Hidden Gem

A 1980s bungalow in Cape Town was given an eclectic update by its new owner, jewellery designer Kirsten Goss

- Lori Cohen

Rows of graphic prickly pears, a pair of ceramic watchdogs, a cluster of retro sconces and a glass cabinet brimming with vintage cameras – all before you’ve stepped beyond the lobby.

This is the kind of quirk that one has come to expect from the design dynamite behind Kirsten Goss Jewellery. Kirsten admits that she took on the transformation of this home with the same out-of-the box intentions as she has when fitting out a new shop.

Capturing views of the Constantiaberg mountains by clearing the garden and shifting the bearing of the house proved to be the making of this home. The ever-changing shades of the slopes now dominate the outlook, and Kirsten and her partner Clive Will chose to contrast this placidness with a sweeping lawn dominated by a circular pool and a series of round beds of waterwise plants.

‘I call it our “crop circle garden”,’ says Kirsten. ‘We wanted our home to be an inside-outside house – so much so that we chose to use artificial turf in the garden so that it feels like a carpet. At night, the lights make it a really dramatic space, and our family moves in and out and we don’t need to worry about the kids getting dirty. It feels like we have another room to use.’