Karoo character in the city
Home South Africa|December 2021/January 2022
When your heart belongs to the platteland but you’ve made a home in Pretoria, you bring the best of both worlds together.
Marlene Malan
Karoo character in the city

WHO LIVES HERE? Josef and Liezel Kleynhans, their kids Thiart, Hermón and Jóreke, and their dog Mila

WHERE Zwavelskloof Estate, Zwavelpoort, Pretoria SIZE about 568m²

Table from enStyle; island counter from Mammoth Granite

This typical Karoo-style kitchen has a modern edge. “The long table was originally intended for the office, but then I decided it was too beautiful for that space,” says Liezel. The kitchen is especially cosy when there’s a fire burning in the indoor braai. The dining chairs were bought at different times. Josef built the island from recycled Oregon pine; the top is Enduro Quartz in the colour Snow Cemento. The sink rests on a second-hand oak cabinet, while steel shelves next to the stove, as well as the windows, create an industrial feel. All the floors were screeded and sealed with Cemcrete’s Colour Hardener.

It was in Nieu-Bethesda, during one of the family’s visits to this town near Graaff-Reinet, that Josef noticed how some homeowners had converted irrigation dams into swimming pools. “Our idea for the pool originated there,” he says. “We wanted it to look like a dam. Since there is a flood line on our erf, which limited the area we could build on, we had to fit the pool in somewhere. That’s why it’s so long and thin. But it’s perfect for swimming lengths.”

Architect Ané Gouws of TV3 Architects

This story is from the December 2021/January 2022 edition of Home South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2021/January 2022 edition of Home South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HOME SOUTH AFRICAView All
Pestilence Domestica
Home South Africa

Pestilence Domestica

We usually call them dirty, dangerous and utterly gross. But what if we looked at domestic pests through a different lens, asks Karin Brynard.

time-read
3 mins  |
May/June 2023
Quick as a flash!
Home South Africa

Quick as a flash!

These 15 dinners can be whipped up in a jiffy - before the power goes out!

time-read
10+ mins  |
May/June 2023
The gift that keeps on giving
Home South Africa

The gift that keeps on giving

By taking cuttings and dividing existing plants and those from friends, Anne Turner and her son David have created a stunning garden that takes on a whole new personality as the seasons change.

time-read
6 mins  |
May/June 2023
Upcycle it!
Home South Africa

Upcycle it!

Tuis Home food editor Johané Neilson and her husband Allister revamped a second-hand melamine wall unit to create a bespoke wall-to-wall display cabinet, for less than R3 500!

time-read
3 mins  |
May/June 2023
Little house in the forest
Home South Africa

Little house in the forest

Thanks to her capable father, Neilke Pretorius and her partner enjoy an idyllic lifestyle in a custom-made home hidden in the trees.

time-read
4 mins  |
May/June 2023
Living large, inside and out
Home South Africa

Living large, inside and out

South Africans love a space where indoors and outdoors come together.

time-read
8 mins  |
May/June 2023
Modern CLASSIC
Home South Africa

Modern CLASSIC

With authenticity as a guiding design principle, a young family has created their happy space in a 105-year-old house in the heart of vibrant Sea Point.

time-read
3 mins  |
May/June 2023
Peace & quiet...
Home South Africa

Peace & quiet...

A cinematographer and a set designer found the perfect bolt-hole in the Eastern Cape Karoo where they can truly relax and unwind.

time-read
3 mins  |
May/June 2023
ART AND SOUL
Home South Africa

ART AND SOUL

Five years ago, the Krugers transformed a tired city bungalow into a unique and modern family home.

time-read
3 mins  |
May/June 2023
Group therapy
Home South Africa

Group therapy

Add impact and create rhythm using repetition and collections, as these Home readers have done.

time-read
1 min  |
May/June 2023