Nature’s Reserve

Making the most of its mountainside coastal setting, this weekend

retreat allows a busy Cape Town couple to switch off and relax in the verdant immersion of a conservation village.

A Capetonian couple lounges poolside at their seaside home in Misty Cliffs, on the slopes of the conservation village, just 45 minutes away from the Mother City. They’re soaking in the sun on a deck that is tucked neatly into a pristine patch of the Cape’s indigenous fynbos vegetation. This split-level balau perch is, at the same time, suspended from a cliff face, almost hovering above the Atlantic Ocean beyond. It’s summertime and the two are making the most of their weekend getaway, immersing themselves fully in this tranquil coastal sanctuary – a far cry from their more frenetic week life in Cape Town.

The setting is equally impressive in winter. ‘We light up the fire inside and watch the storms come in,’ they say. ‘It’s like a log cabin. But then, in summer, we open all the doors and windows and it becomes really beachy.’

The home, set on three levels, has two bedrooms on the lowest level, and another is tucked into the loft, under the A-frame reed-lined ceiling fitted with latch windows. ‘When these windows are all open, it feels like you’re on a cruise ship,’ they laugh, pointing to the everevolving oceanic scene outside, where Misty Cliffs’ surroundings are regularly engulfed in a mystical fog. These white billowy clouds provide a constant transformation of the home. Painted in a shade of green aptly named Cape Moss, the interior vacillates between fern, olive and pistachio hues, depending on the light of day.

The bold decision to paint all the walls and even much of the ceiling green was one of the only changes made to the original home when the couple took over. ‘It was like an old vintage Mercedes in your grandmother’s garage, with the cover still on it,’ they recall of the discovery. The colour was suggested by close friend and furniture designer Gregor Jenkin. ‘He said the green would make the original yellow beechwood floors look considered,’ they explain, impressed that this turned out to be the case. Gregor, whose dining table and Quaker chairs make a geometric statement in the open-plan dining area, also created the innovative patinated and slatted steel shield that hangs from the fireplace mantel in the lounge.

Although a mix of vintage finds and local and international contemporary design pieces by the likes of Misha Kahn and Wiid Design, the style of the home is extremely considered, revealing itself as a contemporary take on a 70s bungalow, complete with fireside Falcon chair. The couple’s affinity for art is obvious, too. PROJECT INFO:

TEXT

Tracy Lynn Chemaly

STYLING

Sven Alberding

PHOTOGRAPHS

Greg Cox

LEFT: The staircase forms the nerve centre of the home, simultaneously offering clever storage spaces in its descent. Shot from the loft, this image shows how the stairs provide access to the entrance, living area and bedrooms, too.

TOP LEFT: A Scandi daybed, sourced from The New Modernist, is decorated with custom-made, leather-trimmed cushions in pale tones that replicate the ocean and its often-hovering mist. Alongside, a FlowerPot lamp by Verner Panton for &Tradition rests on a Calligaris table. A Varaschin chair completes the almost outdoor feel.

TOP RIGHT: Under the A-frame windows of the loft bedroom, a Scandi daybed, sourced from The New Modernist, is decorated with custom-made, leather-trimmed cushions in pale tones that replicate the ocean and its often-hovering mist. Alongside, a FlowerPot lamp by Verner Panton for &Tradition rests on a Calligaris table. A Varaschin chair completes the almost outdoor feel.

BOTTOM LEFT: This macaw is just one of the owner’s many ethically sourced pieces.

In one bedroom a Paul Edmunds pencil drawing; in another two Morné Visagie colour-testing paper collages. Additional visual artistic cues are dotted throughout, such as a glass-cast sculpture by Rowan Smith, resembling a broken brick, which stands atop a book in the loft, creating a rainbow of reflection across a rug made entirely of silk saris.

Situated a stone’s throw from Cape Point, the garden respects its setting, planted with indigenous favourites such as clivias, Cape Saltbush and various species of fynbos. Gardening has become a favourite pastime for the couple, tending to the plant life that stretches across this double plot of land, all the way down to the beach. ‘It’s quite wild,’ they admit, pointing to the natural-stone pathway that leads to the ocean.

Halfway down, they’ve built another deck, this one completely hidden from view under trees that were carefully preserved, and offering full frontal views of the wild waves. ‘It’s like being submerged in the mountainside,’ they say, speaking of plans to build a hot tub here, the antithesis of the icy Atlantic in which the couple is currently learning to surf. ‘We engage with the ocean more than the beach,’ they admit. Together with their dogs, they enjoy the ocean vista provided by hikes in this coastal mountain range.

No matter the day’s activity, every weekend results in some form of kitchen experiment, often shared with an intimate core group of friends. ‘The house is small, but it opens up very well,’ they say, gesturing toward the decks and balconies that protrude from every bedroom. Sunday brunch is a favourite for such gatherings, serving produce fresh from Saturday’s morning market or Foragers Deli in Scarborough.

It’s the simple life that makes this home come alive, fire-making, sun-lounging, garden-pruning. ‘Home feels like a nature reserve,’ they state. ‘It’s our retreat.’

LEFT: In a downstairs bedroom the green theme continues, a rug by Mae Artisan Rugs, made from silk saris, offering a darker iteration of these tones, while introducing additional colours that appear in this vibrant room. The showstopper hand-embroidered bedspread and cushions from LRNCE in Marrakesh are complemented by Morné Visagie’s colour-testing paper collages and a crimson-topped Dokter and Misses ceramic. The side table is by Hay.

TOP LEFT: A shelf in the living area is fixed with a teal coloured Noc Clip light for Hay, matching the patinated bronze chair sculpture by Guy du Toit. The couple’s love of design and cooking is evident in its book collection.

TOP RIGHT: A quirky dart board from Best Made hangs in the stairwell.