A profusion of brilliant cerise-and-white bougainvilleas, intermingled with blue plumbago ‘Royal Cape’, juggle for position at the front door, making a bold statement and giving the impression that there is an expansive property behind the walls. In reality, both the house and garden are small, but clever architectural elements create an illusion of a larger space.
Frameless floor-to-ceiling glass fold-back doors create a seamless flow between house and garden, and thus allow the garden to become another ‘room’. Echoing the shape of the pool’s arched and tiled backdrop, the large-paned window invites the warm afternoon sun in during the winter months.
The pool pump is concealed behind a low retaining wall that has been plastered to match the exterior of the house. An abundance of terracotta pots planted with bright annuals selected to reflect the colours of the tiled backdrop, add height to the garden. These are replanted each season for constant colour. Vegetables and herbs flourish happily among the hollyhocks.
The swimming pool was proportioned to fit the scale of house and garden. Painted charcoal, the pool has a cement, moulded coping surround. Aged ceramic tiles set into a simple cement frame were carefully chosen for their beauty and strength of colour. Dominant but informal greenery transform the pool into a natural water feature, as opposed to a mere swimming pool.
After downsizing considerably from a large Sandton property in Johannesburg to a more compact townhouse-style home in Bishopscourt, Cape Town, Helen Beatty wanted a home that would provide easy living and offer a lock-up-and-go lifestyle.
The deliberately aged, ancienne-style pale chocolate-coloured walls and heavy wooden farmhouse entrance door give one a sense that the house has been around longer than its seven years. It wouldn’t seem out of place in an old Italian Tuscan village.
In keeping with the house, the garden shares the same centuries-old ambience, and has been intentionally planted to appear slightly ‘wild’ by talented gardener Peter Ascham, a close friend of Helen’s who also advised on the choice of indigenous and other plants.
This balcony overlooking the treetops provides just enough room for a game of bridge, one of Helen’s passions.
‘I love a riot of bright colours. They must mingle and intertwine, as there are no colours in nature that clash.’