Before & After: The (Potential) Views Were the Most Promising Part of This Cape Town Home
Architect Werner Lotz and interior designer Jenine Bruce reworked the midcentury’s convoluted, split-level plan to connect it with the backyard and the city’s stunning scenery.
As can sometimes happen when couples go house shopping, Bonnie and Antonie Basson saw this midcentury home in the Higgovale neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa, and had very different reactions. “I hated it,” says Bonnie, an attorney, smiling at the memory of that first viewing. Antonie, a business owner in the restaurant industry and firm believer in buying “the worst house on the best street,” saw potential. “I said to my husband, ‘You’re crazy to want to take this on. It’s a lost cause,’” says Bonnie.
Despite a prime location with incredible views across City Bowl and the harbor, including Lion’s Head and Signal Hill mountains, the home’s existing windows were small and its split-level plan was muddled, with two kitchens, an entry stair made of wakeboards, and small, dark bedrooms. “I wanted a house that’s very light—I like sunshine,” says Bonnie. “The house, as we saw it for the first time, was the opposite of that.”
Before: Rear Exterior
Before: When Bonnie and Antonie Basson bought this midcentury house in the Higgovale neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa, the only view was by the pool.
Courtesy of Hours Clear Architects
Before: The rear façade had few windows, and didn’t take advantage of the site’s views.
Courtesy of Hours Clear Architects
Before: Landscaping further blocked potential views of City Bowl and the harbor, as well as Lion’s Head and Signal Hill mountains.
Courtesy of Hours Clear Architects
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: The (Potential) Views Were the Most Promising Part of This Cape Town Home
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