Mini marvel
This sleek yet laid-back modular-design cabin in South Africa is the perfect place to create a lifetime of holiday memories.
WORDS Robyn Alexander PHOTOGRAPHY Warren Heath / Bureaux PRODUCTION Sven Alberding
Having spent large portions of their teenage years surfing along the coastline, Nathalie Ammann and John Blignaut know Pringle Bay very well. This tiny coastal hamlet, situated just over an hour’s drive from Cape Town, South Africa, within a pristine, protected natural area, is also where they built their recently completed holiday cottage, dubbed The Tintin Cabin.
“The mountains are incredibly beautiful here, and the ocean between Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay is so varied,” says Nathalie.
The couple has always enjoyed exploring the area on holidays away from their day-to-day routine. John is a remote-working fractional business developer and Nathalie manages her family’s farm, Rozendal, where she also makes an award-winning range of botanical vinegars. After a weekend spent hiking in the nearby Kogelberg mountains in 2018, they decided to look at properties in Pringle Bay. “On a bit of a whim,” says Nathalie. “It started off with a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves – and a small budget.”
They found something they liked and made an offer, and lost out to another purchaser. But shortly thereafter, a property came on the market that met most of their criteria: “Budget; walking distance from the beach; a large plot filled with indigenous fynbos vegetation,” says Nathalie. “The plan was always to build within five years from buying the land, while our daughter Amelia was still young enough so we could spend her childhood there making beautiful memories.”
So during the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, Nathalie and John began to research all the modular, prefabricated cabin options that were on the market. At the time, these sorts of modular builds were experiencing a huge surge in popularity, but were still a new concept – especially in South Africa – and it wasn’t easy to decide. After some detailed research, Nathalie and John decided to go with Cape Town-based Mobile Maisonette, helmed by architect Jed Kritzinger.
“Our kitchen is compact but we kitted it out carefully, as we love to cook here,” says Nathalie. Tucked away in the mezzanine space above the kitchen is Amelia’s bedroom, accessed by a ladder in the hallway.
Simplicity reigns in the main bedroom, where a rattan headboard, ceramic pendant lights and curtains made by Nathalie and John add low-key textures.
The green and coral colour scheme is continued into the bathroom, where the shower space is defined by finger tiles. The pill-shaped mirror cleverly conceals storage space.
“We liked the simplicity of the Mobile Maisonette design,” says Nathalie, “and the fact that its Farmhouse Cabin was bigger than many of the other modular cabins available. It was within our budget, and we could make modifications to the interiors.”
The couple was Mobile Maisonette’s very first commissioning client, and everything went relatively smoothly. Working with Jed was a pleasure, as he brought a lot of experience to the process,
says Nathalie.
Given the newness of the modular concept and the timing at the tail end of the pandemic, getting plans approved took a while, but the build commenced in August 2022 and was completed by mid-December.
Creating the interiors has been a great opportunity to have a bit of fun and create something very different, says Nathalie. The concept was to drench the cabin in colour, although making decisions about how bold or subtle to go led to some lengthy discussions. “I tend to be more conservative, and John pushes us to have more fun.”
They got some valuable guidance from friend and colour specialist Jani Goussard. “Our concept was how the ocean and fynbos worlds mimic each other in colour and form – hence the misty greens and peachy corals,” says Nathalie. The original result combines a confident and contemporary look with a very restful feel.
The section on which the cabin is set is large – 913sqm – and one of the couple’s ongoing pleasures is working on their fully indigenous garden. “We still feel like we would like even more privacy, and to create a real sanctuary,” says Nathalie. “We’ve planted keurbooms, camphor bushes, leucadendrons and wild olives to create a berm mimicking what grows here naturally.” There are two footpaths through the beautifully burgeoning garden: one winds towards the cabin and the other leads down to the beach.
There’s so much to explore, close by in the garden, at the shoreline, and in the area surrounding Pringle Bay, so it’s no wonder that Amelia, Nathalie and John spend a large portion of their time at the cabin. “We like to come here during the school holidays and at least once a month for a weekend as well.”
The family enjoys preparing and cooking meals here, and foraging for wild mussels on the rocks at the beach is a regular pastime. “We always spend the Christmas holidays here, when John’s family – with multitudes of Amelia’s cousins – are in Pringle Bay too,” adds Nathalie.
With the cabin’s effortlessly relaxed appeal and unique natural setting, it’s very easy to imagine the many wonderful times this young family will spend here over the years to come.
“Our kitchen is compact but we kitted it out carefully, as we love to cook here,” says Nathalie. Tucked away in the mezzanine space above the kitchen is Amelia’s bedroom, accessed by a ladder in the hallway.
The green and coral colour scheme is continued into the bathroom, where the shower space is defined by finger tiles. The pill-shaped mirror cleverly conceals storage space.
Simplicity reigns in the main bedroom, where a rattan headboard, ceramic pendant lights and curtains made by Nathalie and John add low-key textures.
