Forest-inspireddécor
Sondagskloofis situatedin a beautifulvalley
surroundedbyfynbos,lushmountains,a small
farmingcommunityandneighbouringwinefarms.
CathyandBasilhavea bigorganicvegetablegarden,
horses,anda smallherdof Nguniaswellaspigs
andchickens.Theirwateris sourcedfroma
nearbyspring.
Thecouplewantedthecabin’sinteriorto reflect
theirlifestyle.“I wantedit to bea nurturingspace
witha lookthat’ssoothingandcohesive;I used
gentle,neutralcoloursto giveit anorganicquality,”
Cathysays.“I’mdrawnto naturalmaterialsthat
createa tactilecosiness,likesheepskinandleather,
andI loveto referencetherolethatnatureplaysby
usingobjectssuchasnests,skullsandstones;it
reinforcesthefeelingof beingonewiththeoutdoors
andmakesthespacefeelwarmandwelcoming.”[A READY-MADE HOME]
Cathy and Basil went with Swissline Design because of the
timber construction company’s aesthetic and due to the
fact that they were able to put together 80 percent of the
home off site. Their factory is in Bellville, Cape Town, so
the construction process wasn’t hampered by issues such
as bad weather or proximity to building supplies.
“After months of planning, it was incredible to see a big
truck and crane arrive on our property with all the panels
and then they put up these beautiful structures in just four
days!” says Cathy.
“The high R-Value (heat resistance) of our fully insulated
modular timber frame is a big advantage of this kind of
construction,” says Nadia Lüdi of Swissline Design.
Clients are free to add their input when it comes to the
design and they can have additional pieces made up, such
as cabinetry. The design of this cabin is based on one of
Swissline’s basic floor plans (SDM4) but they modified the
roof in line with Cathy’s preferred design. >>In the bathroom, an
untreated cedar wood shower
floor boasts a lovely natural scent.
A wooden screen, separate from the
sliding door, offers privacy when
closed and when open it creates the
feeling of being in an outdoor shower.
Wooden screen and vanity made and
installed by Swissline DesignThe tree trunk side
table is from one of
the few trees that
had to be cut down
to make space for
the cabin.