t h i s pa g e A glass cube, which is used as an all-purpose family room, connects the house with the garden and lap pool o p p o s i t e Materials from the original house have been recycled and incorporated into the new home, such as the wooden garden wall which was made using rafters from the old roof NATURAL SELECTION Flying distinctly green colours, a city home wedged in a valley enjoys the best of both worlds: a mountain setting in the urban jungle 60 ELLE DECORATION Text Les Aupiais Production Laureen Rossouw Photographs Mark Williams ELLE DECORATION 61
Sliding doors remove the barriers between house and garden, giving the home an excellent inside-outside flow. Originally designed as a solid wall, the upper windows now have a tantalising view of Devil s Peak 62 ELLE DECORATION ELLE DECORATION 63
TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS AGO, ARCHITECT Antonio Zaninovic stood in Jeff Liss and Jo Springthorpe s front garden gazing back past their house to where Table Mountain rose beyond the trees. Here, we can do marvellous things, he told the couple. To the north of the property and below lay the city and harbour; by day, a mosaic of rooftops, by night a small galaxy of lights. The house sat in a magical path, a perfect sliver of space with Devil s Peak at its flank. Jeff and Jo, along with their son Oscar, had lived in the two-bedroom stippled plaster and slate house for more than four years and loved it, but felt it was time to make a change or move on. They found that Antonio was able to interpret their passion for sustainable living, build on the original footprint, create a new home with deceptively abundant space and keep to the budget. But it was the young Chilean architect s understanding of the home s bones that made a difference: it would be built from scratch, but a thread of its intrinsic DNA would remain. The rafters were recycled to make up a wall of wood with a natural patina and texture, while the stone wall backing the pool is granite, excavated on-site. A year later, the house has settled into its new skin: hot plants bake happily on the north side; mountain-loving fynbos finds new purchase to the south and tickey creeper edges tendril by tendril over a high neighbouring wall. If the new house pays homage to the reusable, quality materials of its past, Jo wanted the soft furnishings to do the same. Her years of modelling and fashion editing have whisked her all over the world, where she d be drawn not to couture, but to markets and antique shops in search of vintage fabric. Many of her much-loved retro materials have found new life as cushion covers and bedspreads. Jo and Antonio have also designed a furniture range together and their ironwood, stone pine and wrought-iron occasional chairs and tables extend the forest metaphor. It s a green-blooded home in many respects. The colours are a combination of soft greys, white and wood. On the top floor, hard-wearing and sustainable bamboo flooring is silky underfoot. Entire walls of glass can be retracted, opening the house to natural ventilation. Jeff, a passionate conservationist, spent a great deal of time with Antonio (by now a close friend) working out where windows could be placed to maximise this natural air flow. Watching the path of the sun, they also calculated where sunlight would fall, so they could minimise the use of artificial light. Antonio made sure that the house was built along eco-smart lines so that the owners can expand its green credentials in the future. In the end, he says, it s a balance of different things spaces and elements that live in harmony. n t h i s pa g e As a former model and fashion editor, Jo Springthorpe collected vintage fabrics on her international travels, which she now recycles as throws and cushions o p p o s i t e The wrought-iron and ironwood furniture in the living room was designed by Jo and Antonio. The two easy chairs are South African originals bought from a vintage shop in Stanford 64 ELLE DECORATION ELLE DECORATION 65
t h i s pa g e, f r o m left Suspended concrete stairs lead upwards to the bedrooms, bathrooms and a reading room; the two paintings are by contemporary South African artist Walter Meyer. Wall in Stone Blue by Earthcote o p p o s i t e The artworks used as splashbacks are by architect Lorenzo Nassimbeni. The Eero Saarinen dining table was sourced from Eddie Zoom THE KITCHEN Cook, work, play & read The galley kitchen with its clean lines is a subtle visual continuation of the overall house design. A utilitarian space, it extends from the dining area and glass alcove where the family spends much time relaxing (Oscar can often be found designing structures from a small Bauhaus kit on the dining table). The floor is light-grey concrete screed that flows through the dining area and living room. The long, practical working surfaces are hard-wearing Caesarstone. Low-voltage lighting mounted in a recess behind the top units provides the work surfaces with extra illumination. In contrast, kiaat cupboard doors maintain the warm, wood theme running throughout the house. The storage units have aluminium handles, an unobtrusive horizontal design that barely registers as a functional handle. Spring-loaded drawers slide closed automatically. Bulky appliances (fridge, microwave, washing machine) are tucked away in a scullery off the kitchen, which leaves the gas stove to take centre stage. A built-in water filter provides a more eco-friendly alternative to bottled water. 66 ELLE DECORATION ELLE DECORATION 67
JO S LITTLE BLACK BOOK Architect Antonio Zaninovic Architecture Studio % 021 424 5043; www.antoniozaninovic.com Builder Berrisford Construction % 021 448 1659 Structural engineer Robert Hart of Design Tech % 021 794 0655 Bespoke furniture www.antoniozaninovic.com, jojo.springthorpe@gmail.com Kiaat and ash occasional chairs Origin % 021 418 0368 Kiaat storage units Sean von Stein % 082 448 1049 Dining table Eddie Zoom % 072 661 4667 Eurogas hob Eurafrican % 011 880 5980, 021 511 3925; www.eurafrican.co.za Kitchen counters Caesarstone % 011 822 1350, 021 511 2353, 031 577 2828; www.caesarstone.co.za Under-counter water purifier H 2 O International % 0800 492 837; www.h2o.co.za Mixer On Tap % 011 312 1942, 021 442 5418, 031 368 6161, 041 364 0919; www.ontap.co.za Bathroom mosaic tiles Pudlo SA % 021 448 0607; www.pudlo.co.za Artwork Walter Meyer www.waltermeyer.co.za Lorenzo Nassimbeni www.lorenzonassimbeni.com Bamboo floors and Japanese Shoji screens Cabinetworks % 021 422 3830; www.cabinetworks.co.za Advice on planting an indigenous garden Richard Jamieson and Trish Hutton-Squire from Kirstenbosch Gardens % 021 799 8783 t h i s pa g e From this aspect, the home s design is reminiscent of a contemporary tree house with exceptional views over the city o p p o s i t e, f r o m left The pattern on the green throw speaks to the sun-dappled forest beyond the spare bedroom s sliding doors; in the bathroom, a waterfall of green mosaic tiles is lit by a small skylight 68 ELLE DECORATION ELLE DECORATION 69