Fresh Facelift For A Grand Dame

This classic Victorian home has been lovingly restored with a modern open-plan design and trendy touches.

- Elna van der Merwe

THE HOMEOWNERS Leán and Michael Muller and their daughters Ella (2) and Jamie (1)

WHERE Three Anchor Bay, Cape Town

SIZE About 160m²

In the open-plan living space, vinyl tiles in a classic herringbone pattern and hunter-green cupboard doors blend with contemporary black taps. The kitchen table is made from recycled Oregon pine. The sideboard is an heirloom from Michael’s parents, Ted and Hillary; the beech bentwood chairs are also heirlooms.

St. Bedes Cots No. 1, 1895. This is the inscription on the marble stone at the front gate of this house in Three Anchor Bay, Cape Town. If the original owners of the house were to stand at the gate today, they would recognise the façade – but that would be all because on the other side of the front door a whole new look awaits...

Gone is the dark hallway with all the doors leading to equally dark rooms. Now, from the threshold, you can see right through a light-filled space to the back where the house ends in a glass-covered atrium and an outdoor courtyard.

This is one of the features that Leán and Michael Muller, who are currently renting out the house, love the most.

In the living room, picture shelves enhance the trendy look. Leán bought the prints at Ikea in the Netherlands some years ago and the old mirror is an heirloom from her grandmother. The copper lamp is also an heirloom, but it’s fitted with a modern light bulb.

Sofa and rug from Weylandts; coffee table and green ottoman from @home; side tables made by House2Homesa; cushions from Hertex’s Jan range