ROOTED IN NATURE

This minimalist home is designed to help the owner absorb the breathtaking beauty of the landscape it sits in so perfectly

- GRAHAM WOOD

Searching far and wide, Paula Disberry, the owner of this South African barn house, describes how she had ‘kissed many frogs’ before finally finding the ideal spot for her project. The opportune plot was discovered not far from a village in a pear orchard with a stream running through it and beautiful mountain views. ‘It just had a presence. There’s nothing man-made for miles and the river makes it even more special,’ she says.

Paula, who until recently worked in the grocery retail sector, had a clear vision for a home in which ‘architecture, interiors and landscape design were completely integrated’. She put this to the architect Martin Kruger, adding that it must be ‘a working house’ – made for entertaining, relaxing and appreciating nature. ‘The vision was driven very much by the way I like to live,’ says Paula. ‘I love having friends to stay, cooking together and listening to great music, but I also appreciate the tranquillity of the village and the calm of this beautiful, art-filled space.’ The house was to be surrounded by gardens, vines, vegetables, fruit and olive trees, all to be reflected in the choice of art and interior palettes creating a connectedness with the environment.