Best Of Times

A sensitively renovated heritage farmhouse on South Africa’s Garden Route seamlessly combines old and new, with bold design choices giving it new life

- LORI COHEN

Country living means ease and durability, but the dreamer behind the interiors of a 180-year-old farmhouse, Illze Muller, never skimps on style. When she and her husband Wouter moved into the homestead as newlyweds, a new wing had already been added to the original thatched house to form a classic T-shape.

Smitten with the generous wooden staircase installed at its heart, but faced with an awkward flow and dated bathrooms and kitchen, she used her natural design finesse to merge the two wings into a beautifully cohesive entity. With a relaxed flow, soaring ceilings, and achingly beautiful pastoral views, Illze has chosen to fill it with a blend of inherited and contemporary furnishings that harmonise with its sense of history.

The renovation included reconfiguring the interior layout to fashion an extensive cooking and dining area that flowed from an open-plan living area, while the older section of the house was reclaimed for sleeping quarters. The reconfiguration makes it utterly liveable. The common thread in the rooms – old and new – is Illze’s strong focus on elements that add warmth, depth and authenticity, and breathed new life into the farmhouse.

Rooms were opened up to form the vast open-plan lounge. Illze made sense of overwhelming space with an oversized collection of rugs to make it feel more intimate, clusters of lights and chandeliers to define zones and by grouping sofas around a pared-down fireplace.

The grandeur of the living room was toned down with relaxed couches and cowhides. “I’m drawn to natural textures, so incorporating cowhides, grass mats, leather and linen-covered sofas felt right, and also softened the hard, slate floors,” says Illze.