BE MY GUEST

THIS HOLIDAY COTTAGE HONOURS ITS PAST BUT THANKS TO A FUNCTIONAL DESIGN IT FIRMLY LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

- VICKI SLEET

The small town of Stellenbosch is the second oldest in South Africa and it is unusual to still find purely residential properties in the heart of the oak-lined central historical district, where some buildings are centuries old. But when Peet and Mary-Jane (MJ) discovered the property adjacent to their own home, where they live with their children Milla, eight, and Max, five, was on the market, it was sold to them with a particular proviso from the original owner of 40 years. “The owner was only willing to sell it to us if we promised not to develop it or resell it to the commercial developers in town. This suited us perfectly since we also wanted to keep the street strictly residential and, of course, because we’re right next door. She was happy about our plan to construct a cottage which we wanted to turn into somewhere guests or my folks can stay when they come visit,” explains MJ, who met Peet while they were students at the town’s university. “We love living here, we both have offices nearby so walking to work is a pleasure and meeting up with friends after work is also great. Stellenbosch also welcomes a ton of tourists every year and this makes for a very vibrant fun atmosphere,” she says.