Text by: Diana Wemyss. Photography by Anthony Johnson
Source: This article was taken from the February 2011 issue of Garden and Home Magazine
A chord was really struck when I read the letter by the editor of Garden and Home Magazine, Mary Jane Harris in the February Issue. Here is an extract – it is most thought provoking.
What we have gathered from you (the reader), and our own experiences, is that what’s emerged from the difficult times over the past two years is a new appreciation of the things that are important in our lives – family, home, comfort and relaxation.
So it was interesting to read in Dulux’s Colour Futures 2011 book that the dominant theme for 2011 is just that – appreciation. A quote from the book says it all; “it’s time to be content with what we have, to treasure and nurture it, to hold it dear and treat it with pride and care – to find our way forward to a more relaxed reality” To download a copy of the book visit www.colourfutures.com.
The aim of this issue of Garden and Home is to inspire us all to make the most of what we have and learn to see the potential in the unlikely.”
ShowMe has chosen this example from Garden and Home, Feb Issue, to exemplify Mary-Jane’s sentiments. For all the other excellent ideas, please get the magazine.
After a clever renovation, a once dull boatshed is now a smart holiday pad
Architect Thomas Leach spent eight years making the most of cramped spaces in the crowded cheek-by-jowl living of London. “You have to make spaces multi-purpose; a passage has to serve both as a library and study. Homeowners in Europe know they need a good design to maximise the areas and value of their properties,” says Thomas.
“In South Africa we don’t really understand how fortunate we are to have the luxury of space. If we need more room we simply add on a double garage, a family room, a spare bedroom. But as open land becomes more limited, recycling space is going to become a major concern,” he adds.
Highlighting the skills he learnt working in London and the tricks he developed for making small areas feel inviting, is this boat house conversion that he designed at Marina da Gama in the Cape.
It was a badly built, almost unusable place, a sort of boat store-cum-flatlet with a dated bathroom.
“Half the area was taken up with the back door from the main house and a staircase slap bang in the middle of everything,” he says.
The homeowners’ brief was to convert the cramped space into a welcoming guest cottage. Thomas started off the renovation by first separating the main house from the boat shed so that the access area could be incorporated into the boat shed. “The whole strategy was to clear out the clutter and clobber and replace it all with cupboards and a staircase that seems to float in space.
“The front facade that faced the marina was a typically unimaginative one with a wall punctured with a door and window,” he says. “I learnt in London that a floor-to-ceiling glass wall gives a much better feeling of space.” Thomas extended the front and built a glass enclosure that opens directly onto a deck overhanging the water. “Bringing in light from above with clerestory windows also gives a feeling of more room than conventionally placed windows,” he adds.
“I personally like a clean, uncluttered look although I do like to vary the textures to add a bit of interest, such as leaving raw concrete on the ceiling of the glass extension or having a plain screed floor instead of tiling to create a seamless look.”
The project cost in the region of R400 000. It involved the use of a lot of steel with beams in the roof (which was sagging) and another beam between the old front wall and the new glass enclosure. The first floor was reconfigured at a slightly higher level to create the mezzanine bedroom area, which is reached by a staircase with a study tucked neatly underneath. “I never make my staircases too steep,” says Thomas, “so you can ‘float’ them to create the feeling of more space.”
From the front door, there’s a clear view toward the marina.
The staircase was built by Nicolas Mossmer. The bright orange front door adds a pop of colour to the boat house’s mainly white palette. ABOVE: The whole boat house at a glance: the kitchen is at the back, dining area in the middle and above is the floating bedroom area. The building work was done by Maged Builders.
Maged Builders 021 696 7356 I Nicolas Mossmer 082 445 6587 I Thomas Leach Architect 021 788 1896 or thomas@thomasleach.co.za
Before and After Layout of the Boat House
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