The Beauty Of Rammed Earth

This off-the-grid home offers the perfect combination of durability and rugged good looks.

- Kim Arendse

Concrete floors and the light pink hue of the red sand walls in the living area provide a beautiful backdrop for Darryl’s furniture. “My second-hand, antique furniture lends itself to the re-used ethos of this home,” Darryl explains. “Many of the pieces were on the ‘out list’ when friends and family moved. I just rearrange items or add a different slipcover, throw or scatter every now and then.”

The flooring throughout the home is cement screed; white cement was used to create a limewashed effect. 

Darryl Freeman’s work as an interior designer for safari lodges has sent her to the most beautiful parts of Africa.

In 2012, when it came to designing her own home on a plot of remote land along the Thamalakane River on the outskirts of Maun in Botswana, Darryl had all the inspiration she needed.

This passionate environmentalist opted for a rammed earth structure as building materials were readily available and these rustic homes are both durable and beautiful.

Rammed earth walls are made by compacting well-graded earth that comprises sand, gravel, clay and silt into a frame. Once the soil is dry, the frame is removed, leaving behind striking walls that boast attractive, horizontal layers of earth. “They feature a beautiful unfinished look with a thin layer of crushed stone along a layer of fine sand,” says Darryl.

We first featured a partial rammed earth building in our September 2015 issue and it seems this technique has slowly but surely gained popularity – which is hardly surprising when you consider its many advantages.