Cathy Marriott and Basil Stilwell have owned
Sondagskloof, a 14-hectare farm just outside
Stanford. For 12 of those years, they lived in
Cape Town but spent most of their weekends
on their getaway property.
In 2010, after building their dream eco
home with strawbales, site-sourced clay,
ROK bricks and a steel frame (it was
featured in the February 2019 issue of
Home), they moved to Stanford permanently.
Then last year, Cathy, a former fashion
designer, and Basil, a commercial diver,
decided to add two cabins to their property
as Airbnb rentals.
“Our daughters recently left home to study
and it felt like the right time to invite the
outside world in to enjoy our sustainable
lifestyle,” says Cathy who raises livestock
and grows organic vegetables on the farm.
Cathy and Basil opted for solar-powered,
off-the-grid timber cabins from Swissline
Design. “Beautiful timber construction is a
Swissline trademark, but I had a good deal
of input when it came to the design,” says
Cathy. “I wanted a high mono-pitch roof with
clerestory windows to introduce as much
natural light as possible and to create a
sense of spaciousness within a small
footprint. This way, you can also stargaze
from your bed at night!” >>
For the
past 20
years,
A large sliding door and picture
window in the corner of the
living room create a connection
between the indoors and
outdoors. “In summer, the
rustling leaves of the poplars
sound like running water; in
autumn, the falling leaves
create showers of orange and
yellow; and in winter, they are
beautiful with their stark silver
trunks reaching up to the sky,”
says Cathy.
Folding chairs from
Stanford Trading StoreSeptember 2019 home 47
eco home