Open Seas
A dreamy seaside cottage with a candy-colored interior and a sweeping, ocean-facing deck strikes the perfect balance between fun and functionality.
WRITTEN BY LORI COHEN
PHOTOGRAPHED BY WARREN HEATH PRODUCED BY SVEN ALBERDING
SEA VIEW. Adding a deck to the small cottage transformed it into a breezy, livable space where views of the sea dominate. To create visual interest and vary the dappled light, the pergola was constructed with a ship-like hull shape.
|ABOVE, RIGHT| MANTEL WHIMSY. Dané chose to dress the fireplace and mantel with colored marble and vintage children’s books to reflect the bright and playful ambience the couple wanted to create in the living area.
The new owners of this beach cottage
that’s tucked into the mountain above the seaside village of St. James in South Africa knew that the house needed vision and TLC. However, the charming features and breezy lifestyle it promised were precisely the kind of project floral designers Dané Erwee and Chris Willemse had been aching to get their hands on.
“We held out for a decade to find a property that had uninterrupted views,” explains Dané, one half of the creative team behind OKASIE, Cape Town’s floral and event company.