SIMPLIFICATION

A SMART, SAVVY AND BUDGET-FRIENDLY RENOVATION HAS MADE THE VERY MOST OF THIS YOUNG FAMILY'S HOME IN CAPE TOWN. HERE, JAPANDI-STYLE SIMPLICITY REIGNS - AND THE INDOOR-OUTDOOR LIVING IS EASY.

- ROBYN ALEXANDER, BUREAUX

"I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THIS HOUSE if it wasn't for our architect," says homeowner Janine Vermeulen of the relaxed, contemporary home she moved into in 2022 with her husband, Ruan, and their son, Louw. Even the architect in question, Werner Lotz of Hours Clear, initially had his doubts. "The existing house was in a bad way," he says.

"Multiple additions had been done on the cheap over the years. My first thought was no, do not buy this!"

But as Janine, Ruan and Werner walked around the garden, something began to shift. "It had potential: two large oak trees and the lawn promised lazy Sundays with the family," Werner says.

"And the building itself had something in terms of its proportions - it was almost elegant. But everything was in the wrong spot, and the house turned its back on the garden, which definitely had to change."

The extensive renovation enhanced the home's boxy, modernist proportions, and its exterior appearance has been kept as minimalist as possible, with the flat roofs and a series of angular volumes finished in whitepainted plaster creating an overall impression of symmetry and order.

The home now sports a delightfully contemporary orientation outwards to the beautiful old oak trees and spacious garden, which also includes a sleek new swimming pool and koi pond placed side by side and traversable via a stepping-stone pathway.