SMALLTOWN LIVING

WORDS VIVIAN WARBY

Flee the City

A couple who left the bright lights for the small town of Riebeek Wes tell us about creating their dream home

I GOT UP one morning and decided I wanted to move to Riebeek Kasteel, so I resigned and rented a house there,” says Elmarie van Tonder, former MD of an international events company operating out of Cape Town.

PICTURE JONATHAN BORBAU / PEXELS

The church is visible from Elmarie van Tonder and Johan Kotze’s renovated home in Riebeek Kasteel.

The Riebeek Valley is close to Cape Town and very central, she says. “It may sound like it was an overnight decision but I had always dreamed of living in a small town and the time just felt right.

TOP: Johan Kotze and Elmarie van Tonder relax in their historical home in Riebeek Kasteel.

“My partner Johan Kotze and I both went to school in Paarl, and Johan is from Ceres, so it made sense to live here, close to our friends and family.”

Surprisingly, neither has missed the hustle and bustle of the city where they lived on the Atlantic seaboard for many years. “The valley offers so much,” says Van Tonder. For instance, she says, “It is home to amazing restaurants and we are also blessed with the best fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, not to mention the wines and olive products. There are great little delis here as well, such as Deli-Co on Main and The Country Chic.”

ABOVE RIGHT: The country-living kitchen has floating shelves and concrete tops. Van Tonder loves cooking and has created a kitchen ‘kuierplek’ for friends.

Van Tonder says after two years of looking at properties while they rented in Riebeek Kasteel, “we found what we were looking for”.

“I always wanted to live in a small town in an old house and we fell in love with the property the first time we saw it.”

The home is made up of two charming historical cottages close to the church. The cottages offered a place to rest when farmers came to church in their wagons for Nagmaal – which is why one of the cottages Van Tonder and Kotze rent out is called De Nagmaal.

BEFORE

ABOVE and right: Before and after – the lounge is decorated with Van Tonder’s eclectic mix of objects.

AFTER

TOP RIGHT: The home is decorated with objects collected over the years.

Van Tonder says the original thick walls and reed ceilings mean temperature in the dwelling is pleasant year-round and they didn’t touch them when they were restoring the building.

The two cottages have a substantial pool with two separate entertainment areas. However, the property and the pool needed a makeover to bring them in line with the couple’s vision.

She and Kotze spent many nights planning their dream home.

S M A L L - T O W N L I V I N G

The classic ball-and-claw bath provides a relaxing view over the leafy garden.

BELOW : The swimming pool before, and BOTTOM, after. It provides refreshing dips in the hot summer months

BEFORE

AFTER

LEFT: The couple’s dogs wait patiently to go for a walk.

ABOVE: Sunset in Riebeek Wes.

RIGHT: The spare bedroom in which Johan Kotze and Elmarie van Tonder retained the country feel.

“We tiled all the outside areas, painted the interior, exterior and roof a crisp white, added a motorised gate for secure parking and lined the pool in white fiberglass.

“We added new light fixtures, replaced the old carpeting with seagrass and sanded and sealed the wooden floors.

“The kitchen got cement countertops, floating shelves and a gas stove in the alcove where the fireplace used to be.”

Van Tonder said they did not change the look of the cottages because of their historical value.

“I also knew from the moment I saw the house that I was going to tile the verandas in black-andwhite checks.”

The couple sourced “everything ourselves and took multiple trips to the city to collect tiles, paint, lights well before we started renovations”.

Van Tonder describes her style as an “eclectic mix of objects I have collected over many years”.

On the renovation, she said they kept things “very local, employing locals for painting, tiling and building”.

Any tips for anyone undertaking a renovation? “Be organised, be on site and also solve problems as they happen – and trust me they do,” she says with a smile.