A dark and derelict little house in the Cape coastal suburb of St James gets a modern makeover, thanks to Mandy Sayer’s passion for restoring historic homes.
“I love property, but older homes have a special place in my heart,” says Mandy Sayer, who recently transformed a dilapidated historic cottage into a charming, contemporary living space. Today, it’s difficult to imagine it as the ugly duckling that nobody wanted.
Known as the Matchbox Cottage and dating back to 1886 (see ‘History of the Matchbox Cottage’ overleaf), the property had been on the market for years by the time Mandy and her husband Trevor bought it. “Although it’s just off Main Road in St James, no buyer wanted to touch it as it was marketed as an ‘extra’ sold with the adjacent shop,” says Mandy, a property developer who started Sayer Projects together with Trevor in 2008. Last year, the couple snapped up the entire property, including the shop and the rights to build two apartments above it.
Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Home South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Home South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Pestilence Domestica
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Quick as a flash!
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The gift that keeps on giving
By taking cuttings and dividing existing plants and those from friends, Anne Turner and her son David have created a stunning garden that takes on a whole new personality as the seasons change.
Upcycle it!
Tuis Home food editor Johané Neilson and her husband Allister revamped a second-hand melamine wall unit to create a bespoke wall-to-wall display cabinet, for less than R3 500!
Little house in the forest
Thanks to her capable father, Neilke Pretorius and her partner enjoy an idyllic lifestyle in a custom-made home hidden in the trees.
Living large, inside and out
South Africans love a space where indoors and outdoors come together.
Modern CLASSIC
With authenticity as a guiding design principle, a young family has created their happy space in a 105-year-old house in the heart of vibrant Sea Point.
Peace & quiet...
A cinematographer and a set designer found the perfect bolt-hole in the Eastern Cape Karoo where they can truly relax and unwind.
ART AND SOUL
Five years ago, the Krugers transformed a tired city bungalow into a unique and modern family home.
Group therapy
Add impact and create rhythm using repetition and collections, as these Home readers have done.
