It’s hard to fathom, when arriving at Bel Ombre Hills, meandering the red brick driveway to its grand entrance and catching sight of its contemporary construct, that this Constantia marvel was once a meagre shed.
Not long ago, the four-bedroomed hideaway was sitting like a lonesome, derelict stable for the free-roaming ponies to saunter around, on a vacant plot of land. Having traversed the Western Cape for a worthy property to invest in, the owner climbed the rickety posts that supported the boundary gate, and peered over to catch a glimpse of his future.
With a prolific imagination, a handy artisanal career under his belt, and a wife with a vision and apparent proficiency for design, Bel Ombre Hills was built. As fate would have it, some homes have a way of summoning their prospective owners to the soil it occupies. For their own magnificent fruition.
Let’s go back to the entrance gates, and begin where we should start. The driveway curves itself around the trees that anchor the home to the Bel Ombre Meadow. An esteemed suburb of Cape Town, residing here is like being on your own urban farm. Surrounded by forests, yet positioned high enough the views escort you through the canopies of the trees. It’s sublimely tranquil and green.
The home welcomes you in to its generous open-plan living, dining, cooking and entertaining spaces. A kitchen as long as 14 metres, its island claiming 5 of those metres, and dining table anchoring a 3-metre long occupation. Views of the garden, the woods and the a U-shaped courtyard flowing through the French doors. Leading you out to the overhanging terrace where an outdoor kitchen and dining area, a mammoth daybed and sun loungers perfectly position themselves around the swimming pool. Foliage flanking every slab of stone, around the pillars and along the gravel pathways.
And then there’s all of that lawn that merges with the meadow beyond the boundary of the property. The French terrace that frames the four bedrooms. The Dutch gable that makes its ancestral statement on the façade. Oh, the vision that the talented owners had, when first catching sight of the shed, and sketching the seeds of this glorious garden of eden.
Tranquility amongst the trees
Whichever space you’re occupying in the home – even, and often especially, the bathrooms – the natural light and reflections of colour stream through the open doors and windows. Trickling sounds of water from the fountains and special features in the courtyard echo down the corridors. The fireplaces add to the ambience of its barn-like structure, though this so much more than a barn.
It’s a cleverly considered home, crafted by its creative owners. Lavishly layered, yet authentic with its opulence. The kitchen and its long table. The chairs on the terrace. The repurposed stone in the exposed walls, and all of the little statements made were crafted, built and thought-up by the owners. For you and your clan to reap as holiday rewards. To lap up all of the inspiration before you head out to the nearby wine estates, art galleries, mountain trails, seaside excursions, or into the city – that’s less than a thirty-minute drive away.
For the days that you’d like to feel the pulse of the town, and the plethora of things that the Cape has to offer. For the other days, you’ll sit on the terraces, watching the resident hawks take flight from the trees, onwards through the skies. You’ll recline on the beds around the swimming pool. Dipping in and out of the water like the sugarbirds do.
You’ll gather around the tables, playing cards, sipping something delicious and snacking on olives and a fresh baked loaf. You’ll light the fires, put a record on, and do a little barefoot dance on the lawn. Living up to the vision that the shed had for its future.
Written by Colleen Ogilvie