RUCK AND RENOVATE
RUGBY AND COOKING – ACCORDING TO ONE POPULAR EX-SPRINGBOK CAPTAIN – HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN COMMON. IT WAS SURPRISING THEN, TO FIND JEAN DE VILLIERS TALKING SO PASSIONATELY ABOUT HIS BRAND-NEW RENOVATED KITCHEN. OK, WE ADMIT, IT WAS ACTUALLY HIS OPEN-PLAN BAR AND BRAAI AREA THAT GOT HIM TALKING, BUT HE WAS EXCITED NONETHELESS.
Jean and his wife, Marlie, moved into their Paarl Heritage home a few years ago with plans of making it their own.“I probably walked past this house a thousand times growing up, and never noticed it until it came on the market and we moved back to Cape Town,” Jean says.
It is situated on a hill overlooking the breath-taking Franschhoek Mountains and stands with welcoming grandeur. According to the deeds, the land was bought in 1961 – and it still has flawless finishes and high ceilings that talk of this time.While keeping with the oldstyle feel, Jean and Marlie began renovations to accommodate their busy family of five.The bedrooms maintain the same traditional character, but the living areas have been extended to flow beautifully into one another and out onto the garden.
“We spent a lot of time in the kitchen growing up,” Marlie says. “So it was important to me to have a space where my children and friends could feel welcome.We also love entertaining, so the kitchen needed to support this and not be tucked away in a corner.”
With Easylife Kitchens by their side, the De Villiers family home was transformed into a gorgeous abode.As Marlie explains:“I knew nothing about renovations before we revamped our last home, so I can tell you that it always helps when you have professional designers assisting you from start to finish.” Jean adds that apart from the fact that the original kitchen was bright purple, investing in the kitchen area was crucial for them because they spend so much time there.They also wanted something timeless with longevity to show their respect for the history of the property.
With the kitchen being such a hard-working space, you need surfaces that can keep up.“We chose Coastal Grey Caesarstone for the bar area, which has such a luxurious feeling to it, and for the kitchen and bathroom counters we chose Organic White. We couldn’t be happier with the quality and the final result,” Marlie says.