COLOUR QUEEN
A Fish Hoek home is transformed with bold paint choices and natural light
‘The original plan was to pull up the carpets, sand the floors, paint everything white and simply move in,’ says new homeowner Biddi Rorke, a writer and editor. ‘I didn’t have the stamina for a full renovation, so I decided to leave everything intact, including the 1970s bathroom with its shiny blue tiles and starfish accents and the badly proportioned breakfast nook in the kitchen.’
However, a few surprises (if you can call a massive water leak that meant total re-plumbing and the realisation there was only chipboard under the carpets ‘surprises’) triggered a chain of events culminating in an extensive refresh.
‘I bought the house because I was captivated by the views – a swathe of ocean and South Peninsula mountains, a Catholic Church spire – and the sparkly valley lights at night,’ Biddi explains. ‘So it made sense to open up the interior as much as possible. At the same time, I didn’t want to see the kitchen sink (and the associated mess) from the front door, which meant an entirely open-plan space wasn’t an option.’
Together with architect and friend Liz Davies, Biddi conceptualised a light, bright environment that allowed for a rental flatlet, a generous master en-suite with dressing room, a dining room, two lounges, an eat-in kitchen and a guest loo. Downstairs, the existing sauna will soon be transformed into a quirky second bedroom.
Biddi’s house perches jauntily on a hill. To disguise the unattractive facebrick, plaster panels were painted in earthy tones of sandy pink, blending in with the indigenous garden and sandstone paths. The solid front door was removed to make way for a wood-and-glass stable door which, together with the mid-height steel-framed window frame in the entrance hall, allows the sunlight
‘My previous home in the suburbs was very private and inward-looking – this house literally opens me up to the world outside my door.’
to spill into the entertainment area. Double steeland-glass doors added a further nod to an industrial hipster aesthetic and open out from the dining room onto a secluded succulent garden at the back.
‘I don’t think any real home can have just one overall design ethos,’ Biddi explains. ‘To limit yourself to mid-century modern or boho chic is just too, well, limiting. I prefer a mad, eclectic mish-mash that includes elements of different styles. The trick is to go with things that please you, not with things that make sense.’
Colour instantly sets the tone for the home. Newly laid pine floors got a thick layer of turquoise paint and yellow for two statement walls.
‘While I absolutely love the interior of my home, the biggest joy for me is being able to see out,’ Biddi explains. ‘My previous home in the suburbs was very private and inward-looking – this house literally opens me up to the world outside my door.’