All Things French

A romantic palette and vintage-style furnishings make this home a tranquil haven.

- Beatrice Moore-Nothnagel

When Trish and Louis Wiese decided it was time to scale down and sell their large family home in Aurora in Durbanville, they moved just 3km to the new Clara Anna Fontein country estate. “I’ve lived in Durbanville for most of my life; I just love the area,” says Trish. “We made many wonderful memories in our previous home, which we renovated numerous times over the years, but with our sons Alex and Garth having left the nest, it was time for a new chapter in our lives.”

Clara Anna Fontein is the perfect location: it’s a security estate located on a nature reserve and a safe, tranquil space for Trish who works as a trauma counsellor. “It was important to me to come home to a sanctuary and this is exactly what we’ve found here. It’s food for my soul.”

On the estate

The Wieses’ previous home was considered a “fixer-upper”; this time round, they had to build new and adhere to strict regulations from the developer. “The estate is quite contemporary and even though it isn’t my style at all, we’ve made it work,” says Trish. “My husband said I should do whatever I wanted with the interior, but that I had to leave the architect alone to do his job on the exterior!”