A barn-style home filled with lush greenery and treasured collections
Avid collectors have extended their farm-style abode, connecting the old and new structures in a unique way that showcases their love of greenery and the great outdoors.
The Grobbelaars and their pooches settled on their family farm near Paarl 25 years ago and moved into one of the original storehouses. Not that this meant living among farm implements – the structure had already been transformed into a comfortable three-bedroom home in the 1960s.
Back then, it was fashionable to use a variety of paint colours throughout your home, so the couple painted their walls in everything from navy-blue to lime-green. Over time, however, the hues became more muted and with the addition of two children, the storehouse became too cramped – the time was ripe for building an extension. And, as is typical of farm construction, the work progressed at a snail’s pace as their plans changed constantly and new ideas were conceptualised. “Actually, it all developed organically,” the couple explain.
The construction, which began in 2010, took three years to complete. In the process, a whole new section was added on in a similar style to the original barn home but more modern with a double-volume living room and plenty of natural light. A new main bedroom and guest room were built, each with their own en-suite bathroom, and a mezzanine level adjacent to the living room is now a loft with its own kitchen.
Today, the cosy storehouse of yesteryear is a spacious five-bedroom abode – an unpretentious farm-style family home.
Treasured finds
The mom of the house describes her décor style as “quite eclectic back in the day, but simpler now”. However, she admits with a chuckle, they never quite achieved their ideal pareddown lifestyle because they’re sentimental and tend to let clutter accumulate.
“If you’re an avid collector such as we are, you can’t help but drag things home from every place you visit, even if it’s just a pebble you’ve found on the beach. And if your friends and family know you love collecting driftwood or plants, they always arrive with gifts. How can you discard something so beautiful that has such sentimental value?
“As you get older, a pebble or tree stump you’ve picked up is a whole lot more attractive than anything you can buy in a store,” she explains.
The family is passionate about plants and old books. And if their collection becomes overwhelming and they run out of storage space, they simply fold old pages into origami Christmas decorations or use podge to create a piece of art on wood – an extremely therapeutic hobby and a lovely way to preserve the beautiful patina of old paper. Even the broken spine of an old book is considered worthy of display!
Today, earthy colours – those of bone, driftwood and pebbles – take centre stage in this barn home. And when it comes to art, the black-and-white pieces from their student days still seem right at home as part of this timeless palette. >>
A small stoep in the front garden is located next to the passageway that links the new “barn” with the old.
A love of plants
The old barn home and the new extension have been cleverly linked by means of a passageway with glass doors on either side that can slide open completely; the couple jokingly describes this space as the “lungs” of their home. It forms a lovely courtyard garden where a wide variety of Philodendrons and ferns with foliage in interesting shapes and shades of green all flourish.
The homeowners both grew up in families that lived close to nature and here in the fertile soil of Paarl they can nurture that passion. Many of their plants belonged to a grandfather who recently passed away. “It gives us so much pleasure to see how his plants live on in our house; they’re a constant reminder of him,” she says.
The greenery is not limited to the passageway – it also provides colour and texture throughout the home. In almost every room, the plants are moved around regularly so that they can always be displayed to best effect. And every pot is carefully selected so that it complements the plant and doesn’t steal all the attention.