Lana Kenney

Amy Keevy and her fiancée, Maryke, bought this wooden cabin on stilts with a grass roof almost two years ago. Amy is an artist, art director, digital creator, and brand consultant and works from a stunning studio that overlooks an old-growth Tsitsikamma forest.

A calm and collected ambiance with plenty of botanical touches.

Name: Craig and Tessa Harding, Ted the dog, and Bear Grylls the cat Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 160 square meters (1,722 square feet) Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Tessa and Craig’s down-to-earth home is full of warmth and character. Built in the 1940s, the semi-detached house has lovely original wooden floors and an interesting series of arches running down the central passage. The house was in a fairly good condition when they moved in, but they did renovate the kitchen.

Name: Anne and Steve Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 2,152 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; Owned Exploring the colorful and eclectic home of Anne and Steve is a real treat. Anne was born in South Africa, her husband, Steve, is British, and they spend their time between the two countries. So when it came to decorating their South African house, Anne knew that she wanted to create a very different look and feel from their UK home.

Name: Lynn Pike Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 937 square feet Years lived in: 7 years; Owned With her signature red lips and red glasses, Lynn is charismatic and has a strong sense of style. Lynn is the owner of a clothing boutique, Tallulah’s, and has been for almost 40 years. Her keen eye for design and understanding of color has flourished with many years of buying for her boutique. Both her boutique and her home reflect her vibrant personality and her eclectic style.

Name: Lei and Dijon and their children, Lola and Harrison Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: +- 500 square meters (property size: 700 square meters) Years lived in: Owned 1 year Lei and Dijon had been house hunting for awhile when they came across this place; they knew it was the one at first sight. Lei is an interior designer and retail consultant and instantly saw the potential. They signed the deal within 24 hours!

Name: Abi James Location: Bo Kaap — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 130 square meters (1399 square feet) Years lived in: Owned 2 years Abi’s home is a treasure trove of unique finds collected on travels abroad and sourced lovingly over time. As soon as you step inside, you’re welcomed into a charming haven full of warmth and personality. Abi is an interior designer who works mainly with safari lodges and travels regularly for her work.

Name: Lian and Fabien Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 1500 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years The fresh white floors and puddled curtains were the first thing that made me sigh when I stepped into Lian and Fabien’s beautiful home in the City Bowl. Along with its high ceilings and lovely light, this home immediately draws you in. Lian is a brand strategist and personal style consultant and so creativity is definitely one of her fortes.

Name: Jacob Crafford-Burger Location: Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa Size: 860 square feet Years lived in: Rented 8 months In just over six months Jacob has created a home that is cozy and creative and that very much reflects his personal style. Filled with an abundance of art, plants and strong accent walls, this apartment is full of character. Jacob rents the apartment and luckily his landlord is happy for him to make improvements to the space.

Name: Georgina, Gideon, Hunter and Case Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 2583 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years Situated in the bohemian and arty suburb of Observatory, Gideon and Georgina’s home is filled with warmth and creativity. This young family home has many personal touches and custom-designed elements thanks to Gideon. Although Gideon specialized in landscape architecture, he likes to call himself a design generalist.

Name: Rian, Zeanne and their son Christo Location: Newlands Village — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 250 square meters Years lived in: Owned almost 3 years What was once a dark house with low ceilings has been transformed into a light and airy home with an understated elegance. Zeanne and Rian bought this 1970s house almost three years ago and had to gut it to create the beautiful space you see today.

Name: Chad Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 968 square feet (90 square metres) Years lived in: 6 years, owned A quirky sense of decor (and bold color scheme) instantly draws you in and makes you want to explore this playful Cape Town home. Chad, a young freelance designer, director and entertainment consultant cleverly transformed his parents’ basement into a gorgeous apartment.

Name: Megan and Wayne Smith, sons Luca and Sebastian Location: Newlands — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 440 square meters Years lived in: Owned, 10 years Megan and Wayne purchased this house 10 years ago because of its location and good bones — but it was horribly outdated (the bathroom, for example, originally had a floor-to-ceiling porcelain tiled jungle mural complete with colorful parrots). They had to tackle a few decor disasters right away.

Name: Vicki Sleet and Justin Spreckley, with four children aged 17 to 2 months. Location: Muizenberg — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 250 square metres Years lived in: Owned 6 years Interior stylist, journalist and blogger Vicki Sleet is known for her love of DIYs and finding a good bargain. She even has a series on her blog, aptly named Bargain Betty. Naturally, you’ll find evidence of her handiwork and upcycled projects throughout their home.

Name: Katia, Chad and their daughter, Milla Location: Observatory — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 1291 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Katia, Chad and their daughter Milla live in a charming Victorian cottage in the heart of Observatory, Cape Town. A wild, overgrown garden greeted me and as I stepped inside, I felt as though I may just be in a French apartment.

Name: Liesel and Pieter Crafford and their children, Jack and Gabi Location: Vredehoek — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 315 square meters Years lived in: 13 years, owned Liesel and Pieter fell in love with this house the moment they saw it, although what you see today is very different to how it originally looked. It was once the home to a mosaic artist, and nearly every single wall was a different, vivid color.

Name: Sarah Bishop Location: Cape Town Size: 463 square feet Years lived in: Owned, 6 months Situated just off bustling Long Street in the heart of Cape Town, you’ll find a small Moroccan-inspired oasis. As an entrepreneur, Sarah travels between London and Cape Town for work and needed a comfortable place to live when in South Africa. So she purchased this apartment six months ago with her business partner; they take turns sharing the space between them.

Name: Melissa and James Lawrence Location: Vredehoek, Cape Town, South Africa Size: 1184 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Cape Town-based interior designer Melissa and her husband James didn’t want to invest a ton of money in this home since they are renting it. But because Melissa is in the interior design field, they knew exactly what could to be done to enhance the space and in a cost effective way.

Name: Mynhardt Joubert and Ian Engelmohr Location: Paarl, South Africa Size: Roughly 1776 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting This quirky and colorful loft space in Paarl is home to a well-known chef and his partner. No one had lived here before — it was previously an open gallery space that belonged to the shop downstairs. And when Mynhardt moved in three years ago, much needed to be done.

Name: Jean Mortlock Location: Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa Size: 947 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned When Jean bought this apartment three years ago, not much needed to be done at all. Unfortunately, just one year later the apartment flooded — not once but twice — and all within two months! All the floors, cabinets and carpets had to be ripped out and replaced.

Name: Ute and Steven Faure and their two daughters Location: Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town Size: 150 square meters (not including the central courtyard) Years lived in: 3 years, rented At the foot of Signal Hill you’ll find Schotsche Kloof, a vibrant neighborhood that Ute, Steven and their two young daughters call home. Their Victorian-­era home was given an update by the well-known and award-winning Chilean architect, Antonio Zaninovic, who is based in Cape Town.

Name: Sarah Scott and her pugs, Lulu and Ozzy Location: Sea Point East, Cape Town Size: 1615 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned The beautiful house you see today is a far cry from how it looked when Sarah, a designer, purchased it two and a half years ago. She had chanced upon the property when it was totally derelict and still in the very beginning stages of a renovation.

Name: Anina, Deon and their daughter Marguerite Location: Bellville — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 3,229 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned From the outside Anina and Deon’s home still tells tales of its ’80s heritage. It was the location and view that initially attracted them to the house, and certainly not the interior, which was old fashioned.

Name: Darren Sandras Location: Tamboerskloof — Cape Town, South Africa Size: aprox. 1550 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, renting Tucked away in the heart of Tamboerskloof is a row of semi-detached Victorian houses, each with a different colored door. And if you enter the blue door, a surprise awaits you: A beautiful and relaxed home that has come together over time. The fabulous location is what initially drew Darren to his home.

Name: Ivonne Meyer Location: Woodstock — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 1,550 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned After many years of renting a bedroom in this very house, Ivonne luckily had the opportunity to purchase the property when her friend relocated to Namibia and needed to sell. With no furniture of her own to begin with, Ivonne slept in the living room on just a mattress for the first few months.

Name: Naeem, Cecelia and their two daughters, Amelia and Sophia Location: Mowbray — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 1,076 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Naeem and Cecelia had to put in new floors, ceilings and walls in this Victorian cottage, the first house they’ve owned together as a couple. “It was a challenge but also great, because we started with a blank canvas,” writes Cecelia.

Name: Tamara and her children, Jonah and Sophia-Rose, and their Boston Terrier, Ollie. Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 2583 square feet Years lived in: 15 years; Owned Vintage lovers will take great delight in discovering Tamara’s charming collections spread throughout her home. Nostalgic kitchen scales, glass perfume bottles and china tea cups to name a few. Tamara has a creative eye and a real flair for curating vignettes and quirky nooks.

Name: Lorraine Loots and Mark De Menezes and their two-year-old son, Felix Location: Observatory — Cape Town, South Africa Size: 2,153 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Photographed next to small objects to show their scale—matchsticks, earbuds, jelly beans—Lorraine‘s teeny art pieces are detailed delights.

Name: Steve and Debbie Cotton and their dogs, Baxter and Kiko Location: Western Cape, South Africa Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Debbie and Steve have a keen eye for color and a unique style which is evident as soon as you enter their lovely house. Full of personality, warmth and quirky touches, the space makes one feel at home right away.

Name: Anthea and Stuart, their daughters, Kate-Ruby and Rachel, and their dogs, Cameo and Pippa Location: Cape Town, South Africa Size: 2,600 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Owned This lovely family home is tucked away in a quiet, secluded corner of the Cape Town City Bowl and is home to Anthea and Stuart, their two young daughters, and their adorable Italian Greyhounds.

Name: Gawie and Karen and their children, Mila and Gabriel Location: Cape Town City Bowl, South Africa Size: 600 square meters (6,458 square feet) Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Karen and Gawie share their beautiful two-story home with their two teenage children. Nestled on the slopes of Table Mountain, this magnificent home has a lush garden and incredible views across Cape Town to the sea. Architect Wynand Wilsenach designed their house and Karen took care of the decorating.