Out of Sight

OUT

OF SIGHT

A cliff-hanging family cabin near Montagu in South Africa balances bold lines with eco-sensitive choices to connect deeply with the remote landscape it is embedded in.

‘We had always wanted a pool hanging off a cliff,’ says William Mellor. Both he and his wife, Sam, are keen hikers, and they couldn’t resist the tug of inspiration when they spotted a small recess in a cliff while on a walk, which presented the perfect recess for the pool’s position. The plot, which soars above an off-the-grid farm in the Klein Karoo, soon became the desired location for their dream retreat. 'It was very important for us to disturb the flora and fauna as little as possible,' says William. 'The brief was for a house that looks like a spaceship had landed on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere,' he recalls, challenging Migs + Drew Architects to develop a modern interpretation of a traditional timber cabin.

Having nailed the pool's location, there was a lot to consider, including plotting a route for a road and deciding how to get water and power to the site. The cabin has solar power running everything from the borehole pumps and reverse osmosis water purification plant, to the line-of-sight internet access, fridges and ice machine. 'We always envisaged leaving a very light footprint as we possibly could in the context,' says William, who owns Malawi Cane with Sam, a business that exports traditional handmade Malawi cane furniture globally, as well as a media company, 2oceansvibe.com.

Undaunted by the sloped site, they chose to navigate it by using the hill’s natural ridgeline and views as an axis to design the primary form. 'We wanted to make the most of the views which are in all directions, create outdoor living spaces from which to enjoy them, whilst maintaining privacy from each suite or living area,' explain architects Andrew Payne and Miguel Ferreira-da-Silva.

A bird’s eye view of the four-bedroom house reveals accommodation fragmented into smaller parts, reducing the visual impact of the building in the landscape. Two timber pods perch on the ridge, linked by an open-air stone pathway. They chose to float this main timber-framed building (containing two bedrooms on either side of the living area) above the ground to allow natural rock features and fauna to continue to pass beneath it. The living room has almost 200-degree views, and the large glass sliders enable the house to be opened or closed on either side and create comfortable outdoor living with epic views on either side.

Caracal, as the cabin has been coined, is set in a raw, semi-desert region. ‘When we started thinking about building the cabin, one of our kids spotted a live caracal on the property. It is such a beautiful wild cat, and we started to refer to the site as Caracal, and the name stuck,’ recalls Sam.

You can enjoy vistas over the valley to the west and the mountains to the east from the pool terrace and the barbeque deck on the other. At each end of the main timber pod, sliders are recessed back to provide bedrooms with cover from the elements. ‘There is nothing better than lying in bed with the large sliding doors wide open listening to the rain without any concern for the rain getting in,’ says Sam.

LEFT: On the west, the pool terrace drops away steeply from the pool's edge to the valley below and looks out at the mountain peak rising beyond the valley. Klipspringers, Rhebok, and the resident Pale Chanting Goshawks are often seen in the valley or on the slopes on the other side. The couple has always had a passion for design, and their love of raw, natural traditional Malawi cane furniture led to them sourcing and distributing the product globally. The raffia and cane items from the collection were ideal for this project, as the tones and textures are rooted in the landscape outside. Wicker loungers from Malawi Cane.

TOP LEFT: Remi soaks in the outside tub. Bath by Bella Bathrooms.

TOP RIGHT: On the east side is the boma and dining deck, which looks over the sunken, stone-clad, green roof of the third bedroom and bunk room with 200-degree views of the mountains and farm in that direction. Black Malawi chairs by Malawi Cane and the fire pit by thefirepitco.com.

BOTTOM LEFT: Cocooned by timber and glass, the lounge is home to generously proportioned low slung leather sofas. The custom drinks cabinet lends a light-hearted touch to the space. Ceiling fan, timberfans.com; fireplace, beautyfires.com; light brown leather sofa, Block & Chisel, dark brown leather sofa, custom; coffee table, Block & Chisel; raffia rug, Malawi Cane; leather occasional chairs, vintage reupholstered; drinks cabinet, custom; hurricane lamp, Pezula Interiors.

RIGHT - TOP: The team from Migs + Drew Architects wanted to articulate the elevation and link the two main pods that form the cabin in a way that added a sense of drama and interest. The steel and timber cantilevers make a stunning statement and create a relationship between the separated wings.

RIGHT - BOTTOM: William, Sam, Francesca and Remi exploring the landscape surrounding the cabin.

The design team wanted the kitchen counters to echo the landscape's natural stone, so they chose a Rio Blanco granite. They enhanced the visible natural grain in the stone with a leathered finish. The joinery is made up of sapwood, with a sprayed matt Speciality Coatings 'PU' finish. They chose the finish for its hardwearing properties and because it shows fewer finger marks. The Plascon 'Dark Onyx' colour was specifically chosen to contrast with the timber and is the closest shade to the aluminium door and windows powder coating colour. Dining table, custom, wood sourced from Rare Woods, chairs and raffia pendant lights by Malawi Cane.

A third bedroom and bunk room are tucked into the site's natural gradient and are cladded in dry-stacked natural stone hand-collected from the site to 'disappear' the mass of the building. The roof has been carpeted with the indigenous renosterbos flora found naturally on the site, further ghosting the building and permitting beautiful unobstructed views from the main living area above.

Inconspicuous from afar, up close the building stands powerfully on the landscape with statement extended cantilever frames adding drama. Recessed windows and doors protect from the elements and, together with the contrasting projecting elements, add depth, interest and shadow to the building.

Siberian Larch timber is used throughout: floors, ceilings, walls internally and externally. ‘We wanted a sustainably farmed wood that would weather well and, over time, permitting the building to recede into the natural palette of the landscape,’ explain Andrew and Miguel.

With walls of glass, the cabin has a warmth to it thanks to the wooden structure, sundrenched tones, and handpicked furnishings, including a Chesterfield sofa and Scandinavian retro chairs the couple had reupholstered. A suspended fireplace is central to the living space, its flared organic shape contributing to the constantly changing interplay of light and shadows in the room throughout the day. They wanted to seat 12 people comfortably at the dining table, giving way to a raw edge table that dominates the kitchen.

Otherwise, they intentionally kept the interior simple, explains Sam, with pieces in calm, earthy tones. It's all about the views, she says. 'To be in such comfort, on top of a mountain with nothing but endless views all around, is truly something to behold. When you're in the swimming pool, you feel like you're swimming in the mountains. The entire experience is a crazy, spiritual juxtaposition.' PROJECT INFO:

PHOTOGRAPHS

Warren Heath / Bureaux

TEXT

Lori Cohen

PRODUCTION Sven Alberding

www.migsdrew.com

SUPPLIERS:

Rare Woods - 021 535 2004 Product used: Siberian Larch

Timber Fans - 044 382 2369