Renovation

From a disconnected space to a home with great flow

finding a property to purchase in the heart of Cape Town was top of their list when they began house-hunting in 2016.

It had to be a stone’s throw from where their daily activities take them and as they’re “big on the small house movement”, they were keen on a compact home – no problem in the middle of the Mother City!

The Thomsons also wanted an affordable space, a fixer-upper they could turn into their ultimate family home with their own unique, contemporary style.

After a few months spent searching for just the right spot, Ian, an entrepreneur and CEO of TooMuchWifi, and Ceylan, managing partner of Craft+Graft at Dunkley Square, bought a Victorian home in Gardens. They fell in love with its view of Table Mountain, courtyard and period details such as 40cm-thick walls, 3.55m-tall ceilings and original wooden floors.

However, a 100-year-old home doesn’t come without old-age problems! “The layout of the interior was weird and each space felt disconnected from the next,” Ceylan says. “We didn’t like the narrow hallway with rooms hiding behind doors; it made everything feel dark.”

Many of the home’s beautiful hardwood floors had been replaced with unattractive grey tiles and the couple didn’t like that the kitchen was tucked away in a far corner of the house.

Over seven months, they demolished several interior walls, changing the layout of the house to suit their lifestyle which is largely centred on the kitchen and living areas. Thereafter, they began to decorate with a clear vision for each room.

“Now the rooms flow into one another, there’s plenty of light and our home is filled with all the things we love,” Ceylan says. >>

For a family that loves walking and biking everywhere, so much so that they didn’t own a car until very recently,