Visi – August 2019

BELOWLEFTThefrontgableof thehouse

collapsedin thedevastating 1981 flood

andwascrudelyrebuilt.Withthehelpof

JGKempArchitectsandJacques’sfather

as thecontractor,theexteriorof the

housewasrestoredto its originalform.

BELOWIn keepingwiththevernacular,

anewplungepoolpaintedaterracotta

shaderesemblesaleiwaterdam.

OPPOSITEFloor-to-ceilingwhitetiles

makethekitchenappearlargerthan

it is, andklompie-brickflooringand

French-oakcabinetsby PierreCronje

add the feel of an old Karoo kitchen.

ometimes,ahousechooses you.

It’s what happened to Jacques

ErasmusofHemelhuijsfameand

Hein Liebenberg, who used to

workinthecorporateworld,while

theywereknee-deepinrestoring

theirJonkmanshof guest house inMontagu. They

naturally assumedthataquick viewingofa Cape

Dutchhouseforsaledown the street would be merely

forinterest’ssake...

Aheadyfragranceofcitrusblossomsandawild

dove flying down from an olive tree to perch on

Jacques’sshoulderwereauspicesthatthecouplewere

destinedtorenovatea secondpropertyinMontagu.

Theirvisionforthehouse?Additionalrooms to

accommodate guests when Jonkmanshof is fully

booked, and a garden-produce shop to share the

bountyoftheirland.

Andtheresult?A sensitive reimagining of a slice of

plattelandhistory.

jonkmanshof.com

visi.co.zaAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 76

�ISIMONTAGU GUEST ACCOMMODATION