On the foothills of the Wemmershoek mountains in the foodie quarter of Franschhoek, a couple has built their dream home: a holiday house and one-day retirement abode that ticks all the boxes. Built for all seasons, its high-tech, lowkey combination means that it serves equally well as a winter bolthole or a summer retreat. Making the most of a relatively small stand by South African measures, the owners maximised on space by laying out a pair of barns that hug the property’s boundary, adjoined by the dining area.
It’s a U-shaped layout that’s reminiscent of Mediterranean homes and makes the most of the available light, while the views look both inward onto a private courtyard and swimming pool, as well as outward over mountains, vineyards and valleys. When it came to designing the space, Studio 19’s championing of timeless design and honest materials was a major drawcard for the couple.
“The house was a real love project; the two factions included a passionate technology junkie and his wife, who ‘just’ wants to make things look beautiful,” interior designer and founder of Johannesburg-based Studio 19 Mia Widlake explains with a grin. While this meant the project came with a fair amount of debate during the planning phase, it also resulted in a space with both brains and beauty. Here, clever solutions and smart functionality are the invisible foundation for a space that’s very easy on the eye.
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
