From the archive: 200-year-old Farmhouse Manor

The challenge: how do you make a two-century old manor feel more contemporary without making any structural changes?

Architectural history and contemporary innovation come together at this Cape Dutch style home, situated in a town renowned for its farmlands and picturesque landscapes. Built in the 1790's, the building carries a rich cultural history.

Tracing its inherent beauty

On a seven-hectare farm in Banhoek, located at the borders of Stellenbosch, the manor sits against the backdrop of the blue-ish purple Hottentots-Holland mountains. Working with within an established heritage site, the interior design was founded on a process that prioritised the home’s aesthetics preserved over the centuries.

Architect Alex Stewart described the approach as “rediscovering the personality of the house”, a means to restore its intrinsic beauty. While the firm has a wide range of heritage projects, none have been as old and delicate as this one.

Cape Dutch buildings are distinguished by their vertical symmetry, well-proportioned facades, and charming entrance hall. This home’s long vertical windows and high ceilings are typical of its time. Decorative patterning forms rich detail, bringing a sense of austerity into the home.

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Changing function not structure

When the house was first assigned to the architects, there were several things that impeded its livability. Most importantly, the placement of rooms did not match their function.

The typical layout of a Cape Dutch home features a long corridor at its entrance with two rooms flanked to the sides near the front and far back. Usually, the front rooms were used as bedrooms and the rear for kitchen and living.

Over the years, functions became awkwardly allocated to the rooms in ways that were insufficient for everyday living. The kitchen had been re-assigned to a dark, cramped space between two bedrooms. By way of restoration, the kitchen was returned its original place – amongst the four-meter-high walls – allowing for natural light and space.

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Timelessness

Through the careful balance of classical and contemporary details, the interior brings the past and present into the same space. A sense of timelessness is instilled.

While maintaining the textures and structure of the original house, the furniture choices instil the right balance of simplicity and ornamentation: heavy chandeliers, religious paintings, antiques are juxtaposed by freestanding furniture. In collaboration with interior designer Nikki Koster, the home’s original style was conserved modern touches. A sense of timelessness is instilled.

The building’s survival through the ages is documented in the Stellenbosch University archives that features an image taken by photographer Andre Pretorius in 1989. The black and white image depicts the house in pristine condition.