Open Seas

Open Seas

A dreamy seaside cottage in a Cape village with a candy-coloured interior and a sweeping ocean-facing deck strikes the perfect balance between fun and functionality.

The new owners of this beach cottage tucked into the mountain

above the seaside village of St James in South Africa, knew that the house needed vision and TLC. However, the charming features and breezy lifestyle it promised was precisely the kind of project floral designers Dané Erwee and Chris Willemse had been aching to get their hands on. 'We held out for a decade to find a property that had uninterrupted views,' explains Dané, one half of the creative team behind Cape Town’s floral and event company OKASIE. A game-changing deck was added to capture the prized views and add liveability and space to the footprint, but internally space was still a premium. In a bold but brilliant move to solve this, they reconfigured the interior by slotting bathrooms into what was an unnecessary passage hallway, says Dané.

The row of three bathrooms that now separate the bedrooms from the living area save immense space. Embracing the quirky design decision, they upcycled sash windows, installing them above the bathroom doors to invite light in and inject a touch of whimsy. The walls were washed with Cretestone tinted with pigment into warm pink, olive green and soft blue. Moroccan tiles in the bathrooms in complementary shades make for a fun threshold between the bathrooms and the living area.

The playful use of paint extends into the kitchen and living area, where peach and watermelon tones blush from highlighted walls, window reveals and the fireplace, and a minty hue extends from floors to the exposed wooden ceiling. 'I wanted the house to be quite eccentric. A bit of Mediterranean, a bit Capri, and very colourful,' says Dané. PROJECT INFO:

PHOTOGRAPHS

Warren Heath

TEXT

Lori Cohen

PRODUCTION Sven Alberding

LEFT: Adding a deck to the small cottage transformed it into a breezy, liveable space where views of the sea dominate. To create visual interest, and vary the dappled light, the pergola was constructed with a ship-like hull shape. Dining table, Koöperasie Stories. Bench chair, vintage find. Bench, made with reused wood from deck. Chairs, vintage find. Cushions, made with indigo Mali fabric. Large round planter on table, OKASIE. Leather chair, Warhams Woodstock. Table runner, Studio Isobel Sippel. Hanging lamp, gift from Turkey. Daybed, vintage find; cushions, Koöperasie Stories. Wicker stand, vintage find. Coffee table, old table with top cladded in suede.

TOP RIGHT: While the cottage needed work, the garden surrounding it was derelict and had to be extensively restored. There were a series of stone walls made from the granite of the mountain slopes the property was built on, but the majority were partially collapsed on the house. Dané explains that walls had to be reinforced, rebuilt and the rubble-filled soil rehabilitated. 'We filled the garden with indigenous plants so it needs little maintenance now. But there are also plants like hydrangeas tucked amongst them – greenery and flowers that do so well in the climate and we love to work with.'

TOP LEFT: The living room is filled with an eclectic mix of upcycled pieces to create a fun, theatrical style. For example, an ageing floral sofa was covered with a muted brown slipcover, strategically cut holes to expose the blooms.

BOTTOM RIGHT: A simple galley kitchen was a cost effective and efficient solution for the weekend getaway in St James, near Cape Town. Chris encourages natural growth on the stone walls that surround the cottage.

BOTTOM LEFT: A floral design created by Dané from the plants and flowers that surround the cottage.

LEFT: Part of a wall in the main bedroom was exposed to reveal the original stonework, while the gable above it was restored and washed with a lime effect paint. Curtains, OKASIE. Chest of drawers, Habitat. Rug, Fabulous Furniture.

BELOW: The bathroom that serves the guest bedroom differs from the other two in that is has a green theme. A minty pigment in the Crestone ties the mix of Moroccan tiles together. Shower and taps, Bathrooms 4U. Tiles Moroccan Warehouse. Vase, OKASIE.

RIGHT: A 'dead' alley that could not be planted had new life and beauty breathed into it with the addition of pond pots with goldfish and water plants. Selection of pots, Lieberman Pottery.

Loose pieces of marble were cut for the windowsills to add more colour and a layered effect. Floors were kept simple in a muted concrete screed, and in keeping with Dané’s objective to reuse as much of the demolished material as possible, the original pine floors were repurposed to box out the roof space. 'It gives the feeling of being cocooned in these beautiful colours,' says Dané, who says when choosing furnishings, they also wanted pieces to be 'light and fun.' Repurposing furniture and unique finds for their event business is the ultimate enabler, Dané confesses, and many of the items that now live in the cottage are lifted from their catalogue of creations.

The philosophy extends to the kitchen, where most cabinets and cupboard doors are made from repurposed shutters or screens, and fabricated by Dané's brother, Theunis. Shelves are open (a practical decision to beat the moisture-heavy sea air) and display treasured pieces that give the cottage an authentic feel and keep it true to its roots. 'I'm a bit of a kid still,' laughs Dané, 'I like things dreamy and fun.'

Most of the doors and windows were too weather beaten to be salvaged, however. With the passage reassigned and the entrance door closed, they opened up the front of the cottage, adding a sweep of double-glazed glass and shifting the entrance. The kitchen and dining area now flow onto a deck that delivers outside dining, comfortable spots for siestas and unwavering views of the Atlantic Ocean. Filtered light comes from the budget-friendly wood batten used to create the pergola.

With the combination of the lush garden setting, stone terraces topped with chalky, white paint and airiness of the expansive deck space, you can’t help be mentally transported to the Mediterranean. 'It's always been about the view for us. The cottage is wonderful, but its purpose is to be a periscope through which we can enjoy the sea,' says Dané.