Text: Sarah Stuart-Reckling. Photographs: Henrique Wilding and Supplied. Article from the September 2013 issue of Garden and Home Magazine.
Salvaged gates, doors and windows were lovingly sourced by the owners to bring this rundown Cape home back to life
Who lives here
Property developer Clive King, his partner Di de Ridder and her two teenage children, Casey and Eaton.
The house
A revamped farmhouse-style home on a smallholding at the foot of the Constantiaberg Mountains in Zwaanswyk, Cape Town.
It’s really special to wake up in the morning and have horses grazing outside your kitchen door,” says Di de Ridder of the beautiful Zwaanswyk home she shares with her partner, Clive King, and children, Casey and Eaton. In fact, it was because of its idyllic rural setting that this Cape Town couple could overlook the state of disrepair the house was in when they first purchased the property.
“It was totally overgrown and neglected, but we knew we could make something of it. My daughter Casey loves horses and so to have flat terrain that had stables and paddocks was perfect,” explains Di. “We appreciate the unique character of this area,” adds Clive. “The appeal is that you can get all the benefits of a farm lifestyle, but you’re close to the city too.”
Preserving the property’s original charm was all-important to Di and Clive, who are experienced renovators. They cleverly realised that retaining the mature oaks in the garden would give their newly revamped home an established feel. And so, working with Maas & Coetzee Architects, they planned their alterations around the existing trees so they wouldn’t have to cut any of them down.
Keen to give their home added character, Clive and Di also hunted for one-of-a-kind architectural finds, like old, salvaged doors, windows and gates, which they could incorporate into the design. “We spent many days scouring second-hand shops and auctions,” they say. A lot of the bigger pieces were found at Private Collections, a shop which specialises in architectural pieces and rare furniture.
This theme of combining old with new was carried through into the interiors, which are decorated in a restful palette of soft greys, shades of white and other neutrals. “I don’t like my decor to be defined by a certain style, but prefer to mix it up,” says Di. “We’ve collected our furniture over the years; some pieces are family heirlooms, others are more contemporary, but they all work together.”
The renovation took two years to complete and the results speak for themselves. For those looking to embark on a similar makeover, Di and Clive share some advice: “Choose your builder carefully, watch your budget and be prepared to change your plans as you go along; you need to be flexible and allow the project to evolve.”
Decor inspirations
What works best for this family is their open-plan kitchen diner
“With the warm sunlight streaming in, nature on our doorstep and the sounds of the horses grazing outside, our open-plan kitchen diner is a blissful space to be, they say.
This area flows out onto the veranda, making it ideal for entertaining. “Our home comes alive when we entertain; we’ve had some great parties here.”
Make it work for you
For a sophisticated, classic country look, combine light wood with linen and ceramics in antique white, washed grey and aged silver tones.
Sources Africotta africotta.com American Shutters americanshutters.co.za Biggie Best 021 671 0810 Block & Chisel Interiors blockandchisel.co.za Edd Woods 072 458 94B0 French Accent 021 674 2275 Loads of Living loadsofliving.co.za L’Orangerie 021 761 8355 Maas & Coetzee Architects 021 550 7050 Moorgas & Sons moorgasandsons.co.za Mr Price Home mrpricehome.com Pierre Cronje 021 691 8589 or pierrecronje.co.za Petite Decor 021 447 5335 Private Collections 021 421 0298 St Leger & Viney stleger.co.za
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