Moonlight and fynbos

Under a huge old pine tree, a family has built an off-the-grid cabin where a contemporary geodesic dome and reclaimed materials are in harmony with nature.

- By Marian van Wyk, Photography by Greg Cox and supplied

When the going gets tough, the Kotze-Normann family gets creative. Just look at this geodesic dome cabin their second – on their farm La Bruyere, outside Tulbagh. This was the project that kept them busy during the 2020 lockdown, a team effort from Danie Kotze and his wife Jenny Normann, their two adult sons Thor and Christopher, and their partners, Christine Johnston and Rosa Bishenden-Moon.

Having spent a couple of years in the UK, Christopher now lives on La Bruyere, where Danie farms full-time and Jenny runs their guest cottages and Sunset Dome, their first family-built geodesic dome cabin. And after his travel bug saw him visit more than 35 countries, Thor settled in Cape Town where he runs his online shops, TenCape Trading and The Beach Bums.

“It was in Bali, Japan and Sri Lanka that I realised quirky and unique places always become favourites,” says Thor. Given the popularity of their Sunset Dome, which is fully booked a year in advance on Airbnb, it was only logical that their next cabin would also be a geodesic dome, or geodome as it’s commonly referred to.

The site for Moonrise Dome, high up on a hill, is a favourite spot where Thor and Christopher used to play as young boys. Jenny explains: “Marked by a big tree and surrounded by indigenous fynbos and renosterbos, the site is steep with panoramic mountain and valley views. The challenge was to design something that snuggled in with what was there and, at the same time, create a unique and unusual atmosphere.”