Indholdsfortegnelse for Sarie Decor 2022/2023 i SARIE

I often look up from my screen and gaze at the vase of eucalyptus stems in front of the open window. They were arranged randomly, without finesse, because that is the way I love them most. Pretty enough for even Gregoire Boonzaier and Pierneef to have once painted them. In the mornings when I walk into the room, I am greeted by their fresh, woody smell. And at night, as I shut down my laptop at the end of a long day, I breathe deeply to savour the scent which fills the air. When city shops started selling them out of the blue – they often hide among the bunches of roses, proteas, lilies and sunflowers – I could not believe my luck. Because eucalyptus is my feel-good fragrance. Nothing…

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Organic fruit and vegetables, free-range chicken and fresh eggs, farm milk and butter, medicinal herbs and regional foods that make your mouth water – that’s what former fashion expert Mari Groenewald sells nowadays. She and her business partner, Louise Bowker from Montagu Cheese, are the owners of the Montagu Local health shop in this Klein Karoo village, situated on the popular Route 62. (Montagu Cheese is a family business that makes speciality cheeses by hand.) With the announcement of the strict lockdown in March 2020, Mari and her life partner, Alan Alston, and their two daughters, Olivia (9) and Neve (8), wanted to escape to Montagu, where they’d previously lived, about two-and-a-half hours’ drive (180 km) from their home in Tamboerskloof. Alan is an online entrepreneur and his mother and…

Bernie Diedericks used to be the owner of the well-known antiques shop The Treasury in Woodstock. In 2016 he wanted to make a change and lead a quieter and simpler life. It was sweltering hot in Villiersdorp on the day he went to view this neglected property. Bernie describes the house as looking like something from a horror movie – and it didn’t smell good either. But he was undaunted by the challenge: He’s a man who can fix anything, and it was after all an original Victorian structure. The high ceilings and irreplaceable architectural character such as the stoep with its curved corrugated roof and carved wooden detail convinced him that the place had his name written all over it. The transformation was slow, almost four years, but Bernie…

You own more than one property and probably see some of the most gorgeous and interesting homes on a daily basis. Do you have a favourite? Wow, it’s difficult to choose, because all our homes are hand-picked. But Hout Huisie on the West Coast is very dear to me because it is rustic and yet tasteful in its simplicity. The landscape is so distinctive, you’ll find it nowhere else in the world. When it comes to location and unique décor style, it is the Stone House in Hermanus – it feels as if you live on the beach. Do you prefer holidays at the coast or in the interior of the country? By the sea, I think. I’m crazy about the fresh air and eternal sunshine of South African summers.…

Kate and Simon Rodger discovered this jewel, built in the sixties, many years ago. Although it was neglected and deserted, they immediately bought the house and started renovations. Kate says she just knew this would be a refuge full of love and charm. While trying to tame the wild and overgrown garden, they came across a rock with “Cowrie Cottage” chiselled on it – so they promptly gave their new property this name. If you’re lucky, you can still find the odd cowrie shell on the beach. The house itself is completely concealed from the seashore but offers unlimited ocean views. One can take a leisurely stroll directly down to the sandy beach along a footpath that meanders through the lush vegetation, between gnarled milkwood trees and giant white strelitzias.…

It was necessary to change gears, says Lisa Storer, who for many years worked as a purchasing agent but freed herself from the city bustle to become an interior designer and owner of the lifestyle shop The Storer (thestorer.co). She promptly admits that it wasn’t easy to start a new career and at the same time get to grips with a large building project, but she poured all her passion into the house, and the end result is absolutely unique. Lisa has a natural gift for mixing styles, often leading to a few surprises. She and her partner Brad say the landscape led them with the design and interior, while the architect, Adrian Morris from Morris & Co, provided valuable contributions to her interpretation of a modern farmhouse. The house…

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For over a decade now, the SARIE DÉCOR team takes a trip into the countryside once a year. Each time it feels like a homecoming. We both grew up on farms and have happy memories of those years. Playing house in the eucalyptus forest, braaiing stick bread on an open fire, nestling close to your dad on the tractor, watching how workers shear the sheep and to be the sole boss and ruler of the wide, open farmyard are all precious childhood recollections. When grown up, one moves to the city and builds a new life. But the longing and hankering for the freedom of life in a smaller and quieter town lingers on. That’s why this issue of SARIE DÉCOR is so close to our heart: To hear how…

SEMIGRATION To move from one part of the country to another (as opposed to emigration, which involves moving abroad). Most of us have a dream stashed away for “someday”; someday when I’m retired, someday when the kids are done with school; someday when my ship comes in, I’ll move there and do that. The pandemic blasted through a lot of unthinkables. Many realised it wasn’t necessary to plough through traffic to sit in an office every day; it is possible to homeschool; and you can do something completely different with your life. It can work. And life will go on. After the initial shock wore off, many realised they were in a better position than before Covid. SPACE OUT When the mighty wheels of the global machine ground to a…

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Close to nature, quiet, earthy but comfortable, rustic but easy to reach. These were on Megan de Beyer’s list of requirements when she was searching for the perfect place to live. And she found all of them when she bought Abraca. Megan is a practising psychologist who offers parenting courses in South Africa, Australia and online in America. She is the author of How to Raise a Man (Penguin) and has a wellness centre on her farm Bobbejaanskloof near Plettenberg Bay. She is passionate about wellness courses because she believes they provide a dynamic training school for life in general. (Read more at megandebeyer.com) Abraca is a home that fits her like a glove. Here she can write, meditate, reflect and live close to nature. This is also a place…

A dirt road meanders through green hills that look as if they’re draped in velvet … past berry farms and carpets of fynbos until an elegant glass-and-concrete structure appears before you. This beautiful, timeless residence was designed about ten years ago by Stellenbosch architect Georg van Gass. When the property came onto the market a few years later, two brothers and a sister bought it. They wanted a place where they could escape the Cape Town hustle and bustle and allow their children to experience a carefree life similar to the one they had growing up on a farm in KwaZulu-Natal. On God’s Window there is more than a hundred hectares of fynbos, forest and mountain to explore, as well as a tranquillity beyond description. They had to build on…

Then dream on about a magnificent game farm in the heart of the Magaliesberg, where the welcoming stone house is surrounded by indigenous karee, wild olive and thorn trees. The garden is green, colourful and lush. At night, when the animals are quiet and you’re gazing into the glowing embers of the braai fire, the owls start their mysterious tu-whoo in the Euphorbia forest. One can sit here for hours and listen to the soft night sounds and marvel at the bright stars. Owlswood is the place where Trish van der Nest and her family come to relax and recharge – and sometimes, when the bustle of Johannesburg gets too much, they live here for a while. When work commitments call them back to the city, they let the house…

Sophie’s Rock was recently acquired by Capstone Property Group, a commercial property company. The owner of this business has emotional ties to Sophie’s Rock: It had been his family home since the 1980s and when his mother was ready to sell, he decided to buy the property. Not only was it a good investment, it also enabled him and his family to spend some time here. He sees it as the ideal way to share his pleasant memories of growing up in a smaller town. To experience the hospitality and goodwill of the local people. And to walk along the beach, catch klipfish in the rock pools and explore the mountain trails with their freshwater streams. He and his family spend as much time here as possible. Fortunately, it is…

You need to look carefully to spot Pink Hill between the Karoo koppies and scrubs. You then drive up to the large glass front doors of the stone house where Cornel and Neill Strydom will be waiting for you. Pink Hill lies just outside Colesberg, at Nagtegaalsfontein. The farm used to belong to Cornel’s parents, but five years ago the Strydoms decided to buy it from them. She says she inherited her love for farm life from her parents. They always had a piece of land where her father, a theologian, used to farm part-time. Neill, too, has fond memories of farm visits in his childhood. This property, which dates back to 1820, was originally an ostrich farm, but nowadays they keep merino sheep. Cornel designed the house and interior…

Marike Hendriksz knows Hermanus very well: Her childhood holidays were spent here almost every year. Their new house is built on the site of what used to be her parents’ holiday home, which Marike inherited. About three years ago she realised that the original house, which had only three bedrooms, was bursting at the seams. Her three sons are now adults and she’s the grandmother of a bunch of grandchildren. The time was ripe for a redesign of the property. Marike asked Hein Visser from VKDB Architects (vkdb.co.za) and their interior designer Maroaan Gelderblom for assistance. A brand-new house was built, with enough beds so that nobody would have to sleep on the floor. Tinie and Marike now have a spacious main bedroom and the sons and their families each…

To tackle a renovation project more than 1 000 km away takes a lot of courage. That’s exactly what Marielise van der Merwe, an architect from Pretoria, did. She and her family enjoy driving and it was while visiting relatives in the Karoo that her husband came across a beautiful farm near Prince Albert. The dilapidated farmhouse dated back to 1825. He made an offer then and there, and only later let Marielise know. After she’d seen the house, she was enthusiastic about restoring it and transforming the old ruin into a stately residence. During the renovation she added a contemporary open-plan wing with a modern kitchen-living room so that old and new were seamlessly connected. It was quite a challenge to build and renovate from so far away. Marielise…

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