Name: Isa & Paul
Location: Bo-Kaap — Cape Town, South Africa
Size: 4,800 square feet
Years lived in: 7
Paul bought this mountainside property in Bo-Kaap almost a decade ago and converted the old house into four luxury apartments. He never anticipated a life long project, but the penthouse was a necessary final addition (and the cherry on the cake!) when he finally moved in 3 years ago with girlfriend Isa and their twin boys.
Isa is originally from Portugal and Paul from Holland. They fell in love with Cape Town years ago and with views like this, the immigration seems obvious! Their home is filled with designs and craftsmanship from locals and it adds character and charm to the rather slick architectural design amongst the more traditional homes in the area. Paul and Isa laugh when they reminisce about the developers next door — their neighbors arrived, renovated and moved in whilst their own home remains a work in progress.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Inspiration: The stuff we grew up with inspire us and "Form Follows Function"
Dream source: Italy for furniture
Our Style: Messy!
What Friends Say: The generally like it and say it is something different!
Proudest DIY: Our choice of colors and the layout
Biggest Embarrassment: The plumbing!
Favorite element: The view
Kitchen Hardware, Cupboards & Furniture: From a South African Cabinet Maker — Mr Dicky
Obama and Afro Pillows:: Shine Shine fabrics
Sofa:: DHJ
Bedding:: Woodstock Hospitality Depot
Blinds:: Tailor Blinds
Furniture outside:: Core Catering
Art & Fireplace:: Herman Van Wyk
Tiles:: Spectiles
Thanks Paul & Isa!
Images: Liezel Strauss
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A stunner!
I want to jump through these photos and relax on that porch for a few hours. Or days. Or...months? I must be in need of a vacation. Hmm. Anyway, beautiful view, and I appreciate that this feels like a place where real people live. Looks like a wonderful home for those two boys!
the view is breathtaking. especialy how you can see it from all the rooms. wow. simply stunning.
Love the open space and pool. Job well done!
Love the open spaces!
I love Cape Town visited several times, it is a marvelous place . Loved the transparency of the house loved the views and the pool. The large map on the wall is a rather nice touch. On the whole the house looks like a lived in family home, but lacks in design.
I love the view of the mountains, I want to be there right now having my coffee...
...I think I'm going to cry.
I want to live in Capetown:(
I really love the open floor plan of this home. It reminds me of a loft in a lot of ways - big windows, open spaces, rooms with multiple uses - until you realize that there's a huge patio with an awesome wicker chair and a pool.
I especially love the wide-board wood floors and exposed ceiling beams.
Nice.
Love this place! Seems so home yet wide open.
http://designerfindsaddict.blogspot.com/
Gorgeous. I grew up in Cape Town and there are so many beautiful homes there, its great to see them featured more and more on AT. I especially love how this home feels really lived in, and not obsessively cleaned up for the photos - you can see the slightly wilted flowers, bottles of sunblock left out etc, which is how all of our homes really look day to day, not staged for a shoot.
what a view! so you guys live in one unit and rent the other 3 out?
Lovely porch. Can you tell a bit more about them? I've seen the fiberglass (?) ones in photos of many South African homes and in SF-based movies (The #1 Ladies Detective Agency comes to mind as a recent sighting). Who makes them and why are they especially ubiquitous in SF?
Love it! This is the first tour I've commented on. I don't think it needs more design. It's a real place, simply done.
Wow. Amazing view. I would move in in a heartbeat. Minus the bars on what I assume is the children's room.
jralph: the bars on the windows are an unfortuante South African evil. I hate my burglar bars, despite have some of the most modern beautiful ones around. But it keeps the baddies out... so the bars are actually a small price to pay.
Ps: I meant the bars on the windows by the beds, not the bars around the beds :) *doh*
Hay fellow Cape Townian... love your house!!! Love the last photo (#35) where you can see the whole house at once - cool and love the pool... Gotta love the pool and the view!!!
Just beautiful. Love the atmosphere, the nice use of colours, the large "Africa" on the wall, the high windows allowing light to come in everywhere. And the view of course.
OMG Perfect!!! I think I'm also going to cry. Only complaint, because we all know I always have to complain, the shag leather rug, I'll never understand those, or any shag type rug.... However, your place is amazing, and I love both terraces. :D you should be proud of your house!
i love the patio pool area...
beautiful home..nice views...perfect.
Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful home! I realized as I was drooling over the photos, I was (coincidentally) eating Jelly Tots at the same time. A friend brought them back from ZA for me. Yummmm!
Yeah for Miffy!!!
Most unusual cot bar system I have ever seen. In fact, the ONLY ever cot bar system I've ever seen. Was this your idea?
... or should I say, Nijntje!!!!
Hello people.
It's the first time I am seeing this and... WOW! Thank you for your kind comments.
And thank you to Liezel and your great photos...
The cot bar system was our idea, yes, with lots of input from our big friend Thomas Reynecke and brilliantly executed by our favourite Mr. Dickie!
When there's no space we must make a plan! And that's what we did.
And this one is Nijntje (not Miffy), or wouldn't be from half-dutch boys...
Next time I will tidy up a little bit before a shoot... LOL
With love,
isa