Whether strolling through sun-dappled orchards in late afternoon light, nestling on sofas before a crackling fire or diving into the dam a short walk from their farmhouse, for homeowners Margot and James Gilfillan, the separations on their farm between indoors and out feel diaphanous. Daily living for the couple and their three daughters weaves through the home’s many French doors, like a tracking shot that not only captures everyday domestic scenes set against a backdrop of floral patterns that welcome the outdoors in, but also the abundant greenery – ever visible through open sash windows – that beckons the family out.
These gossamer-like separations haven’t always characterised life on the farm. Separate entertainment and sitting rooms, low ceilings, a dark kitchen at the back of the structure and small windows that limited an appreciation of the world beyond once defined the original homestead. It is testimony to the couple’s renovations and Margot’s thoughtful decorating that life on the farm now welcomingly embraces its surrounds.
Situated less than an hour’s drive from Cape Town in the Elgin Valley – South Africa’s ‘apple country’ – the farm was originally purchased as a place to which Margot’s father could retire. But the appeal of country living for the then suburban-dwelling family couldn’t be ignored. In no time at all, the farm’s unoccupied homestead became a weekend and holiday retreat for the Gilfillans and their friends. Soon after, in 2014, the family agreed to relocate.
Denne historien er fra Winter 2023-utgaven av Modern Living.
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Denne historien er fra Winter 2023-utgaven av Modern Living.
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
Colour Compact
Interior designer Kim Stephen’s terraced home in Barnes, London, combines her signature flair for colour with a clever use of its relatively compact spaces
Paris Panache
Designer Robert Normand’s unerring eye for colour and aesthete’s appreciation of decor, objects and art are on full display in his Paris home, where a series of interleading, beautifully dressed spaces each contributes something unique to a house that is an artwork in perpetual progress
The Art Of Chic
The ideal recipe for eclectic chic 21st-century style? Combine the classic details of a Haussmannian apartment with owner Emmanuel de Bayser’s eye for the finest mid-century furniture and design objects – plus a growing collection of contemporary art. Parfait!
In The Zone
A tightly knit curation of design-savvy details, furniture and finishes makes for an innovative spin on apartment living in Cape Town
The Fabric Of All Things
With a nod to traditional English decorating and with references to its Asian locale, this Singaporean family home is a visual tapestry of pastels and patterns
Brute Force
Referencing the industrial architecture of Chicago and New York, the stylish design of a Sydney home offsets raw, Brutalist surfaces and hardware with softer, seductive furnishings
Black Magic
Dark colours and graphic forms combine to create an urban ‘bush lodge’ look in this luxe family home on KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast. The result is serendipitously sexy
I'll Take Manhattan
...and Italian summers too. A New York City loft remains true to its industrial roots while undergoing an upgrade inspired by the warm light and soft textures of the Med
Quiet Riot
By offsetting elegant restraint with strong notes of natural, artistic and design exuberance, architect Frederic Berthier’s Paris apartment combines architectural stillness with human energy to beautiful and refreshing effect
Fresh Start
Interior designer Lynne Harris-Whitfield has melded old and new in her relaxed family home in Cape Town, which combines considered space planning with a trove of creative touches
