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Behind the traditional architecture of this charming Little Karoo home lies a stylish contemporary living space.

Just as one starts searching for Anneke and Hannes van Rooyen’s house on a tree-lined Montagu street, the number 5 jumps out – large, graphic and modern against a white boundary wall. The charming front door with its stained-glass detail stands wide open to reveal the view down the passage to the back garden. And then Kate, the Van Rooyens’ German Shepherd, trots out, tail wagging, followed by Anneke and the heavenly aroma of a freshly baked almond frangipani cake that wafts behind her.

That number 5 on the pillar next to the garden gate suggests that something unexpected awaits inside. The front part of the house is pure Little Karoo architecture from 1936, with shiny wooden floors and old steel-frame windows. But the back section reveals a contemporary open-plan kitchen-cum-living room built by the previous owners. Here, the light streams in through black aluminium window frames.

“For me, there’s no division between old and new, but rather a blend of the two,” says Anneke of the house that she and Hannes have lived in since October 2018. “Apparently it’s bad feng shui when you can see from your front door through to the garden, but I think we manage not to let all the positive energy that enters through the front escape out the back,” she adds with a smile. “The original wooden floors and thick walls, as well as the open kitchen and trees that have likely been here since 1936 all contribute to making the space work.

“Even when your footsteps soften as you move from the wooden floors to the cement in the kitchen, it feels like the same house. I think the mishmash of furniture we’ve had for 25 years creates cohesion precisely because not everything ‘fits’ together.” >>

Pretty as a picture

“I’m not sure that there’s a word to describe my décor style,” says Anneke. “In my dreams I live in a house with large, empty spaces and only a few pieces of furniture, but in reality our furniture has been with us for many years.

“Our décor took shape organically. Our belongings came out of storage after renting for our first two and a half years in Montagu, and we had to see what would fit where. I love creating ‘pictures’ in the house and its size allows me to do so. We have enough space to work with groupings and thus create focal points.

“My dad Ambro Hayward is an avid carpenter and made a lot of our furniture. We have a few heirlooms, several second-hand buys and some new stuff. But almost everything has sentimental value, including ouma Kate van den Heever’s kitchen table, chairs from my dad’s school days, Hannes’s desk, bookcases from thrift stores in Johannesburg, the old kitchen dresser that was here when we moved in, and the two 1950s chairs I bought in Robertson years ago.

“I adore beautiful bedding and use all the linen I have. Texture and natural fabrics have always been important to me. For example, I will buy a book just because the cover isn’t one-dimensional.” >>

New passions

Anneke and Hannes moved from Johannesburg to Montagu in 2016. For Hannes, it was a homecoming to the town where he grew up and where he now works as a purchasing manager for Montagu Dried Fruit and Nuts. Anneke, a Capetonian who fell in love with Johannesburg and was reluctant to move, soon found happiness here and became involved in arranging the annual Montagu Book Festival. Between gardening and charcoal sketching, she finds time for her new-found pastime: eco-printing on fabric.

The Van Rooyens initially bought a piece of farmland while living in a rented house. The building plans had already been drawn up when they fell in love with this charming grey home in 2018.

“The front door key was missing when we came to look at the house, so we entered through the back door. From the kitchen, we could see the light streaming through the stained-glass window in the front door; it was even more beautiful than seeing it from the entrance,” recalls Anneke.

“The only thing that really bothered me was the built-in braai in the kitchen. We replaced it with a gas stove and extractor fan.

The garden was a jungle – but it was an amazing challenge,” she adds. The couple also had solar panels installed on the roof, which were cleverly positioned so they can only be seen from way back on the property.

“I love coming home every day. There’s always something for us to do, whether it’s gardening or sitting on the stoep and solving the world’s problems. Maybe it’s because Montagu is a tourist town that it feels like we’re also on holiday. But even in a small town you have to be able to switch off, and this place is our escape. >>

The spacious and modern open-plan kitchen and living area is ideal for entertaining. The beautiful old dresser might have been the home’s original kitchen cabinet; apparently, it’s made from recycled timber from a church. The plywood chair comes from a restaurant where Hannes worked years ago and the wall behind the wood stove is unpainted plaster. FS Star tiles under wood stove from Limegreen Sourcing Solutions; Dovre wood stove from MontSpa Meubels WHO LIVES HERE? Anneke and Hannes van Rooyen with their German Shepherd Kate WHERE Montagu in the Little Karoo SIZE 320m² on a property of 1 250m²

The extendable dining room table previously belonged to Anneke’s Ouma Kate. The wooden Globe chairs were bought by Hannes’s parents, Flip and Jacomi van Rooyen, at a school auction when they were a young couple. In the foreground, a prized artist edition print by Johann Louw adorns the wall. We use every inch of the house; sometimes I just sit in one of the rooms that I like most. The things I love make me feel safe and happy. – Anneke

“The scullery is a useful place in which to store things,” says Anneke. “And I love that it’s not the traditional dark and boring space.”

The traditional architecture of the Van Rooyens’ house works beautifully with the dramatic and modern open-plan living space.

In the alcove, the Van Rooyens exchanged a built-in braai for a freestanding stove. A marble slab was sunk in position where gas burners were removed from the island – Anneke makes good use of it when baking. FS Star tiles above the stove from Limegreen Sourcing Solutions

The framed original house plans and municipal approval certificate for the 1936 building plans are displayed in the alcove in the entrance hall (right).

Although the house dates from 1936, each bedroom has its own bathroom, thanks to renovations done by the previous owners. Towel from Barrydale Hand Weavers

Anneke and Kate stroll through the garden, which is kept lush and green with leiwater. The tree in the background is a wild plum with rust-coloured foliage.

The patio is on the north-facing side of the house, conveniently located next to the dining room. Thanks to an adjustable louvre roof that the Van Rooyens had installed, they can socialise here all year round; when it rains, the shutters are simply closed.

The Globe Wernicke bookshelf is a favourite and stands in the living room where Anneke, a bookworm, can see it as soon as she walks in. “I don’t trust people who don’t have books,” she says with a chuckle. Resin bird by Cornelia Stoop

“I moved this swan pot around the house until I found the perfect spot for it in front of the window,” says Anneke. Anneke’s dad, Ambro Hayward, made the daybed and coffee table.

Anneke bought the two 1950s chairs from Van Tonder Antiques in Robertson for R80 each in 1997. Floor lamp from Mr Price Home The leather corner couch is perfect for stretching out and watching a movie. Coffee table from Pierre Cronje; Dovre wood stove from MontSpa Meubels

The living room opens onto the back garden. “Hannes and our gardener John Chipeta deserve all the praise! It took two years of hard work to tame the jungle,” says Anneke. With guidance and help from a friend, local landscape designer Jan Hagen of Zantedeschia Concepts, the property was divided into different sections with Karoo plants in one area and grass in another; the plants were all grouped according to their water needs.

An old bric-a-brac cabinet serves as storage space for linen in an open area just before the transition from the original house to the contemporary living area. The wall behind it features two artworks that Anneke had identically framed as she loved the combination.

This desk – a dressing table in its day – stands opposite the bric-a-brac cabinet (see left); it has been sanded and painted several times over the years.

Common sage (Salvia officinalis)

Osteospermum

White everlasting (Syncarpha argyropsis)

Shade-loving and sun-loving herbs (seen here) have been planted in separate boxes.

Spekboom twigs and climbing aloe (Aloiampelos ciliaris)

Cape snapdragon (Nemesia fruticans)