Room to grow This abode has seen many incarnations over the years

THIS STUNNING HOME HAS ADAPTED TIME AND AGAIN TO SEE ITS OWNERS, AND THEIR CHILDREN, THROUGH VARIOUS LIFE STAGES

When architect Joy and her husband, Lucien, began looking for a home that would grow with them, this spacious 1950s-style abode in Durban, South Africa, with a large, lush tropical garden, fitted the bill beautifully. “Back then, it seemed colossal, and I never thought we’d fill it,” remembers Joy. But with the arrival of their son Ben two years later, and then their daughter Stella, soon every part of the house was accounted for. “It’s amazing to reflect on how the house has accommodated us in our different stages of life, from a young couple who barely used the whole house to a family of four with two dogs, as well as a home office,” adds Joy. The home’s grand dimensions appealed, but what also captured Joy and Lucien’s imagination was the expansive garden. In a subtropical city such as Durban, a pool and shade-providing trees were all-important factors for the couple, who were keen to create a home that delivered a seamless transition between indoors and out. “I think it was the large flat crown tree [a South African native] in the garden that clinched it for me,” recalls Joy. The duo’s plans for the house changed over the years according to their budget, dreams, priorities and the demands of family life, and it took several phases of renovating before the home was transformed into the organised yet laid-back space it is today. Originally quite nondescript with a formal layout, the place had been in desperate need of a refresh. “It was a series of rooms with rather unremarkable openings between them,” says Joy. The couple reordered the downstairs level to encompass open-plan living, dining and cooking areas that spill out onto the deck, turned the pool around so that the shallow end runs parallel with the deck, and gave the kitchen a dramatic new look. Standard doors and windows were replaced with oversized custom versions and the couple converted “a rather sad side space” outside the kitchen into a greenery-covered oasis that can be admired from a picture window. “We wanted it to feel like we were cooking in a forest!” says Joy. A sophisticated monochrome palette features throughout, from black external walls to white sofas, with earthy neutrals and plenty of indoor plants and greenery softening the scheme. Joy’s hands-on approach has seen the home evolve into a perfect sanctuary for the family, accommodating each member’s differing personality and needs effortlessly. “I’d be happy if I could spend all my time in our bedroom, with an occasional visit to the kitchen, while Lucien, on the other hand, is incredibly energetic and is usually everywhere at once,” says Joy. “The house allows us free reign.”