Four seasons

With its abundance of blooms and fynbos, this farmhouse just outside stellenbosch is a haven for the botanically inclined.

- Deborah Rudman 

There are no conventional cupboards in the kitchen of Johannesdal, the farmhouse in Pniel, Western Cape, belonging to Chris Willemse and Dané Erwee. No sleek, handle-free sliding shelving; no modern glass cabinets arrayed above a marble-topped counter. Instead, a rustic wooden unit, reaching almost to the ceiling, stands against one wall, and houses assorted plates, glasses, platters, bowls and cutlery. The top shelf is accessible only via a perilously perched ladder…

This appreciation of the old and venerable as much as the new is emblematic of the couple’s personal and professional life. It’s evident in the amassed objets, art pieces, books, tapestries and plants throughout the house – and extends to the farm gardens themselves.

In 2000 they came across a bamboo-grass-covered strip of land, to which no road led. It had a singularly beautiful location – in a tranquil valley, flanked by the Groot Drakenstein mountains. Although access was challenging and infrastructure would have to be installed from scratch, with the assistance of architect Henri Comrie, they gradually developed their vision for their home. Today, the project (16 years and counting) has the grand proportions of a country house, yet with the welcoming warmth of a family farmstead, sitting graciously amid nursery gardens, magnificent rose beds, manicured lawns and an expansive swimming pool.