art house

For gallery owners Trevyn and Julian McGowanthe secret to a happy interior is creativity, imagination and making it personal

- Susan Springate

A stunning showcase for their eclectic collection of contemporary design and African art, Trevyn and Julian McGowan’s villa near Cape Town is first and foremost a family home.‘It is actually a very lived-in house,’ insists Trevyn. ‘It just happens to be filled with a big collection of art and design.’

South African-born Trevyn met her British husband Julian in London, and the couple moved back to South Africa in 2004 to bring up their family and renovate a farm homestead in Wilderness National Park. Now a lively clan of seven, with offspring ranging from seven to 25, the family moved to Cape Town six years ago when Trevyn spotted this house on a website.

‘I hadn’t gone more than 10 foot into the house and my heart exploded,’ recalls Trevyn. ‘Julian and I looked at each other and walked through the house in a dreamlike state. We knew we had to have it.’ It felt like it was meant to be. Trevyn later discovered that it was the former home of the great-aunt of one of her closest friends – children’s author Georgia Byng.