The facade of a heritage-protected Victorian cottage in the heart of Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap belies the contemporary extension that’s transformed it into a dual dwelling.

If ever you’re asked to illustrate the Chinese concept of balanced dualism, you could do worse than to drop them a pin at 250 Buitengracht in Cape Town. Approach it from the front, and you’re met with a textbook Victorian cottage facade, replete with wraparound veranda shaded by a sweeping corrugated-iron roof – but walk around the corner and up towards Signal Hill, and the house spills over into a set of contemporary sheds. To the left, it’s flanked by the moneyed suburb of Tamboerskloof, with the historically Cape Malay area of the Bo-Kaap to the right. Inside, the house is split neatly down the middle into two almost identical, self-contained double-storey residences – one with a view of Table Mountain, which can be seen through a bespoke conservatory; the other looking out onto Carisbrook Street, and the Bo-Kaap and CBD beyond it.

“Our clients, Fred Durow and Ben Schoeman, are city planners, and bought the property with the idea of creating a double dwelling and work-from-home opportunity, as well as the option to generate rental income,” says Antony Abate, director at Team Architects. “We wanted to maximise the site’s potential, while being true to our ethics and beliefs in terms of urban design, contextual fit, scale and interaction with the streets,” adds Fred.

After navigating the red tape that comes with renovating a heritage building in Cape Town, Antony, Fred and Ben arrived at a solution: restore the Victorian home to its original glory, then extrapolate the fundamentals of the design DNA into a contemporised extension at the back of the property. Antony’s design was largely informed by the original gable facing Carisbrook Street. After simplifying the masonry gable’s silhouette by bricking up a window and cladding the wall in black corrugated iron, Antony repeated its dimensions in the facades of the shed extension and set of studio apartments that step up the slope of the property. To thread the needle between old and new, elements of the original Victorian cottage – and its historic surrounds – were repeated in the additions.

The property’s stone plinth and steel palisade wall is heritage-protected, and inspired the black steel and stone accents incorporated in the new build. The red bricks make a nod to the crumbling boundary wall that belongs to the neighbouring old military base. “All the clues were present in the old house – the corrugated iron, the plaster, the red brick, the gable,” says Antony. “The Victorian was open to the new contemporary, because the material palette stayed exactly the same.”

In order to meet Fred and Ben’s brief of dual living spaces, a section of the site needed to be excavated to accommodate the two storeys, so Antony consciously included plenty of opportunities for natural light to flood in, most notably in each of the homes’ private courtyards and terraces. The nexus that unifies the two halves of thehouse is a shared office space on the courtyard level – and as far as work-from-home office setups go, it’s a pretty sweet one. The cantilevered cube is bright and airy, thanks to floor-to-ceiling glazing that looks out onto the leafy vehicle courtyard shaded by the canopy of two old wit stinkhout trees. It’s a communal area that also serves the two studio apartments, which have become the passive income generator Fred and Ben had been banking on.

One can’t help but wonder – do Fred and Ben get on each other’s nerves, now that they’re sharing a home and an office? “Luckily they’re two completely separate houses; you don’t have to see each other if you don’t want to!” jokes Fred. “It does help that we’re more like brothers than business partners, though.”

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When a terraced Victorian house in dire need of some TLC came into the possession of a doctor of Chinese medicine, it was lovingly restored and transformed into a space for health and healing.

On the day before the opening of The White Lotus Wellness Centre in Cape Town, owner Lulu Beyers stood on a wobbly ladder in the reception area, attaching individual spores to a Dandelion lamp from IKEA. In the midst of her dubious balancing act, she imagined the headlines in the papers should she come off said ladder: “Doctor found dead on practice floor”.

When she stepped down from the ladder, lamp assembled and still alive, she gave a sigh of relief, not only because she wasn’t dead but also because this moment represented the end of months of planning, building, renovation and decorating. “It was sometimes hard to visualise the final result, but that was when I realised it had all come together beautifully.”

It was this same active imagination that allowed her to see potential in a run-down three-level Victorian on Kloof Street when she was looking for premises to establish a one-stop wellness centre where patients could come for a variety of treatments. “When I first walked into the building, she felt like an old lady who was taking strain. She was poorly maintained and ridden with damp. The floor was in a state of neglect, the gutters were leaking and the basement level reeked from a decade of mould.”

This may not sound like the ideal space for a place of health and healing, but two nights of insomnia convinced Lulu that it was, indeed, the place she was after. “The pure energy of potential excited me. I always knew it had to be Victorian. I didn’t know where else I’d find the wonderful combination of high ceilings, wooden floors, fireplaces and sash windows. It was already loosely divided into office spaces, and I could see potential for a yoga and Pilates studio with a separate entrance on the lower level.”

Once she had acquired the building, Lulu set to work. She called in the services of Xperiencemakers as architects and project managers to help her transform the old lady into a haven of tranquillity. They assisted in optimising the layout and the restoration of the heritage elements, while Lulu took charge of all the decor and design elements. This resulted in a unique blend of traditional elements and quirky modern design.

Lulu spent a year creating Pinterest boards and scrapbooks to define exactly what she wanted the interior to look like. “It was tricky, because it is essentially a medical environment. I didn’t want the decor to be overwhelming. The design had to reflect the ethos of The White Lotus Centre, which is rooted in Eastern philosophy and emphasises the attainment of balance of all levels of being.”

To create a sense of calm, Lulu opted for a neutral backdrop of light grey, white and medium wood tones. She introduced splashes of green by bringing in indoor plants and chose yellow as an accent colour. “To me, there is no happier colour on the planet!”

The result is a harmonious blend of Victorian architecture, Scandinavian aesthetic and Eastern influences, reflecting just enough of Lulu’s personality to keep it interesting and fresh. There are no signs that the old lady is under strain. She is rejuvenated, having gotten just what the doctor of Eastern medicine ordered. | whitelotus.co.za.

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The renovation of the building housing the White Lotus Wellness Centre in Cape Town is a labour of love that has kept its owner Lulu Beyers busy for the better part of two years. Here’s how Lulu pinned down the perfect look.

The White Lotus Wellness Centre is a study in taste. Lulu Beyers, a doctor of Chinese Medicine and the centre’s owner, renovated and decorated the space to create a haven that reflects her penchant for Scandinavian aesthetic, love of nature and contemporary style.

Looking at the way it’s all put together, you’d think Lulu is also a doctor of Decor and Design, but she insists on her amateur status. So how did she get the place looking so great? Lulu crafted the look by refining her style on Pinterest. “I spent a year putting images together and figuring out what I like. It’s a good way to scrapbook,” she says. Judging by the result, it’s really effective too.

Lulu created a board on Pinterest especially for VISI, pulling together some of the pins that have helped shape the White Lotus look. | whitelotus.co.za

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Interior decorator Francois du Plessis took six years to turn this compact City Bowl Victorian into a white oasis with a heart of green.

How does an interior decorator, seduced daily by the latest products, furnishings, finishes and trends, decorate his own home? They say this is precisely why fashion designers wear black, so surely there must be an equivalent answer or decorators?

For Cape Town’s Francois du Plessis and his partner Graham Jones, the answer lay in a colourless palette with touches of timeless glamour – and plenty of patience.

Their home in Schotscheskloof, the little-known suburb perched on the slopes of Table Mountain between the Bo-Kaap and Tamboerskloof is, at first glance, a classic Victorian complete with wraparound stoep. But with Francois’ accomplished eye and Graham’s extraordinary green fingers, their six-year-long renovation has transformed the hippy terracotta house they found into something of a study in stately style. Plus, what has all the elements of a grand Victorian is in fact a compact and stylish town house. In Francois and Graham’s home, which has two bedrooms and bathrooms, the comfortable flow, lightness and touches of elegance are what contribute to the modest splendour that have become the Francois du Plessis signature.

On the mantelpiece in the dining room, a collection of simple glass vases with single green stems is what draws your eye. In Francois’ bathroom, the cosy alcove around the bath is dressed up with a gleaming silver-leafed mural by Julian and Ilaria of Paintiques. Francois and Graham’s favourite piece in the house is a faded gilt French dressing table with full-length mirrors on either side. These glamorous touches are not over the top, nor have they cost a fortune, yet they add up to an understated sophistication that sets this house apart.

Here, Francois has mastered the art of recycling pieces from clients, his own collection and from the existing house. In the renovation, doors that were removed from inside were repurposed as windows to Graham’s garden. Down the passage, a spectacular collection of art and photographs tells the story of Francois’ life in black-and-white symmetry – designer style with a sincere personal touch.

Francois says the most important part of the renovation was to introduce light into the house by making the doors to the exterior taller and using sandblasted white marble tiles from World of Marble and Granite on the floors of the passage and living area. Dover White Light (47-14P E7) from Plascon complements the effect on the walls.

Graham is the one behind the jungle-like garden, where there’s the feeling that more lies beyond the periphery if you care to explore. It’s a simple recipe: a mass of banana trees and elephant ears – all harvested from the previous garden – planted in front of a wall of “latte” with plenty of ground cover.

The garden room, or conservatory, off the kitchen is a delight – the essential informal kick-off-your-shoes-and-sip-a-gin kind of room that so many houses crave.

The final step that completed the renovation was the creation of a dramatically dark charcoal kitchen at the end of the white passage. The contrast is deliberate; the perfect elegant foil to the rest of the white house and an easy space for guests to chat around the table while Francois cooks.

Plascon’s Rhine Castle (GR-Y10) on the walls and kitchen tops covered in Maron brown marble from the Marble Gallery are the finishes that sealed the effect.

So that’s it then: fashion designers do black; decorators do white and light. Francois cheats slightly with the grey-and-black ikat-covered armchairs in the living room – but you know they won’t hang around for long in this light oasis of timeless style.

Francois du Plessis Interiors 021 461 1166, fdpinteriors.co.za
For more paint-related information and inspiration, visit plasconspaces.co.za

 

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Agter een van die karaktervolle ou Victoriaanse kothuise in Oranjezicht, Kaapstad, skuil deesdae ’n verrassend kontemporêre aanbouing, maar jy sal dit nooit raai nie – tensy jy ingenooi word.

Moenie by die bure gaan klik nie, maar in hulle midde is ’n huis met ’n geheim: Hoewel die fasade pas by haar ouderdom en status – van die gietysterheining tot die brandskilderglasvensters – spog dié erfenishuis nou, ná ’n tweejaar-restourasieprojek, met ’n blinknuwe interieur – en ’n ekstra verdieping wat glad nie van die straat af sigbaar is nie.

Die eienaar, Martina Panzer Smith, wat hier woon saam met haar man en jong seun, sê hulle was eers van plan om in die ou tweeslaapkamer-kothuis in te trek en dan met verloop van tyd te besluit hoe om die restaourasieprojek aan te pak.

Maar die donker, beknopte interieur “met stokou geblomde muurpapier en toutjiesligskakelaars” was net te afgeleef. “Die huis het ’n studeerkamer, derde slaapkamer en ’n garage gekort, en ons wou die vloei tussen die vertrekke verbeter en die kombuis die hart van die huis maak.”

Dis hier waar ’n familievriend, die interieur argitek Jan-Heyn Vorster, in die prentjie kom. Hy het vantevore op dieselfde perseel gewerk en het geweet sy verkies iets tussen eenvoudige funksionaliteit, estetiese kwaliteite en uitstekende gehalte.

As dogter van die bekende Kaapse skrynwerker Franz Panzer was daar by Martina geen twyfel nie toe sy oor die hoofboumateriaal vir haar nuwe huis moes besluit. “Ek het van jongs af geleer om die natuurlike warmte, tekstuur en karakter van hout te waardeer en wou my met soveel as moontlik daarvan omring.”

Los elemente

Nadat die vereistes van die Nasionale Erfenisraad nagekom is en Franz aangewys is om die hout te kies en verskaf, het hulle besluit om die voorste gedeelte van die huis oop te maak deur die skeidsmure plat te slaan en “los elemente” te skep, soos Jan-Heyn dit noem. Dié elemente, wat ’n muur insluit met ’n kontemporêre kaggel, baken die leef-, sit- en eetruimte af, maar sonder dat dit aparte vertrekke word.

Die oorspronklike houtvloere was ongelukkig te dun ná jare van afskuur en kon gevolglik nie gered word nie, maar die span het nietemin probeer om soveel as moontlik van dié hout te gebruik om ’n basis te vorm vir die nuwe vloer van soliede eikehout, wat liggies met olie behandel is.

“Topgehalte hardehout soos die Amerikaanse instandhouding nie,” sê Franz. “Deur eenvoudig die hout te olie en net so te los kan jy die plesier ervaar om te sien hoe dit natuurlik verouder. Boonop het jy die gemoedsrus dat dit basies vir ewig sal hou. Moet nooit ’n hoëglans-afwerking kies nie, tensy jy ’n peloton skoonmakers het wat die vloer kan skoonhou en politoer, want elke skrapie en stowwerigheid sal soos ’n seer duim uitstaan.”

Een van die doelwitte van die restourasieprojek was om ’n duidelike onderskeid te tref tussen die tradisionele vorm van die spitsdakkothuis en die nuwe aanbouing oor twee vlakke aan die agterkant.

Hiervoor is ’n staalraam – ’n duidelik sigbare ontwerpelement in hierdie gedeelte – geïnstalleer, asook ’n beton-“voetstuk” waarop die houtboks met ’n ry bobeukvensters (“clerestory windows”) geheg is. “Die erf én die vereistes van die erfeniskomitee was taamlik knap, en daarom was hierdie die beste oplossing om aan al die gesin se leefbehoeftes te voldoen,” sê Jan-Heyn.

Hout en beton

Op die onderste verdieping van die nuwe aanbouing is die fokus beslis die groot kombuis wat deur enorme glasstapeldeure uitloop op ’n veelvlakkige houtdek van Basiliaanse okkerneuthout, ook bekend as ipê. Die opvallendste kenmerk in hierdie gedeelte is die sigbetonplafon wat met ’n duidelike houtgrein spog. Die beton is oor Noorse sparden gegiet om dié hout se natuurlike eienskappe en goudrooi gloed aan te neem. Die eindresultaat komplementeer die wit lakvernis-kombuiseiland en vlekvryestaal-werkoppervlakke, en help ook om die nuwe deel van die oorspronklike huis te onderskei.

Pleks daarvan om die sigbetonhout weg te gooi is dit in kolomme gesny en as strukturele stukke vir die houtboks op die boonste vlak ingespan. Dié vlak huisves twee slaapkamers, wat die ligdeurdrenkte hoofslaapkamer en badkamer insluit. Hier sorg ’n groot komvenster en glaswerk van die vloer tot die plafon dat die ruimte een is met die lug en die uitsig op Tafelberg. Die skuifhortjies van reuselewensboomhout, wat met verloop van tyd silwergrys sal verweer om by die dek onder te pas, kan verstel word vir ekstra privaatheid en klimaatbeheer.

Deur die bobeukvensters bo die trapportaal en in die kleiner slaapkamer oorkant die gang kan ’n mens stukkies van Leeukop en die skerp spits van die oorspronklike dak sien. Om uit hierdie nuwe hoek na die oue te kyk gee ’n mens die gevoel dat die gerestoureerde matriarg nou die beste van twee wêrelde geniet. Vandat sy haar stille herlewing toevertrou het aan die mense wat haar die beste ken, is sy vry om met grasie die patina van ’n nuwe era te omhels.  

Meyer + Vorster-argitekte: 021 461 5514, www.meyervorster.co.za

Berrisford Construction: 021 448 1659, berrisfordconstruction.com

Still The Bathroom Gallery: 021 421 9970, www.stillbathrooms.co.za

Versfeld Custom Furniture: 021 448 4418, versfeld@customfurniture.co.za

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Dit was liefde met die eerste oogopslag, en in vele opsigte verbeelding wat oor gesonde verstand geseevier het, toe die binnehuisontwerper Tanya Sturgeon die piepklein Victoriaanse villa in die skadu van Tafelberg raakgesien het.

Dis Plato wat gesê het, elkeen wat deur liefde aangeraak word, word ’n digter. En daar’s sekerlik poësie in die liriese manier waarop die binneversierder Tanya Sturgeon haar Kaapse huis ingerig het – hoe elke unieke stuk sy individuele stem behou terwyl dit saamsing met die res in ’n ode aan haar intense liefdesverhouding met haar tuiste.

Dit het dié materiaalontwerper, nou die eienaar van ’n dekor-emporium, net drie weke geneem om hier aan die hange van Tamboerskloof nes te skop. “Die vorige eienaars het kort nadat ek ingetrek het, ingeloer – en kon hulle oë nie glo nie,” sê sy en erken ruiterlik dat die rede vir haar vinnige skuif deels as gevolg van ’n vroeëre swak keuse vir ’n woonplek was. “Ek het van Johannesburg af getrek na ’n huis in die suidelike voorstede wat regtig nie by my leefstyl of persoonlikheid – en my goeters – gepas het nie.”

Die tyd wat dit elke dag geneem het om na die Kaapse stadskom te pendel, waar sy saam met haar susterskind, Amanda Fellows, die binnehuis-ontwerp-en-dekorwinkel T&Co. besit, het haar uiteindelik laat besluit om ’n huurder vir haar splinternuwe huis te kry. Die dag waarop die huurders moes intrek, het nader gekom en Tanya het geen heenkome gehad nie – daarom het sy toe maar haar kosbare besittings in bokse gepak en skuiling gaan soek by haar mede-leefstylslaaf Gail Behr.

Maar toe sy ’n paar maande later die oulike gerestoureerde villa in een van die stad se oudste woonbuurte raaksien, was die argetipiese loftplafonne en broekiekant-stoep genoeg om haar te verlei. Die papiere was binne drie dae geteken.

‘n Passievolle liefdesverhouding

Tanya is nou heeltemal tuis in haar nuwe huis: Die mure is geverf, die skilderye opgehang; die bykomstighede is uit bokse gegrawe; die versamelstukke is liefderik herstel en weer deel van ’n reeks weloorwoë stillewes op tafelblaaie en in bestaande nisse wat lyk asof dit spesiaal daarvoor gemaak is.

Terugskouend, beskryf Tanya, wat duidelik haar hart verloor het, die proses as ’n passievolle liefdesverhouding. Sy erken skamerig: Op dae dat sy veronderstel was om in veilingsale en pakhuise vol antiekware rond te snuffel om voorraad te kry vir haar sjiek interieurwinkel, was sy in ’n omhelsing met haar nuwe tuiste, besig om op die skilderdoek te borduur met ’n unieke stempel wat spruit uit ’n hoogs verfynde ontwerpgevoeligheid en jare se ervaring in die materiaal- en dekorbedryf.

“Die kern van binneversiering is ’n proses van laagvorming, ’n manier om dinge saam te sit wat komposisiegewys saamwerk en ruimtes met diepte skep – ruimtes wat outentiek en visueel interessant is,” sê Tanya wie se kenmerkende skermkandelare en weldadige sagte meubilering getuig van haar liefde vir versierings. “Lampskerms en strooikussings is soos juweliersware of ’n paar goeie hoëhakskoene – dit rond die uitrusting af.”

Oud en nuut vermeng

Nog ’n kenmerk van Tanya se styl is ’n onbeskaamde vermenging van oud en nuut, van genres wat oënskynlik onversoenbaar is: “Dis soos skilder – ’n mens vra nie ‘Werk blou en rooi saam?’ nie. Eerder: ‘Is hulle wat toonaard betref, in harmonie; hoeveel van elk is gebruik; is hulle met dieselfde artistieke gevoeligheid gekombineer?’ ”

G’n wonder dus dat Tanya se eie huis ’n teatrale mengsel is van fuchsia met motiewe, luukse karmosynrooi Draylon, ametisblou, saffier en bottel- groen fluweel en glimmende grysbruin sy en linne – alles in dieselfde toonaard geharmonieer deur ’n inkagtige houtskool-agtergrond op party plekke en staalgrys by ander.

Skilderye, afdrukke en foto’s – van ’n enorme Kentridge-iris in die eetkamer tot haar susterkind Emily Fellows se landskappe met droë bosse in die gang en Beezy Bailey se houtskoolportret van haar seun Daniel in die slaapkamer – pryk teen die mure in ’n losbandige oorvloed van kleure en style.

Bykomstighede – baie daarvan uit haar winkel – het sentimentele waarde en staan gemaklik op tafels en in kabinette met ’n glasvoorkant. In die kweekhuisstyl-badkamer – ’n liggevulde fokuspunt wat uit die weelderige hoofslaapkamer loop – staan ’n fraai Victoriaanse pootjiesbad wat heeltemal tuis is saam met ’n Marie Antoinette-dekstoel. Dié is geklee in tuisgeskepte weelde, wat lyk soos ’n uitgerafelde korset.

In die eetkamer met sy komvenster word arms vol verweerde eetgerei in sinkbakke uitgestal op die dun, donkergebeitste tafel. Rondom staan ’n konsortium van stoele wat nie bymekaar pas nie – volmaak onperfek.

Terwyl alles lyk asof dit foutloos – eintlik ietwat spitsvondig – gestileer is, sê Tanya sy’t nog nie ophou speel nie. “Die eet- en woonvertrek is al klaar geskuif, en ek is steeds besig om dingetjies op ander plekke te probeer.”

Maar, só lui die spreekwoord, wanneer dit by die liefde kom, is een plus een alles, en twee minus een niks nie. In dié sommetjie lê die resep vir sukses baie beslis in die intuïsie van die hart.

• T&Co., Eenheid 78, Victoria Junction (ingang Ebenezerweg), Groenpunt, Kaapstad 087 808 7064/5, www.tandco.co.za

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It was a case of love at first sight – and in many ways a triumph of imagination over common sense – when interior designer Tanya Sturgeon first set eyes on this diminutive Victorian villa.

It was Plato who said that, at the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet. Certainly, there is an intrinsic poetry to the lyricism with which interior designer Tanya Sturgeon has furnished and decorated her new Cape Town home.

The way in which each unique piece retains its individual voice while singing in harmony with the others is an ode, if you will, to Tanya’s intense – albeit shotgun – love affair with the adorable Victorian property.

It took just three weeks for the fabric designer turned decor emporium owner to settle herself into her new nest in Tamboerskloof. “The previous owners dropped in to see it shortly after I’d moved in and couldn’t believe its transformation,” she says, admitting that the impetus for the speed of her move was born partly out of a previously ill-judged choice of lodgings.

“I’d transferred from Johannesburg into a house in Cape Town’s southern suburbs that didn’t suit my lifestyle, personality, or my stuff, for that matter.” The duress of commuting each day to the City Bowl where, together with her niece Amanda Fellows, Tanya owns interior design and decor showroom T&Co, eventually impelled her to find a tenant for the still-new house.

With the day of reoccupation looming and nowhere to go, Tanya packed her treasured belongings into storage boxes and found refuge with fellow style devotee Gail Behr.

A perfect match

However, when, a few months later, she spotted the quaint restored villa in one of the city’s oldest residential suburbs, its archetypal lofty ceilings and broekie-laced terrace were seduction enough and its purchase was swiftly sealed within three days.

A month later and Tanya is fully installed in her new home, walls painted and pictures hung, furnishings retrieved from boxes and collectibles lovingly restored to their rightful places as part of a series of considered still-lifes on tabletops and in existing alcoves seemingly purpose-built for their exclusive repose.

In retrospect, a smitten Tanya describes the process as nothing short of a passionate love affair. On days when, she sheepishly admits, she should have been scouring auction rooms and antiques repositories for unique one-offs with which to fill her high-end interiors store, she was, instead, locked in infatuated embrace with her new home, tenderly embroidering its canvas with a unique stamp grounded on a highly attuned design sensibility and years in the fabrics and decor industry.

“Decorating is, at its heart, a process of layering, a way of putting things together that work compositionally and that create spaces with depth, authenticity and visual interest,” says Tanya, whose trademark shaded chandeliers and bountiful soft furnishings attest to her love of embellishment. “Lampshades and scatter cushions are like jewellery or a pair of really good heels – they complete the outfit.”

An unashamed marriage of old and new, and seemingly incongruous genres, is another signature of Tanya’s style. “It’s like a painting,” she says. “One doesn’t ask if blue and red go together but rather ‘Are they tonally harmonious, how much of each has been used, have they been combined with the same artistic sensibility?’”

A visual feast

Unsurprisingly, Tanya’s own home is a theatrical mix of patterned fuchsia, plush crimson Draylon, amethyst, sapphire and bottle-green velvet and shimmering taupe silk and linen, all brought into tonal concord by an inky charcoal backdrop in some places and a steely grey in others.

Paintings, prints and photographs – from a Kentridge iris in the dining room to niece Emily Fellows’s dry-brush landscapes in the passage and Beezy Bailey’s charcoal portrait of Tanya’s son, Daniel, in the bedroom – adorn the walls in a riotous profusion of colour and styles.

Accessories, many admittedly plundered from her shop but all with sentimentality beyond price, consort happily on tabletops and in glass-fronted cabinets.

In the conservatory-style main bathroom, a handsome freestanding ball-and-claw Victorian bath is perfectly at home with a Marie Antoinette trench armchair, itself dressed in the homespun gorgeousness of what resembles a frayed corset.

In the bay-fronted dining room, meanwhile, armloads of rustically tarnished cutlery stand to attention in zinc buckets on the slim, dark-stained table, around which is assembled a consortium of mismatched chairs, precisely perfect in their imperfection.

While all appears flawlessly – if not slightly quirkily – styled, Tanya admits she hasn’t yet stopped playing. “The dining and living rooms have already been entirely repositioned and I’m still moving bits about, adding here, taking away there.”

But then, so the saying goes, in the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing. Certainly, in this equation, the formula for success lies entirely in the instinct of the heart.  

• T&Co.: Unit 78, Victoria Junction (entrance Ebenezer Road), Green Point, Cape Town, 087 808 7064/5, www.tandco.co.za

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