Modern family living

Liezl Fischer and Nicola Redelinghuys reinvented a Victorian semi to make everyday life with their children run smoother

- KERRYN FISCHER/KAREN WILSON

Front door

‘We wanted to make the dead space useful as well as create an interesting entrance,’ says Liezl. ‘The bespoke metal gates were laser cut to match the tiles.’

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Rustic wicker wood bench, £180, ZaZa Homes, is similar. Try Lisbon Vogue floor tiles, £29.40sq m, Porcelain Superstore

Hallway

A clever cloakroom area keeps the hallway organized. ‘We wanted to create a feeling of space and a sense of arrival,’ says Liezl. ‘This houses all the stuff we carry with us in one place, but in an ordered way.’

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Astrid large black ceiling light, £190, Habitat, is a similar style. Try Mockelby bench, £150, Ikea

Liezl Fischer and Nicola Redelinghuys had been living in their Cape Town home for five years when they moved abroad for work, so all thoughts of renovating it were put on the back burner. ‘It was rented out, but on our return in 2016 we decided to redesign it before moving back in,’ says Liezl.

‘We’d rented “family-friendly” properties when visiting the city and had been disappointed,’ she says. ‘They were marketed as great for families and were anything but.’ Inspired by this experience, the couple set about designing a home that would be both family-friendly and beautiful. They started by reviewing how the spaces connected. ‘It had always bugged me that the living areas were separated by a solid staircase that cut through the centre of the house,’ says Liezl. ‘Not to mention the back courtyard that led off a split-level kitchen and the dining area that was accessed via steep stairs. It just wasn’t conducive to being together.’