Icasual, Comfortable And Family-Friendly

An old farmhouse has been transformed into a contemporary home that ticks all the right boxes.

- Beatrice Moore-Nothnagel

The front stoep gets plenty of sunshine all day and is the best place for sundowners.

WHO LIVES HERE?

Sharna and Pierre van Rensburg with their children Jack (7), Ben (5) and Sophie (4)

WHERE East London

SIZE 220m²

We love the feel of our home; it’s our happiest place! In winter, we love to sit next to the fireplace and chat; in summer, you’ll find us on the front veranda, enjoying the late afternoon sun. – Sharna

The Van Rensburgs loved this original farmhouse built inNahoon in about 1925 so much that they put a note in the postbox, asking the owners if they would be interested in selling. That was back in 2009 and they never got a response. So, when the property finally came up for sale six years later, the couple bought it within 10 minutes of it going on the market!

“Pierre had negotiated the price with the owner before I’d even finished looking around,” says Sharna, who was nine-months pregnant with her second child at the time. “Ben was born four days later, and I always thought the house was meant to be ours!”

The couple loved the wooden floors, original fireplace and pressed ceilings, the latter being Sharna’s favourite feature. However, lots of small rooms had been added onto the house over the years and it felt somewhat disjointed. “The previous renovations weren’t to our liking; we wanted to open things up and modernise the look, while still retaining its old-school charm,” explains Sharna.