Simple but perfectly stylish for weekend retreats, Capetonian Richard Butt’s stone cottage, built in the typical West Coast vernacular, is one of just 10 set on a private nature reserve near the village of Paternoster, overlooking kilometres of unspoilt beach. Rather than gardens, the cottages are surrounded by indigenous veld.
Built from local stone and designed specifically to blend into the surrounding indigenous countryside, you can hardly see the cottages when looking from a distance.
‘I wanted the interiors to reflect Greek simplicity,’ he says. And indeed the whitewashed walls within instil a sense of calm, while the views are masterfully framed by small windows set at regular intervals. There’s a soothing feeling of containment here. The only major change was converting the formerly unutilised backyard into a ‘taverna’, equipped with a discreet, stone-clad pizza oven where all the cooking now happens. The fire also lends generous warmth to the cheerful space, where everyone congregates for meals and which, come evening, is cosily illuminated by oil lamps and hurricane lanterns. In keeping with the desire for simplicity, there’s no electricity – water is gas heated, while humble candles and lanterns lend ‘a fabulous personality’ to the cottage at night. – See more at: http://www.houseandleisure.co.za/paternoster-beach-cottage/#sthash.46us7mk7.dpuf
Via nicety and house and leisure
