Keeping track of homes and designs I love.
Etienne Hanekom, an interior designer, enjoys spending his weekends in the platteland renovating rundown homes. This little house was purchased with the intention of becoming a “flip.” Don’t become involved too deeply.
Etienne Hanekom passed by an abandoned 150-year-old cottage on his route to his stately Victorian home in Robertson for three years before he finally gave the orange house any thought.
And then one day a friend informed him that a little cottage not far from his property was up for sale. When Etienne first saw it and stepped inside, he fell in love with its spaciousness and affordable pricing.
“It was a forgettable, run-down, sad little house,” Etienne says. “A long, narrow house built of clay with four windows and a front door. Yet I walked in and knew I wanted it. The house had a certain atmosphere that I liked, a feeling that resonated with me.”
At each given time, Etienne’s affections are entwined with the story of a certain home. This is his own time and effort. Plus, they always feel quite intimate, even if that wasn’t the intention.
Etienne’s affection for the shabby home grew as he worked to restore it. Although he mostly works with huge areas, he has a soft spot for intimate quarters. When he finally finished the pink vaulted bathroom, he was already planning to move into the slender tiny cottage, having sold his much bigger Victorian home down the road.
“This house is tiny, but it doesn’t feel like it. The ceilings are relatively high, giving the impression of volume. I made an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area in the centre, with a double bedroom and bathroom on either side. I also created a large outdoor lounge area, a real green room, by building a semi-enclosed stoep with French doors leading off the living area and into a lush garden with a small swimming pool that I call The Pond. The house doesn’t feel as small as it is, but with more than four people it begins to feel slightly crowded.”
Being a small space – and also because it was initially meant to be a flip – Etienne had to practise some self-restraint with colour. “It was hard using so little colour, but this house wanted to be light. So I used off-white for most of the indoor areas and painted the newly cast concrete floors and the wooden roof trusses a muted chocolate brown. This is a house with attitude, so I brought in dark greens for the kitchen and strong pinks for the vaulted wet room and hideous Vibracrete wall.”
In terms of furnishings, the fabrics are velvet and the furniture an eclectic mix of antique and modern pieces.
There are, as always, animal mounts on the walls. “These are my children. They are not my hunting trophies. I don’t hunt. Never have. I found these in second-hand shops and I’ve given them a second life. An honourable second life.”
“They chase away the evil spirits and keep the ghosts at bay. They are guardians.”
And when asked why, Etienne simply replies.
A home will always find its way into Etienne’s heart. These endeavors are entirely outside of work. Moreover, they are always quite individual, even if that is not the intended tone.
Etienne’s feelings for the rundown home grew as he tried to restore it. Though he mostly works with expansive environments, tiny places are among his favorites to design. When he finally finished the pink vaulted bathroom, he had already sold the enormous Victorian down the street and was making preparations to move into the compact dwelling.
This Article originally appeared on VISI
PHOTOS Niel Vosloo PRODUCTION Etienne Hanekom
