IN THE FAMILY
Design entrepreneur Kate Liebenberg and her brood have found their dream home in Cape Town’s lush neighbourhood of Constantia
Driving to the home of Kate and Carl Liebenberg takes you away from the hipster CBD and glamorous Atlantic seaboard and back in time to the stateliest of old southern suburbs, Constantia, with its horse riders and glimpses of Table Mountain’s spine through the perennially leafy streets. Down a quiet cul-de-sac and into a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance, you’ll find the welcoming family home of interior design maven Kate and investment banker Carl, their twin toddlers, Genevieve and Annabelle, and dachshunds Gin and Tonic.
Sunlight floods the entrance veranda, its charming duck-egg blue blinds giving a hint of what lies inside: a generous, happy space filled with memories of family get-togethers and legendary parties.
“Carl has always wanted to move to Constantia, but it took baby steps to get me here,” says Kate. “I was too scared to let go of the ‘big city’, and it took six moves in eight years to get here. I’ve lived in Tamboerskloof, Green Point, Sea Point and Bantry Bay, and finally arrived in the suburbs via Newlands and Claremont. I never want to pack up and move again!”
The house is roomy and has lots of space for growing. It was love at first sight for Kate, who walked into it one Friday after looking at countless other places and convinced the agent to open it specially on the Saturday so that Carl could see it – and he was immediately sold too. “Carl’s offices are conveniently five minutes away,” says Kate.
Constantia suits them to a T – with the Bel Ombre Meadow and Alphen Trail walks nearby, as well as child-friendly wine farms, food markets, decor shops and the family’s favourite coffee shop, Four & Twenty. Kate also loves the quietness in the evenings and no streetlights at night.
Inside, the house is inviting and warm – and not just because of the old-style wooden floors and winter sun streaming through the northwest-facing windows. As owner of Créma Design, Kate travelled all over the world sourcing and collecting furniture, but with the birth of the twins she sold the business and settled into a more family-friendly routine. The house is filled with inherited pieces and furnishings Kate has covered anew or repainted.
“Family antiques and anything child-friendly have taken preference for the moment,” she says. “Luckily some contemporary stock still stands strong. I love anything bright and bold and love mixing it up – there is something about the new that brings the old alive. My mother and aunt have been generous with antique glassware and crockery, which I use daily.” Kate also picks up pieces on auction and is a fan of Pezula Interiors, Block & Chisel and L’Orangerie.
The open kitchen area is the heart of the house and has a bright play area leading off it and beautiful views of the valley. It’s here where “busy, buzzy, chaotic” Sunday lunches are shared with friends and family, a fire merrily blazing in the background. The rest of the house is decorated in classic neutral colours with pops of floral, soft teals and muted reds adding interest. Everything is on one level and all the rooms can be opened up or closed off, depending on the need. With high ceilings, big windows and light throughout, the house is an entertainer’s dream. Carl and Kate are no strangers to throwing open the doors and popping the bubbly. All the entertainment rooms open up to the back veranda and, with a family in the hotel industry, entertaining is in Kate’s blood. “I love a party! I love planning it and luckily Carl enjoys cooking, so he decides the food. I take care of the atmosphere and table decor. Lots of candles, big and small, and good music do the rest.”
With Kate having had a business importing high-end modern furniture, carpets and lighting, the Liebenberg house is also filled with special pieces from abroad. She and Carl used to travel regularly – everywhere from Hong Kong and New York to their favourite holiday spot in the south of France. “Design-wise, nothing beats Milan. When I was working, I was very spoilt to be able to include anything extra for us in the next work-order shipment. My luggage would also be stuffed with antique bed and table linen and something small from MoMA in New York. My last purchases there were paper lampshades and kitsch silver ivy, which I have hung from the chandelier in our dining room.”
Pictures on the wall add to the lived-in feel. “I love walls filled with pictures, whether it’s kids’ art, old-fashioned black-and-white pics or big contemporary oil paintings. Pictures make a house personal.” Kate says they are fortunate to have moved into a house that doesn’t need renovation, but the garden is her next big project. She envisions a low-maintenance artificial lawn with no flowerbeds and only rose pots, French-inspired lavender and iceberg roses in the driveway.
“My dream holiday home would be a Gregory Mellor-designed farmhouse in the Karoo, but for now I am in my dream home.”