It feels part of the fynbos-clad hillside above it, yet it overlooks the wild shoreline of Scarborough’ says interior designer Jonathan Reed. He and his partner, artist Graeme Black, have worked all over the world but now choose to live between the Yorkshire Dales and Scarborough.
‘Baskloof House has been 25 years in the making, 25 years of asking ourselves if we should make a home in South Africa, having come here for decades! We rented first, and fell in love, then explored a bit and travelled all over – into the vast Karoo and up the coast. But coming from the Yorkshire Dales, we’d always hankered after the smell and sounds of the ocean.
‘For us, Scarborough feels like the last bastion of the wilder side of the Cape Peninsula. It is the sense of immersion in landscape that makes it so different. And, of course, that we can hike the Baskloof Nature Reserve from our back door, gives us a true sense of freedom.
‘You simply lose track of time here, and there’s very little begging for your attention, other than the fynbos and nature around you. We don’t need to get into a car. We prefer to walk down to The Village Hub, our local deli, health shop and restaurant. The balance is just perfect here, and it hasn’t tipped. Scarborough seems to attract people like us who love nature and are stirred by wilderness.
‘We like to get to the essence and soul of a place when we create spaces and are sensitive to working with inherited structures. Baskloof House was built in the 70s and renovated in the 80s to give it a more ‘farmy’ approach so we’ve embraced this architecture,’ says Jonathan. ‘People immediately feel comfortable here. There are no design statements – you simply feel as though you’ve stumbled into something that’s always been there,’ says Jonathan – rather modestly, we think.
Between them both, they have transformed it entirely so that the home flows seamlessly outdoors from all sides through elegantly tall, custom-designed doors – their olive colour one of three especially chosen shades of green in the house, all equally good in summer and winter. Their journey here has been about weaving a story and crafting a sense of place through the colours and textures.
Nature’s palette enriched with colour
Coupled with a passion for natural materials and the myriad techniques employed by craftsmen who have dedicated careers to mastering them, Jonathan’s approach is defined by extraordinary detailing. His professional style is instantly recognisable by its use of colour, texture and form but always enriched with an atmosphere of generous warmth. Baskloof House is no exception.
The interior colours are of the fynbos on the hillside: not dry monotone, but a rich palette full of extraordinarily sharp colour contrasts, from the bright orange found on lichens behind the house to leaf colours ranging from crisp chartreuse to softer wild olive, nutmeg- and ginger-hued rocks and soft ocean blues – all of them pulled together through linens, tiles, ceramics… and, of course, a personal art collection.
One of Graeme’s artworks-in-progress anchors the living area, and recently published books on his work a swivelling coffee table – designed by Jonathan and made by a blacksmith in Yorkshire – tell the fascinating story of his tapestry collaboration with local mohair artist, Frances van Hasselt of Frances vH Mohair in 2024. Next to it, a hand-crafted Kenyan chair has a genius adjustable back for comfort, and the fireplace is an asymmetric design.
Graeme’s recent works include the Good Hope series, shown in the Connolly in London. They are ‘a testament to the strength, colour and joy of the Africa I have come to love,’ he says. Inspired by the light in his private art studio in Scarborough, he has continued his tapestry collaborations: his 2025 tapestry exhibition at Thorns Gallery on their farm in Yorkshire was with Stephen’s Tapestry Studio in Joburg.
Upstairs, in the master suite, one of Frances’s works hangs above the bath, and Rorke’s Drift tapestries from the 60s and 70s were sourced on art auctions and brought back to Africa to hang here and in the second bedroom downstairs. Tonic Design’s canary yellow bedroom dresser is a joyful addition to the eclectic collection of furniture in this hideaway, where the value of craftsmanship is honoured around every corner.
There’s a sense of farmhouse here, a sense of Karoo… inspired by favourite places. And there’s harmony in colour. A lilac scabiosa flower nods its head gently in the breeze, the perfect hue to offset the blue-green tiles in the bathroom. Next to the vase, small tiles from the original Linnware Studio add a touch of heritage.
Ceramics from the 60s – collected over years – line the open kitchen shelves, a styled delight. A cedar wood brass-inlaid dining table glints in the late-afternoon light. Just outside the door, is a ‘fantastic little bench – a moving in present from our friend Colleen Penfold, from her country store in Prince Albert. It was made in Die Hel.’ Sit here and you’ll find yourself mesmerised by the reflections in the pool and the view of the sea beyond.
‘For us, we’re not here to sit inside. We love cooking outside and the giant eucalyptus is the “hinge” around which the whole experience hangs with its shade in the day and dappled light in the evenings,’ says Jonathan. ‘When you’re inside, it feels like there are rooms outside. There’s no delineation – it’s cosy inside in winter and gloriously cool in summer.’ The terrace areas are the focus of the outdoor entertaining area with its Karoo reservoir-style pool – a magnet in the summer heat. And the open-air kitchen is a joy to cook in, especially at night when it’s beautifully lit. Who wouldn’t want to with this view and the soundtrack of the ocean from the wild shores of Scarborough below?
Written by Michelle Snaddon