Perched on a hill in one of the most beautiful regions of Cape Town, South Africa, this extraordinary residence is one of the most recent and most amazing projects completed by the architects at SAOTA. It’s a family home unlike any other you’ve seen not just because of its rather odd appearance but also because of its wonderful connection with nature. One of the ways in which this is achieved is very obvious and has everything to do with the inverted pyramid roof. This design allowed the architects to frame the top floor of the house in glass, creating a clerestory window around the volume.
The glazed upper floor glows at night, being the only exposed part of the houseAlthough the house looks very contained and simple on the street side, at the back it unfolds and embraces its surroundingsThe rear of the house opens towards the garden, featuring large sliding glass doors
The building is organized on three floors. The lower level contains a guest room, a cinema room, a gym and the garage. The one in the middle houses the bedrooms and the work spaces while the one at the top holds most of the social areas: an open plan kitchen, a dining space and a lounge area. What very interesting is the fact not the upper floor is one the only one which has a close relationship with the outdoors. Each level is in fact connected to its own set of gardens and courtyard spaces.
A stone wall conceals most of the house on the street side, offering privacy for the bottom floorsThe front door is large and made of metal and it has a pivoting systemThe entrance lobby is visibly connected to the outdoors through a large window facing the courtyardThe clerestory windows which frame the upper floor allow natural light and views of the sky and the nearby mountains inside the houseIt’s quite amazing and also a bit curious how the spaces manage to feel so open and so intimate and cozy at the same timeThe living spaces clustered on the top floor enjoy panoramic views of the city and the wonderful landscape surrounding the houseThe kitchen, in spite of having an open floor plan, looks and feels like a separate, cozy nookA secret courtyard is contained between the house and the stone wall. It’s the link between the internal areas and the outside worldThe spectacular, uninterrupted view of the city is the living room’s main focal pointIn order to allow the focus to remain of the views and the connection between the house and its surroundings, the color palette is kept simpleThe lounge area is framed by seamless, panoramic views and features two eye-catching and comfy armchairsThe house also featuring this amazing infinity edge pool and a small wooden deckThe infinity edge swimming pool stands between the living space and the city skylineThe artwork and decorations in general are minimal throughout the houseA large and sophisticated home office occupies a section of the middle floor and features an entire wall of bookshelvesThe interior courtyard is fully exposed and can be admired from the areas of the house that frame itEach of the three levels is connected to its own set of garden and courtyard spacesThe bathrooms are as stylish as the rest of the house, featuring white marble walls and glass enclosuresThe palette of materials and finishes used throughout is reduced to only a few natural onesThe lighting throughout the house is perfectly on point, highlight the best design features in every space
