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the house on the hill After 26 happy years in a rambling farmhouse decorated to the rafters and filled with their blended family of six children, Ampie and Jeanette Pretorius started afresh on a blank canvas. www.lowveldlivingmagazine.com 69
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As soon as we saw the stand on Likweti we knew it was the place because of the views of Legogote and the mountains going into the gorge. We had no option he Pretoriuses moved from Piet Retief to their smallholding on the outskirts of White River almost three decades ago to set up their furnishing and décor business in Nelspruit. Our farmhouse was full, says Jeanette, speaking from House of Class, the interiors store she and Ampie opened 27 years ago. Every wall was covered with photos of the family. Every surface had something on it. We had furniture, carpets, everything you can imagine in an eight-bedroom house vol dinge. We had a huge kitchen with a big oak table and we all used to sit around that table with all these baskets and goetjies hanging from the rafters. About a year ago, their children who are all grown up and out of the house, suggested it was time for their parents to consider downsizing. The couple set about looking for a property that would make the right setting for the next chapter of their lives. We didn t want to move away from the climate we knew and we didn t want to move into town. We both grew up on farms and we wanted to keep that farm feeling. Finally we found something and we were literally standing on the piece of ground, about to sign the purchase agreement, when Ampie received a call on his cell phone and it was Nico van Zyl, one of the developers of Likweti. He said Please come and have a look. It was love at first sight. As soon as we saw the stand at Likweti we knew it was the place because of the views of Legogote and the mountains going into the gorge. We had no option, says Jeanette. Fate had stepped in, but the decision was not without its challenges. The developers had established the architectural guidelines for houses on the estate. The Pretoriuses already had plans drawn up for the house they wanted. I wanted a farm house, says Jeanette. But the slope of the land called for a rewrite of that idea. Instead of a farmhouse, Ampie and Jeanette went on to build a contemporary home with a nod to the Far East in its decorative touches. The couple have been traveling to the East, particularly Bali, on business for the shop for many years. It was inevitable that the influence of the Far East would rub off a little. I brought in a bit of the Bali colonial feel. My doors are Balinese, but I didn t want a fully Balinese house. The house that evolved is modern colonial in that it is true to its Lowveld vernacular, yet has a distinctly contemporary design. Despite the furrowed brows caused by having to adapt their original house plans for a different setting, the architect incorporated Jeanette s non-negotiables in the new layout. >> www.lowveldlivingmagazine.com 71
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It s interesting how quickly you find out that you can live without a lot of things www.lowveldlivingmagazine.com 73
Each guest room has a private deck and Jeanette can sit in the bath and look at the mountains and the aloes. In keeping with the estate s rules, the garden is fully indigenous. Guided by Neil Fishwick, the owner of a nursery by the same name, Jeanette planted agapanthus en mass as well as several hundred clivias. We planted lots of trees and have no lawn, only bush and the beautiful rocks with the wild fig trees growing among them. We are going to make little name plates for the trees, for my grandchildren and great grandchildren, says Jeanette. After decades of buying homeware for the shop, the impulse to decorate is deeply embedded in Jeanette. It was a leap for her to move into what she describes as a minimalist home, partly due to the urging of their children, but also so that when we travel we can just lock up and go. It was a practical idea but she concedes, I m still battling. I see a kaal surface and I want to put something there, but I can t. But I m managing, she says, so far. When we sold our old house, we sold it with everything, says Jeanette, right down to the spoons and the décor items. It was quite literally a brand new start. The previous chapter is over, says Jeanette. Now that I can t decorate, to keep myself happy, every Friday I buy fresh flowers for the rooms in my new house. I thought we would struggle a lot more to let go of all our stuff, but we really haven t. It s interesting how quickly you find out that you can live without a lot of things. After 26 years it was a new beginning for us in a new house and without our children and family and grandchildren living on the same property. Gradually we will hand over the business to our son Martin. Dis ons retirement huisie, says Jeanette, We are so happy here with this incredible setting. What more could we want? 74 LOWVELD LIVING ISSUE 43
Suppliers House Plans Albert Oelofse Architectural Design Studio, Nelspruit, 013 7440557 Builder Morning Dew, Nelspruit, 082 441 8957 Garden Fishwick s Wholesale Nursery, Alkmaar, 082 802 5320 / 082 907 7569 Curtains and blinds Lilita Interiors, Nelspruit, 082 779 3053, Mpumalanga Blinds and Flooring, Nelspruit, 013 752 3082 Paint Paint and Place, Nelspruit, 013 752 4625. Built-in cupboards The Cabinetmaker, Nelspruit, 079 888 6110 Patio railings and metalwork Steel Image, Nelspruit, 013 752-7589 Likweti Estate, 082 807 1008, www.likweti.co.za www.lowveldlivingmagazine.com 75