Cream Of The Crop

By sticking to her vision of a semi-exotic colonial house, this homeowner is reaping the rewards many years later

- Diana Wemyss

When Wanda and Peter Georgeu were ready to downsize from their family home in Claremont, Cape Town, they came across a smaller house just around the corner. It was decorated in a stridently safari style with acres of travertine tiles and dark wood, but the moment Wanda saw it she recognised its potential. “I had seen a wonderful feature in a magazine of a house decorated in all white with a colonial feel. With its line of tall palms, I knew this house would lend itself to a similar transformation.”

Thanks to the innovative planning of professional architectural technologist Jane Baldwin, who designed the renovations, the once serious house took on a much lighter mood. “The house was very dark, so although we didn’t need to change much structurally, we painted all the natural timber white, including the exposed trusses, tongue-and-groove ceiling, doors and door jambs to lighten the interiors,” says Jane.