This modern home set in the Banhoek Valley in the heart of the Cape Winelands brings together the homeowners’ – Dane and Chris – love of colour, quirky collectibles, and passion for the outdoors in a showcase of their remarkable creativity.
Le Corbusier-inspired architecture gains contextual relevance with its lime-washed walls.
The back of Johannesdal displays it’s strong linear cube-like architecture.
The entrance houses Dane’s collection of wall-mounted ferns.
“Everything happens here,” says Dane of the dining and kitchen area. In keeping with their sole design rule of “no fixed cupboards”, this space has an antique Burr cut Mahogany wardrobe reinvented to store crockery.
In the living area, a large bright yellow niche housing a curated collection of objects is a playful focal point although the raw pine-beamed ceiling is allowed to dominate.
Chris and Dane’s scullery has direct access to their herb and vegetable gardens and often doubles up as a floral studio.
In the entrance hall, the arrangement of colourful decorative ornaments and bright Turkish carpet is grounded and contextualised by the addition of a wall-mounted old and cracked wooden table-top.
The main bedroom’s unpainted plywood wall provides an earthy contrast to the vibrant Turkish carpet.
The wooden water spout feeding into the swimming pool is Dane’s favourite feature. After Great Dane Sebastian, of course.
The garden outside the kitchen and scullery displays a pergola above and a small outdoor sitting area.
Considered use of colour makes this bookcase a dramatic feature on the upstairs verandah.
words —Laura Twiggs
photography —Greg Cox
architect — Henri Comri
