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A formally dark and dingy three bedroom suburban house across the vlei from Muizenberg Mountain was completely transformed into a cozy cottage that takes full advantage of its ideal orientation and position on site.

INTERIOR FITOUT

Putter Kitchen

A formally dark and dingy three bedroom suburban house across the vlei from Muizenberg Mountain was completely transformed into a cozy cottage that takes full advantage of its ideal orientation and position on site. 

ALTERATION TO EXISTING DWELLING

Sunbird Cottage

The move out to the southern peninsula afforded, SPACE + FIELD principal, Donné Atkinson to, at last, begin to apply into practice the theory around building soil, improving biodiversity and creating conditions conducive to life...

HOME GARDEN

Seaforth Cottage Garden

Before Renovation

House Jewison

Richard Jewinson & Michele Berger

About

A split level home with unchallenged views over False Bay above Froggy Pond had been enlarged and expanded over the years resulting in a big house with no space. Some considered reconfiguration, addition of extensive deck and new interior fit out turned, Michele Berger and Richard Jewison’s brief on its head, addressing their needs in unexpected ways. 

PROJECT TYPE:

Alteration to existing dwelling

CLIENT

Richard Jewinson & Michele Berger

LOCATION

Froggy Farm, Simons Town

Michele and Richard and their two preteen daughters purchased the original house from Michele’s parents in 2017 with the view to relocating from Johannesburg to the deep south of Cape Town. The house had been incrementally extended over time from a single bedroom timber frame cottage into a sprawling home over three levels. The structure is in parts timber frame and others masonry with single mono-pitch roof over it all. The interior was very dated and spaces and relationship between spaces ill considered with much repetition of types of space and large areas dedicated to moving through the house rather than living in it. 

 

The couple requested that the house be expanded as there was a serious lack of storage space, very little privacy for the individuals in the family and “not enough space”. The brief was reinterpreted and client encouraged to explore ways to make better use of space already available by rationalizing and reassigning spaces - opening up in some places and more clearly defining in others. The basic structure was retained, roof replaced with new insulation added to improve thermal comfort.

 

An extensive deck and pergola with new direct access to indigenous garden and pool below was added to take full advantage of the incredible views over the bay. This structure also provides shade and reduces glare to the living spaces making it far more comfortable than before. 

 

Below deck, a large storage area for bicycles, boards and gardening equipment was added, alongside wine cellar and 10 000 liter of rain water storage which is used for irrigation.

 

“Front door” was repositioned to the side of the house that was used for entry and rather than the seldom used door on the seaside elevation.

 

This project is a fine example of how to make an existing asset work better before investing in making it bigger. This approach provides for the needs without any addition.

"Donné transformed our house into something special. We bought it for the views over False Bay. But there were drawbacks, with one tiny, cramped bedroom and another that was split into 2 parts. The bathrooms were old and cramped, and the kitchen, despite being open plan, did not optimize on the space or the views. Donne was amazing to work with. She came up with clever ideas which were affordable. Her vision has given us a really light, bright, spacious home."

RICHARD & MICHELE

Michele and Richard and their two preteen daughters purchased the original house from Michele’s parents in 2017 with the view to relocating from Johannesburg to the deep south of Cape Town. The house had been incrementally extended over time from a single bedroom timber frame cottage into a sprawling home over three levels. The structure is in parts timber frame and others masonry with single mono-pitch roof over it all. The interior was very dated and spaces and relationship between spaces ill considered with much repetition of types of space and large areas dedicated to moving through the house rather than living in it. 

 

The couple requested that the house be expanded as there was a serious lack of storage space, very little privacy for the individuals in the family and “not enough space”. The brief was reinterpreted and client encouraged to explore ways to make better use of space already available by rationalizing and reassigning spaces - opening up in some places and more clearly defining in others. The basic structure was retained, roof replaced with new insulation added to improve thermal comfort.

An extensive deck and pergola with new direct access to indigenous garden and pool below was added to take full advantage of the incredible views over the bay. This structure also provides shade and reduces glare to the living spaces making it far more comfortable than before. 

 

Below deck, a large storage area for bicycles, boards and gardening equipment was added, alongside wine cellar and 10 000 liter of rain water storage which is used for irrigation.

 

“Front door” was repositioned to the side of the house that was used for entry and rather than the seldom used door on the seaside elevation.

 

This project is a fine example of how to make an existing asset work better before investing in making it bigger. This approach provides for the needs without any addition.

“A formally dark and dingy three bedroom suburban house across the vlei from Muizenberg Mountain was completely transformed into a cozy cottage that takes full advantage of its ideal orientation and position on site.” 

RICHARD & MICHELE

Michele and Richard and their two preteen daughters purchased the original house from Michele’s parents in 2017 with the view to relocating from Johannesburg to the deep south of Cape Town. The house had been incrementally extended over time from a single bedroom timber frame cottage into a sprawling home over three levels. The structure is in parts timber frame and others masonry with single mono-pitch roof over it all. The interior was very dated and spaces and relationship between spaces ill considered with much repetition of types of space and large areas dedicated to moving through the house rather than living in it. 

 

The couple requested that the house be expanded as there was a serious lack of storage space, very little privacy for the individuals in the family and “not enough space”. The brief was reinterpreted and client encouraged to explore ways to make better use of space already available by rationalizing and reassigning spaces - opening up in some places and more clearly defining in others. The basic structure was retained, roof replaced with new insulation added to improve thermal comfort.

 

An extensive deck and pergola with new direct access to indigenous garden and pool below was added to take full advantage of the incredible views over the bay. This structure also provides shade and reduces glare to the living spaces making it far more comfortable than before. 

 

Below deck, a large storage area for bicycles, boards and gardening equipment was added, alongside wine cellar and 10 000 liter of rain water storage which is used for irrigation.

 

“Front door” was repositioned to the side of the house that was used for entry and rather than the seldom used door on the seaside elevation.

 

This project is a fine example of how to make an existing asset work better before investing in making it bigger. This approach provides for the needs without any addition.

RICHARD & MICHELE

“A formally dark and dingy three bedroom suburban house across the vlei from Muizenberg Mountain was completely transformed into a cozy cottage that takes full advantage of its ideal orientation and position on site.” 

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