Charlotte Collins’ charming cottage in Greyton, South Africa, epitomises the look for which the interior designer is known: gently worn sophistication, a perfect blend of found and collected antique and vintage furniture set against a backdrop of original decorative details, and clever additions designed to look as though they’ve been there forever.
When Charlotte first visited the tiny town of Greyton, some two-and-a-half hours from Cape Town, buying a cottage was not part of the plan, she says. ‘I was there to help a friend of mine with the interior of her home,’ she explains, adding that, having spotted the cottage for sale, her original intention was to ‘flip’ the property. ‘But as I got further into the project and spent more time in the village I decided I’d keep it as a weekend spot. Greyton is that quintessential country village,’ she adds. ‘When I go into the hardware store they all ask how I am. Everyone is very friendly and knows your name.’
The property was a very simple affair when Charlotte first saw it: ‘literally a box with one room off to the side for the bedroom, one bathroom and a living area’. Above this there was an empty roofspace, which has been cleverly used to create extra rooms. ‘It took me just under a year to bring it to where it is now.’ Today, the cottage has everything a weekend bolthole needs – enough bedrooms and bathrooms for guests, a generous fireplace around which to gather, a simply furnished open-plan kitchen and dining area and a pretty garden outside.
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Denne historien er fra March 2022-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place
Pride of place LEEDS CREAMWARE
In its heyday the pre-eminent rival to Wedgwood's Queens ware, Leeds creamware is still much revered by collectors for its understated elegance
Bohemian Rhapsody
An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...
THE ANTIQUES THAT SHAPED ME Rory Hutton
The accessories designer on his love of silver spoons and Sévres porcelain
European HERITAGE B&Bs
Is there anything more inspiring than staying somewhere that's both beautifully stylish and imbued with history? Rhiannon Batten explores five gems across Europe, from Sweden to Spain...
STAR SALES
A Hitchens painting, a museum-quality teapot and a Parisian chocolate box are all top of the lots
Textile designs by artists
Influential 20th-century fine artists and sculptors, from Picasso to Barbara Hepworth, gained additional status as textile designers until decline set in during the 1970s
Period DRAMA
A painstaking renovation has brought this 1725 former Huguenot silk weaver's house in London's Spitalfields back to life
An artist's RESIDENCE
Rustic details and a restrained palette lend a sense of simplicity to this lovingly restored Friesian bakery
Carefully Curated LIVING
This lovingly restored Gustavian manor has become both home and showroom for its owners, Maria & Jan Åke, who deal in European antiques