COOL Karoo SANCTUARY

Built around the remains of an old blacksmith’s forge and stable, this serene home strikes the perfect balance between sophistication and simplicity.

One evening in 2012, Lynne Behr happened to catch an episode of popular lifestyle show Top Billing on TV. They were showcasing Prince Albert in the Karoo and the charming little town captured her imagination.

So much so that she soon travelled from her home in Fairwood, Johannesburg to spend some time there with a friend and, shortly thereafter, decided that this was where she would settle down for the next chapter of her life.

“In Jo’burg, I worked long hours and I was pretty exhausted,” Lynne, a massage therapist, says. “I’d always wanted to take a few years out to play music, write, work less...”

At the time, Lynne was interested in buying property but many of the homes she looked at needed a lot of work; so instead of trying to fix a broken one, she decided to build a home from scratch.

She bought a Prince Albert plot dating back to 1880; all that was on it were three walls – the only remains of what was once a blacksmith’s forge and stable, and had in the past couple of years become a dumping ground.

It took two years to clear the property but the three walls remain; Lynne decided to build her beautiful new home around them. >>

Muted tones create a relaxed atmosphere for cooking and dining in the open-plan kitchen (left). Previously, Lynne could never find a dining chair she liked but then she had these stylish bull denim covers custom made by Kommaweer Stoffeerders in George based on a sketch she drew. “They’re perfect for my pared-down kitchen,” she says. A mirrored Balinese door (above right) separates the kitchen and study.

The exposed brick walls and large teak cabinet in the lounge are offset by contemporary white sofas, white cement floors and plenty of natural light. We love the built-in gas fireplace that has been cleverly worked into the brickwork.

Who lives here? Lynne Behr WHERE Prince Albert SIZE 290m²

The gorgeous chandelier above the dining room table was bought at French furniture store, la Basse-cour in Johannesburg.

It’s in the detail Lynne decided to put her grand piano in this lounge area, just off her bedroom. “Although it’s something I love to do, I rarely played the piano in Johannesburg because I was always working. I decided that here I would at least play...

It’s in the detail Screed floors covered in Plascon Floor Paint in Dark Pearl throughout the home create a seamless look. The console table opposite the front door was an upcycle project – Lynne made it from part of an old mill wheel found on the plot....

These lanterns were discovered at the original site.