Craig Price’s streamlined haven is what every surf shack wants to be when it grows up. The sophisticated, minimalist design allows for every creature comfort, but perhaps most luxurious of all is the way it dissolves the boundaries between the home and its unique setting at the edge of the restless Atlantic Ocean.
Called ‘Synergy Tree House’, this home’s name evokes the underlying hippy-cum-surfer spirit that lends the space its chilled, blissed-out tranquility. The design itself is deceptively simple: modular spaces connect by balau pathways winding up through the leafy sloping garden, every space with its own special view of the raw beauty of Atlantic Ocean close to the tip of Africa. Look a little closer and you discover an experiment in structure, form and enclosure that gives Synergy Tree House its own unique architectural character.
Glass walls fold away to dissolve the boundaries between the high-tech yet low-key kitchen area and the outdoor dining room. The kitchen featuring a central cooking island clad in Neolith with swivel stools provide a comfy perch.
The design itself is deceptively simple: modular spaces connect by balau pathways winding up through the leafy sloping garden
Master craftsman Andy de Klerk designed the streamlined galley-style kitchen area as well as the cedarwood bar area in the living space beyond. Comfy swivel chairs from Weylandts are positioned to make the most of the sea view from this part of the home.
The central cooking island and counters are clad in charcoal Neolith in a satisfying and sleek contrast to the cedarwood-panelled walls. The stovetop faces out, making cooking duty at the Smeg gas hob a pleasure, not a penance.
Scarborough is the last settlement along Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard. The beautiful bay abuts the famous Cape Point Nature Reserve, and the beach beckons you to explore its sandy shores and invigorating waves.
Perched at the top end of the property is the ‘Nest’, the luxurious modular bedroom and bathroom that feature American blackwood cladding on the walls and built-in cupboards. A gorgeous fabric wall hanging forms a soft and subtle focal point. Furnishings are deliberately stripped back to the absolutely essential. Narrow balau strips form a statement ceiling, the floor is covered in engineered oak.
The modular ‘Nest’ bathroom tucked under the trees has a glass ceiling and windows that give you the feeling you are showering in the fresh air.
Synergy Tree House is available as a holiday rental. Visit synergy-escape.com to find out more.
Words — Sally Rutherford
Photography — Warren Heath
