skulphuis, hermanus

Our clients purchased a subdivided property in Hermanus with spectacular views over Walker Bay. A typical solidly built 1950s Hermanus beach house was straddling the property, with the division line running right through the house. Our clients acquired the section of the property which also housed the original garages and storerooms. We were asked to plan a project which would be done in two phases. For the first phase, the old house would be partly demolished: our clients wanted to retain their section of the house intact; their neighbours didn’t.

We would conduct the demolition, but would then salvage all the reusable building materials, which we would use in phase one of our project. Hence, after demolition we were left with half a house and the outbuildings; two similarly shaped, square, hipped-roof structures around which both phases of the project would be designed. For phase one, we would rebuild their half-demolished house to create an open living/dining/kitchen space, a bedroom, a study, and an artist studio in the roof space.

All the building rubble was used as fill to create new terraces and raised platforms for future extensions. The old slate roof tiles were used to build planters and structures around the garden. The old kitchen units were restored and installed in the living space as a temporary kitchen, and a dining room table was constructed out of the roof rafters. We crushed seashells which were mixed into the wall plaster, and to make the cement floor a bit more interesting, my client rolled patterns into the wet floor surface. During demolition, the very special Oregon roof structure of the house was exposed, and I took this, along with my clients’ passion for gardens, bonsais, and their wish for a conservatory, as my inspiration for the design language of the project.

For phase two, a timber and glass conservatory, serving as a kitchen and morning room where my clients can fully enjoy their passion for good food and cooking, was added to link the outbuildings to the main house. This allows sunlight to enter the heart of the house. The glass walls and timber-slatted screens of the conservatory disappear into cavity walls, transforming the space into an open-air verandah. The completed structure and the surrounding garden boundary walls created garden ‘rooms’ which lead off this space. These protected areas are ideal for entertaining and for where my client can tend to his bonsais. The rebuilt outbuildings are linked to the conservatory by a sculptural spiral staircase which leads up to a multifunctional loft space overlooking the kitchen. This space provides an extra sleeping area, ample storage, a TV room, and a shell-shaped guest bathroom tucked into the last rounding of the staircase.

The old staff rooms, laundry, storerooms, and garages downstairs now house the back-of-house kitchen, a pantry, the garages, and an outside guest cottage and bathroom. All the rooms in the house are orientated towards the ocean, some with unrestricted, some with cameo views. All the finishes in the house reflect the clients’ love for all things natural, and the extended walls provide ample space for them to display their art. The openness and earthiness of the house underlines their welcoming, relaxed way of living.