Nature Inspired

Tracy and Russell Boltman’s mid-century modern family home nestles beautifully among its natural surroundings

- Kerryn Fischer

The real joy of this house is that amidst our busy lives it allows us to reconnect as a family,’ says Tracy Boltman, of the sleek home on the slopes of Table Mountain that she shares with her husband Russell and their three children. Set on the last row of residential homes that border the pristine Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, it’s an enviable design in an absolutely stellar location. ‘I know this may sound trite as it’s just bricks and mortar – or wood and stone for that matter – but building this home forced us to reflect on the contradictory nature of those things we hold most dear to us, namely: being together as a family and entertaining with loved ones versus a real need for solitude and being in nature.’

That they have managed to create both a family home and an urban mountain retreat, is an extraordinary triumph of their will and a savvy sense of design. Russell and Tracy bought the plot four years ago when they were looking for a home that could accommodate their growing brood of children and pets. ‘We’d outgrown our previous home nearby and were looking for a property with a garden level with the living areas,’ explains Russell. ‘We knew it was a nigh impossible task given the steep typography of the area and the demand for city homes with this kind of space, but Tracy and I are nothing if not single-minded so we set ourselves the task of finding something that we could create to suit our needs.’ Although they spend their days in corporate environments and courtrooms, Russell and Tracy are both creatives as well, and take pleasure in gardening, cooking, decorating and designing spaces.