{"id":10798,"date":"2020-04-24T08:20:34","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T08:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/designbuybuild.co.uk\/?p=10798"},"modified":"2020-04-24T08:20:34","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T08:20:34","slug":"constantia-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/designbuybuild.co.uk\/constantia-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Constantia Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Area \u2013 Constantia<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Having lived and worked in central London for years we loved the idea of being surrounded by nature. Although both my wife and I were born and initially raised in London we both ended up living and going to school in Southern Spain, which is where we first met aged 11. The memories of being in the heat, closer to nature and by the sea, always make us smile. Now we have a baby boy, just 18 months old, we felt we had to get that lifestyle back. We\u2019re 20 minutes in one direction from downtown Cape Town and 20 minutes from the sea, and 20 minutes from Katrina\u2019s parents too.<\/p>\n

The area is naturally beautiful, wonderfully green and in the foothills of Table Mountain with all the amazing walks and runs on our doorstep. Our dog Chili, who came with us from London, loves it here too.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve subsequently learnt that in Cape Town it\u2019s viewed as a very quiet (boring!) area, but the tranquility really appealed to us. We both travel internationally with work around once a month, me mainly to London, and Kat to London, Paris and Shanghai, so we love coming back to our oasis, although we do still have a small flat in Lancaster Gate, London, which we short let when we\u2019re not there.<\/p>\n

The Plot <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing I remember about the plot were the three trees in front of the house. A palm, a Norfolk Pine and a Pepper Tree. Totally unusual and charming but equally they felt in the right place. It immediately drew me to the house. Walking from one side to another we had a wonderful view of Table Mountain. The house itself was sweet but a little uninspiring, in what is known locally as \u2018cottage style\u2019 but we could visualize what it could become.<\/p>\n

The project <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Internally we kept the main ground floor footprint but took out all the internal walls, removed the ceiling, added a 2nd storey and a guest studio. We increased the footprint from 250m\/2 to 400m\/2 and added a huge amount of volume. Ceiling heights throughout are very tall, eleven meters at one point, eight meters in the main living area and six in our bedroom.<\/p>\n

Externally we kept the wonderful three trees and planted a lot of local wild plants. (We grow our own fruit and vegetables now).<\/p>\n

The house is made from a light steel frame which I loved working with but it presented a different set of challenges. There is little room for site adjustments so you have to trust your design and be very detailed in the information you provide the steel producers.<\/p>\n

I knew about and was interested in a light steel framed building but hadn’t had a chance to work with it until now. It\u2019s a much more environmentally friendly way of building and involves a lot less site work which was appealing to me especially as we are travelling monthly. Most of the structure is pre-fabricated off site and then assembled very quickly when it arrives. It\u2019s very exciting to watch it all go into place.<\/p>\n

Getting the structural design right for the exposed trusses in the main living room took a lot of back and forth \/ negotiation with the engineer. It\u2019s a big open space and we really wanted the height we had now which is a 30 degree pitch. We also wanted scissor trusses as we prefer the look.<\/p>\n

We initially faced some resistance from one or two neighbours. The house is not in the traditional style which is quite conservative architecturally. It\u2019s also now painted charcoal so it stands out a bit. That being said we\u2019re all friendly now.<\/p>\n

The wall on the south elevation in the living room is fully glazed with three meter tall glass doors at the bottom opening completely onto a covered external dining table which seats ten. With the doors open it has a wonderful feel of the house being open to nature and has the in-out flow we love.<\/p>\n

The master bedroom and little boys\u2019 room are part of the new additional floor. Unlike the bold and striking palette of the ground floor upstairs has a soft and serene feel. In the master bedroom we have white washed floors, under bedside tables and a bespoke four-poster bed. We have added gentle texture whilst the ombre green curtains have a feel of bringing the many surrounding trees into the space. The extra deep balcony off the bedroom serves as a peaceful reading space with sun loungers at one end and chairs and table at the other. There is a beautiful palm tree happily growing over the balcony and a tall Norfolk pine beyond which provides shade.<\/p>\n

We used a local joiner to make up to my designs the kitchen units, walk in wardrobes, our four poster bed, dining table, writing desk, and the drinks bar.<\/p>\n

From the UK we shipped half a container of furniture and some art. Some we sourced for the new house (a beautiful pair of chairs from Kempton) but the rest was things we already had. Having moved four times in the last 6 years we had various pieces furniture and fittings in storage, some of which we\u2019d almost forgotten about, so it was great to go through it all and incorporate pieces that worked.<\/p>\n

Most of the furniture and art was sourced in South Africa though including; Pezula Interiors, Weytlands, La Grange, Block & Chisel, Karu Collection and The Gate House to name but a few.\u00a0 We\u2019re still furnishing the house and collecting new pieces as we go.<\/p>\n

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HIGHLIGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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