Far From The Madding Crowd

Country life doesn't get more idyllic for this family of five. Nestled amongst the orchards of their Elgin Valley fruit farm, home is a charming celebration of living both indoors and out

- MARTIN JACOBS

Whether strolling through sun-dappled orchards in late afternoon light, nestling on sofas before a crackling fire or diving into the dam a short walk from their farmhouse, for homeowners Margot and James Gilfillan, the separations on their farm between indoors and out feel diaphanous. Daily living for the couple and their three daughters weaves through the home’s many French doors, like a tracking shot that not only captures everyday domestic scenes set against a backdrop of floral patterns that welcome the outdoors in, but also the abundant greenery – ever visible through open sash windows – that beckons the family out.

These gossamer-like separations haven’t always characterised life on the farm. Separate entertainment and sitting rooms, low ceilings, a dark kitchen at the back of the structure and small windows that limited an appreciation of the world beyond once defined the original homestead. It is testimony to the couple’s renovations and Margot’s thoughtful decorating that life on the farm now welcomingly embraces its surrounds.

Situated less than an hour’s drive from Cape Town in the Elgin Valley – South Africa’s ‘apple country’ – the farm was originally purchased as a place to which Margot’s father could retire. But the appeal of country living for the then suburban-dwelling family couldn’t be ignored. In no time at all, the farm’s unoccupied homestead became a weekend and holiday retreat for the Gilfillans and their friends. Soon after, in 2014, the family agreed to relocate.