Who isn’t over those pretentiously minimalist, pale-palated Southern Peninsula villas where it’s de rigueur to eat only white food and where parents are advised to roll their children in cling-wrap and seal both ends?
Welcome to the casual cool of a holiday house where wooden floors welcome sandy feet. Because this beach house is well-known South African artist Beezy Bailey’s holiday home and the relaxed atmosphere is testament to the family’s love of the place.
In the spacious lounge, windows are flung open wide and jewel-coloured, silk curtains billow. Beezy’s Chinese gangster cushions glower from the couch – a spark of personality from the artist himself whose signature textiles cover much of the comfortable furniture throughout. Above, beautiful yellowwood rafters (from which the house gets its name) form a unique tower whilst below eclectic artwork covers the walls. The cheery, open-plan dining area leads to the kitchen where fragrant lavender hangs over an island of funky glasswear.
Wandering deeper into the house you’ll find a sunny family room with the requisite over-stuffed daybed, ideal for lounging with a cold beer and one eye on the Test Match. Alternatively, you can do exactly that from the jacuzzi if you simply roll the telly out of the French doors! Summer scents linger and an inviting turquoise pool glints under a hot sun. The generous bleached deck begs for long family brunches or evening BBQs (there’s even an outdoor pizza oven) and stretches to a rambling Mediterranean garden, nudged by a mountain backdrop.
The upstairs houses all the bedrooms… and a peek into each reveals more delightful textiles, colourful crystal chandeliers, a wooden Zanzibar bed and other quirky oddities all offset by large balconies, each with sprawling views and a front seat to any whale watching action in False Bay.
Situated on sought-after Quarterdeck Road, the house is 30 mins from Cape Town city center and about 40 mins from the airport along the beautiful coastal road. It’s also only a hop-skip-and-a-jump (with no horror staircases) from wonderfully kooky Kalk Bay and its mix of craft shops, art galleries, restaurants, beach bars and one of the best breakfasts in Cape Town at the Olympia Café. Sheltered from the wind, the house also gets the sunlight much longer than the rest of Kalk Bay and is hidden from the road, giving it a secure, private feel and a rest from any traffic noise. There’s also a garage to park your car off-road.