Escape Artistry

A faithfully restored Winelands home gets an enchanting shake-up that pulls no punches on the fun factor.

- Tracy Lynn Chemaly

Sue and Bernard Fontannaz weren’t looking for a new home when they stumbled upon Le Grand Jardin 18 years ago. And they weren’t exactly won over by the property’s poorly transformed Cape Dutch manor home within Stellenbosch’s Devon Valley. Instead, they fell in love with the expansive garden. ‘When I saw the big trees and pathway down to the dam, I thought, “Wow, this would make a great party venue”,’ recalls Sue of the discovery.

With the help of architect Gerrit van der Wolf, the home, which was originally designed in 1934 by a student of Sir Herbert Baker, was renovated to reinstate its traditional H-structure, while the small pine staircase was replaced with a 1920s Burmese teak masterpiece found in a Johannesburg demolition yard. ‘The home was quite lopsided and didn’t have balconies on both sides, or a central line running through it,’ says Sue. This served as the starting point to restoring the home.

The couple also tasked Gerrit with building a glasshouse in the garden, an ode to Bernard’s love of old-fashioned conservatories. It was in this classic, intimate events venue, with an ancient oak growing through it, that they celebrated his 50th birthday.

‘I love the idea of old homes, where, when you have a party, all the kids and grandparents come – that multi-generational idea of celebrating together,’ says Sue.