A meticulously site-sensitive architectural approach and restrained yet comfortable interiors characterise architect Yvette van Zyl’s coastal home.

WORDS Robyn Alexander PHOTOGRAPHY Warren Heath

The idea that a structure might nestle cosily into its site while also making a striking visual statement might sound contradictory – but as architect Yvette and Dëon van Zyl’s recently completed home demonstrates, it is indeed possible to beautifully combine these two aspects of design. Situated in the coastal town of Mossel Bay, on South Africa’s world-renowned Garden Route, this home blends conceptual rigour with an easygoing, welcoming atmosphere.

The site’s initial attractions included its combination of having a north-facing aspect and lovely views across the sweep of the bay, as well as the fact that “the building could turn its back on the prevailing winds”, says Yvette. In addition, the couple appreciated the fact that there was enough space to plant a small olive grove in the front garden, “and the privacy it has due to being tucked away with no street frontage”, she adds.

MIXED MATERIALS The use of bold vertical and horizontal elements in the design is key to its success, as is the tactility derived from the deployment of a variety of contrasting natural materials.

Having acquired the property in January 2019, design commenced “after our wedding in March 2019”, Yvette explains, and continued through several months until council approval was obtained in January 2020. Then, while construction was due to commence in April of that year, it had to be placed on hold due to Covid-19 lockdowns until August. But the delay, says Yvette, turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise, as it enabled her “to refine the design after having had the luxury of time to mull things over”. Invaluable to the building process once it finally commenced was contractor Eric Waterson from Procon: “I could not have done it without him and his team,” says Yvette. Eventually, in October 2021, the couple moved into their new home.

this home blends conceptual rigour with an easygoing, welcoming atmosphere

Yvette’s design is striking in its simplicity and linearity, catching the eye on the slope of the hill from some distance away. “[It] evolved through quite a few iterations into a simple parallelogram box that perches upon the existing rock band on site, and cantilevers out with the central outdoor barbecue chimney serving as the main ‘column’ or ‘spindle’ for support,” she explains. She conceptualised the structure using stereotomic principles, “with volumes carved out from the box to result in sculptural, ergonomic space”. This stereotomic approach – as opposed to the more usual tectonic approach to architecture, in which different structural units are assembled together – has resulted in a true feeling of flow throughout the house, with the various spaces working apparently inevitably together.

In addition, Yvette deployed passive design principles such as orientating the building at the optimal angle of 20 degrees east of north for its site-specific light conditions, as well as utilising sufficient overhangs and providing thermal mass.

VINTAGE ELEMENTS The indoor dining table and pendant lamp are vintage finds that complement the mid-century feel of the custom kitchen cabinetry.

Asked about her overall approach to architecture, she responds that it “is usually one of restraint and subtlety, contextual design, and being able to learn from and evolve with each new project – since no two projects are alike and it is important to respond contextually”. Given her deployment of stereotomic principles and the understated, comfortable elegance of her home’s interiors, it also almost doesn’t need to be said that Yvette prefers “humble proportions over ostentatious monstrosities”.

The very tactile, approachable interiors were created via a deliberate contrast between rough, textured finishes and refined detailing. As Yvette puts it, here, “The humble brick was used extensively.” With most of the interior walls finished in bagged brick, a dark grey face brick used for the striking central barbecue chimney, a white-painted brick brise-soleil screen separating the entry and patio, and brick pavers used for both the interior and exterior floors, the house is an object lesson in the creative use of one of the most classic building materials in existence.

Contrasting with the brick is the off-shutter concrete that has been used for ceilings throughout, and in conjunction with precision joinery by Meyer von Wielligh, the mix of materials comes together to form a warm and welcoming result. Skylights throughout provide moments of joy as the sunlight moves down the walls to accentuate the sculptural quality of their curves and highlight the textural richness of the space.

Overall, the feel of the interiors is laidback, and the house would be fairly monochromatic were it not for Yvette’s judicious deployment of splashes of bright colour. The front door is a brilliant blue, for example, as is an eye-catching section of the exterior that also contains one of several porthole-style round windows and other openings, which playfully reference the structure’s seaside location. Similarly, the mosaics used in the bathrooms are in colours chosen “to match the sky, ocean and milkwood trees in the garden”, Yvette says. The sleek bathrooms have a charmingly retro feel reminiscent of mid-century public baths or swimming pools, with floor-to-ceiling mosaic tiles resulting in the creation of fully “wet” rooms.

Asked about their favourite spaces in this gloriously sustaining and comforting home, Dëon selects the views – he is able to enjoy the harbour and Outeniqua mountain vistas from the kitchen while cooking. He loves his morning coffee spot, where he can watch the boats go out to sea and the yachts sailing by. Yvette, on the other hand, says she most likes “to watch the light change through the seasons and wash down the walls from the skylights, to wake up with the sunlight from the vertical slot on the eastern side of the bedroom spreading over the soft curtains and plush carpet... and to read and birdwatch from bed with a view over the harbour and mountains”.

A sensory experience above all else, this visually striking yet profoundly comfortable house both cossets and subtly stimulates its occupants. It is a remarkable expression of its architect’s sensitivity to the site, situation and the organisation of space, and a place anyone would be most fortunate to call home.