Cabin Cool

Situated between a picturesque estuary and the sea, this South African family cottage combines a crisp update on cabin design with old-fashioned boathouse style

- Robyn Alexander/Bureaux

Jo and Sarah Sinfield and their daughter, Florence-with Rufus the Labrador in towhead down the jetty to hop on a boat.

The boathouse-inspired architecture at Coot Club honors the pristine surrounding landscape-which includes the Klein River estuary lagoon and the Maanschynkop mountainswith nautical themes, traditional boat-building timbers, dark gray exteriors, and environmentally sensitive placement on the contours of the land.

Eight years ago, Jo Sinfield and his wife, Sarah, spent a weekend at a lodge on the Overberg coast near Stanford, South Africa, about two hours from Cape Town. As the couple are inveterate and professional travelers-Sarah is a bespoke tour operator and Jo a cofounder of Explorers Club, a collective of accommodations options and creators of off-the-map expeditions in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya-this was an ordinary part of their routine. But on this occasion, there was an unexpected bonus to the visit: It opened Jo's eyes to the utterly unique property next door.

"I gazed at the ancient indigenous milkwood trees, the open water of the river and lagoon, and the Maanschynkop mountains rising up beyond," says Jo, "and I thought, 'Why hadn't I known about this place before?"" The landscape is remarkably beautiful, with a long stretch of wild beach on one side, the lagoon in the center, and the blue-gray mountains rising up across the water. It feels untamed and untouched, yet also like a natural safe haven. Unsurprisingly, Jo quickly concocted a plan to create a select group of family holiday cabins there. He enlisted the assistance of fellow conservationist and destination developer Bas Hochstenbach, and planning commenced on what has now become Coot Club (named not for the bird, but for a beloved children's book by author Charles Ransome).