This mountainside Cape Town home has a flavour of the Aegean
Locations don’t get much better than a spot at the foot of Lion’s Head mountain, overlooking Cape Town and the sea. Which is lucky, because this house had little else going for it before its recent renovation.
Looking to inject some love into the property, its new owners approached interior architect Marlon Leggat with a single reference: an image of a dreamy, whitewashed holiday villa in the Greek Cyclades.
Following an extensive transformation, the home, with its five bedrooms, gym, office, playroom and separate guest studio, feels spacious but somehow also cosy. Its crisp, white façade is punctuated by deep-set windows and dry-packed stone walls, which nod to the traditional island architecture of the Mediterranean.
Inside, the layered yet pared-back interiors stick to a simple palette of raw granite, honed Spanish marble, rattan and jute with white-rendered walls and rich terracotta, dark-walnut and deep-blue details.
‘Working on this project for almost two years allowed me time to source unusual objects and partner with local craftspeople to create custom-made pieces that make this home unique,’ says Marlon. Blue-and-white striped textiles are a motif throughout – a subtle nod to the seaside location and the Greek-island style beloved by the owners.
Aegean inspiration was also key outdoors, with landscaper Kate Mason, from the nearby Greenhouse at Montebello, looking to Greece’s terraced farmlands when creating a tiered garden, with sections held up using local stone.
Olive trees, cork oaks and indigenous grasses help the building to blend into the slopes of the mountain, while Cape-granite boulders placed around the pool are another reminder of the home’s unique position (you’ll spot one particularly large example holding up the kitchen island).
Having had a revamp that feels like a complete overhaul, this home has kept only the most important elements from its predecessor: its location, its clever use of space and its remarkable, uninterrupted views of the ocean.
