By Sungula Nkabinde, Project Consultant Candice Jin, Property Coordinator Chantel Spence, Photography Irma Bosch
Building a home from scratch can be very stressful. But, after more than 10 years of Johannesburg traffic, and having to shuttle their children to and from school, moving to the lifestyle estate was a decision that was easy for the owners of this home to make.
Because, not only is it ideal for a family such as theirs, which enjoys the outdoors – via the abundance of rivers, dams, fauna and flora, as well as walking and biking trails – there is also a school on the premises.
“We were lucky when a north-facing stand that borders the school property became available, as our sons can now, quite literally, hop over the fence and be at school… which adds to the convenience of not having to worry about shuttling kids to and from extramural activities. We also have the advantage of having the school grounds behind our stand, which makes the property look even more spacious and allows us to enjoy watching school sports from the comfort of our home,” the owners say.
The design of the home merges an upmarket modern aesthetic with simple functionality. With the help of SBE Architects, the home owners tried to incorporate elements of local and international designs, putting together a portfolio of ideas for each room in the house, from the bedrooms to the laundry.
Also, in an effort to get away from the concrete jungle that embodies Johannesburg, they drew in natural elements – such as the natural wood and stone throughout the exterior, the water features that add to the tranquillity of the home, while limiting the noise coming from traffic on the main road nearby, and the large glass panes that allow natural light into the home throughout the day – in order to give it more of a country feel.
Furnishing the home was perhaps the most effortless aspect of the project, as the owners had already collected timeless pieces in the 10 years leading up to their move, and incorporated them into the design of the home. All that was left were a few finishing touches – a little refurbishing here, a bit of upholstery there – to put the cherry on top of what was an arduous cake to bake.
“After months of ‘blood, sweat and tears’, on the day that we moved into our home, everything fell into place, and seeing every room in the house even more beautiful than we had imagined is something we’ll never forget,” they say.
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