will look like.

The picture at this stage is breathtaking. Light, airy rooms where the decor is a perfect blend of country chic, Scandinavian simplicity and non-hipster retro. It’s one of those homes where you instantly feel welcome.

fd-a.co.za
jacobsdal.co.za

The post Boland Barn appeared first on Visi.

It’s simple to warm your home in an ecofriendly way. Pare down instead of adding more, and use building materials from the earth.

1. daniel.vandermerwe@ppc.co.za
2. monaghanfarm.co.za
3. gould.arc@wildekrans.co.za
4. gould.arc@wildekrans.co.za
5. lljb.co.za

The post This Is What Homes Of The Future Will Look Like appeared first on Visi.

It’s for the views that stretch the sky to forever, for the soft, red clots of earth we break between our fingers. It’s for the stars swaying back and forth in the black night. It’s for the quiet that we come here, to the outside. To listen.

Image credits:

1. daniel.vandermerwe@ppc.co.za
2. lljb.co.za
3. africote.co.za
4. Patrick Watson pwdc@mweb.co.za
5. daniel.vandermerwe@ppc.co.za

 

The post Great Outdoor Homes appeared first on Visi.

This travelling art kit is perfect for trips to the country, or as an artist’s store-all in a home away from home.

YOU WILL NEED

• 10 tins of your choice.
• an extra-long cable tie (or two joined) to strap the tins together securely.

 Did you like this Smart Idea? See others here.

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Glamping, a portmanteau of the words “glamour” and “camping”, might sound like an unlikely pairing of concepts. But, trust us, it’s real – and the reason you no longer have to be afraid of the rough and tumble of the great outdoors.

Think luxury tents with air conditioning, large comfortable beds and en-suite bathrooms; treehouses with lounges and dining areas; and designer caravans – all with nature tangibly close, which is the greatest luxury of all. To make it easy for you, we’ve rounded up our pick of glamping spots.

The Caravan: Old Mac Daddy Luxury Trailer Park

This “caravan park” boasts 10 airstream trailer suites – each individually designed by designers, artists and quirky creatives – which transport you to a full-on fantasy world (read more here). Situated among the pine trees in the Elgin Valley, the park also has an indoor-outdoor barn-style restaurant furnished by popular Cape Town designers Pedersen + Lennard, a Grolsch bar and a swimming pool. Except for the lakeside trailer, all the others have extended living areas, private decks and spacious bathrooms. Fabulous as they are, we recommend you resist the temptation to spend all your time relaxing in the trailers; the Elgin Valley abounds with orchards, vineyards and mountain-biking tracks.

• Old Mac Daddy Luxury Trailer Park, 021 844 0241, oldmacdaddy.co.za 

The Treehouse – Kardouw Country Retreat

A short two-hour drive from Cape Town and 25km from Citrusdal, this gem is set on the banks of the Olifants River. It promises the kind of breathtaking Western Cape scenery that nature lovers, bird watchers, hikers and mountain bikers love. The treehouses are furnished with double beds and have fully equipped kitchenettes. There is also a large, communal sundeck and braai area on the riverbank. For those who don’t want to glamp it up in one of the treehouses, book into the three-bedroom farmhouse.

• Kardouw Country Retreat, 022 921 2474, citrusdal.info/kardouw

The Campsite – Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps

On the border of the Kruger National Park, between Timbavati and Sabi Sand, lies the Manyeleti Game Reserve, home to two luxury tented camps: the Khoka Moya and Mantobeni. Think king-size beds, soft leather couches, private bathrooms and, should you choose Khoka Moya, you also get a viewing deck right in front of your tent. Communal areas include a bar, lounge and dining space, with a view over sprawling lawns leading to the swimming pool. And that’s not all! There are morning and afternoon game drives, where you can rub shoulders with the Big Five from the safety of an open Jeep. How’s that for a truly glamped-up safari experience?

• Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps, 011 341 0282, honeyguidecamp.com 

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