We love a jolly holiday in the seaside hamlet of Scarborough. Traversing the rugged nature trails and strolling the long stretches of sand. Catching the spectacular surf, sitting in quirky cafés and delicatessens, and meandering the weekend markets of the Southern Peninsula. The village comprises of a diverse community of creatives and farmers, architects, entrepreneurs and young families that bring an intriguing energy to the place. Instilling a lovely laidback approach to beach living in Cape Town.
It’s apparent that the owners of Casa Sanchia have extracted the very essence of this magical town and harnessed it into their home. Like something out of Morocco, the house moves in curves and arches that soften the square construct. You’ll see it in all four of the ensuite bedrooms. In the carved-out shelving on the walls, down the staircases, in the cupboards, the cabinetry and the countertops, the recliners, the headboards, the windows and the mirrors. A cyclical story that implores you to go with the holiday flow. Just as the curvaceous bends of the home do.
Set on two levels of Mediterranean-inspired living, dining, reclining and entertaining spaces, this hideaway gradually reveals its hidden, lulling spots that stagger themselves around the home. Every area considered and every detail added with intent. Pockets of worldly inspiration pop up around the curves and corners of Casa Sanchia.
Stories from the owners’ travels around Greece and Morocco, Portugal and Spain cascade down corridors, around the resting rooms and outdoor reading nooks. On the upstairs terrace and in the mammoth pyjama lounge, under the outdoor shower and beside the braai and pizza oven area. Through the beautiful gardens, where the Waterberry tree mimics the folds and arches of the house. Its branches shading the seating around the fire-pit and reaching across the swimming pool.
Flowing forms, grounded in calm
Natural light nurtures every room courtesy of all of the windows and doors. A dreamy view of the ocean flanks the canopy of the tree from the upstairs terrace. Just the spot for morning deep-dives into your holiday novel, and evening gatherings to salute the sun.
The beach is minutes away from the house, so you’ll dart back and forth from the surf with a carefree, barefoot frolic. Stopping for chats with a like-minded community of residents and holiday makers, that somehow add another level of magic to the town.
There will be plenty of hikes in the nature reserve, exploring new routes each time you head out onto the trails. Blending your time with as much activity as there will be entertaining. Cooking from the fabulous kitchen, sitting around the dining tables for hours, and letting the days gently unfold as you choose. There’s something about this town that’s delightfully social.
Always a great conversation to be had, the raconteurs of the clan will be in their element. Picking a new spot for their next session of storytelling, as if it’s the home trying to share its own tales through the vessel of a human voice. Casa Sanchia evokes it all; the stillness and the calm, the excited and energised, the romantic and imaginative, and the quiet and contemplative. Harnessing the essence of Scarborough in its contemporary bones, for you to shape and bend and curve and carve out your own special memories.
Written by Colleen Ogilvie