Nestled in the woods

After a giant blue gum tree was felled in the Langkloof, this innovative couple used it to build an out-of-the-ordinary salon on their smallholding outside Gqeberha

- Marian van Wyk

The Lemmers wanted the window seat on the west-facing side and were inspired by a Pinterest photo from Scandinavia. Wehrner asked their timber merchant for an extra-large plank, 600mm wide and 2m long. “This is everyone's favourite spot - the cat, our dog Micky, salon clients... You can plug in your computer and put your coffee mug down here," says Wehrner, proudly. "I'm also planning to install a water element for the wild buck and I've already planted clivias."

WHO LIVES HERE? Wehrner and Annette Lemmer

SIZE 65m² (including stoep)

WHERE Near Seaview, Goeberha

Twenty minutes of winding roads that Google Maps couldn't cope with and two farm gates later, we end up on a two-track dirt road somewhere between Seaview and Gqeberha. But there's nothing here except for the most beautiful forest. And then we see the wooden box peeping through the trees. With its sloping roof and large windows, it looks like a log home in Scandinavia or Japan, but this is a hair salon. And we're in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Wehrner, a sculptor, and Annette, a hairstylist, were the winners of the Innovation category in last year's Fix it with Flair competition, presented in partnership with JoJo. How they got to that point though is a story full of twists and turns of its own.

Cue March 2020 when the Lemmers owned a building in Newton Park, where Wehrner ran a coffee shop on the ground floor and Annette operated her Jigsaw Hair Company on the top floor. The Covid-19 hard lockdown was a double whammy for the pair, as both businesses were suddenly forced to close. With tensions at an all-time high, the Lemmers put the building on the market and, lo and behold, they received a purchase offer, despite severe pandemic restrictions.