This Is The Life

After a few months of easy living in a weather-beaten South African beach house, its owners decided to replace it with an equally open and sociable design full of modern-day family comforts.

- Natalie Wain 

Anthea and Anton Newbury had only one stipulation when they were looking for a home to buy in South Africa’s Plettenberg Bay: it must be on the beach. The couple, together with teenage sons Max and Tom, are regular visitors to this stretch of coast and to own a beach house here was their dream. Their determination paid o≠ when, five years ago, they were able to secure an exclusive property with a much-prized seafront setting. As is typical of many coastal houses, the existing 1970s building had succumbed to the ravages of seaboard weather, but they realised that the commanding views from the plot would last a lifetime.

TIMED TO PERFECTION 

Situated on the popular Garden Route, Plettenberg Bay has become the holiday destination of choice for South African city dwellers with a penchant for laid-back living. It was in this relaxed spirit that the Newburys decided to defer the demolition of the house until they had a good understanding of the site, and knew exactly what they wanted to achieve there. “It’s a good job we did,” says Anthea, “because our ideas changed; in fact, we did a complete U-turn.”