Property Details

Not only is this Africa’s most famous heritage site and steeped in archeological history, but it is now the home of Reflection, a botanical ‘waterscape’ of epic proportions that lies adjacent to the Nirox Sculpture Park. Nirox is an art destination spanning 30 hectares with more than 50 permanent and long-term installations by artists from across the globe. The joy of living here today, of course, is that together also they form part of the 1 000-hectare Kkatlhamphi reserve, where giraffe and antelope roam freely. For the past 23 years, the owner of the property – an ‘artistic’ landscape contractor – has been working together with Patrick Watson, renowned landscape architect, on some of South Africa’s most ambitious landscaping projects. Together they have made this dream project come to life, starting with a pool that became a dam … and then evolving into an intricate network of dams, pools and ponds. In the process, ancient rock formations were revealed, dams were filled by a constantly flowing natural spring, and over time birds and wildlife have thrived. The landscaping took ten years, and the house was completed in 2018. Today, the home is surrounded by one of the most peaceful yet complex botanical waterscapes in the world. Spanning 25 hectares of artistic landscaping, reflective lakes, meandering streams, babbling springs and natural waterfalls, Japanese-inspired rills, ‘water staircases’ and meditative pools are now at the heart of this UNESCO-protected Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site with its riverine woodland of Celtis africana (white stinkwood) and Combretum erythrophyllum (river bushwillow), some over 300-years-old. Inspired by the simple vernacular of greenhouses, the home’s contemporary architecture is low-slung and sensitively integrated into the landscape. Muted interiors complement stone detailing and glass corridors allow seamless connection with the outdoors. House and Leisure magazine recently featured the property in their article ‘The Green House’, and aptly described it as a ‘high-tech, shed-inspired home’, yet there’s a glamour and sophistication that combines the best of an ‘agricultural style that connects the landscape back to one of its architectural relics – an original 1800s farm cottage’ – and to the family story. The owner bought the farm to be close to nature, so he wanted to ensure it remained connected. ‘It’s why we used materials from the area, quarrying stone from the site itself to keep it integrated with the landscape, and slung the house low to keep it a part of the tree canopy,’ said Patrick, who went on to explain that the house was designed like a village, ‘a series of boxes, surrounded by a tall, fortress-like wall’. Raw stone was used to add impact in the generous kitchen and around the fireside pier on the banks of the river, where many evenings are spent admiring the stars and listening to the rustle of the trees. A rare slab of marble was used in the main bathroom and the bedrooms feel like conservatories with outdoor showers further adding to a connection with nature and a view of the trees from every angle through floor-to-ceiling windows. None of the trees were removed in the build and so it feels as though you’re sleeping in a forest – exactly as Patrick had intended. ‘You want to feel the forest around you,’ he explained. A dramatic 38-m glass-lined passage ends in a custom-designed pivot door, skylights let in light in below a canopy of ancient Combretums, and once up on the roof garden, where indigenous planting offers shade and greenery for the glass bathroom roofs, it’s possible to understand the depth of vision for this ambitious project. This is indeed a rather special story of land art, of engineering, of nature. As Via TV’s Tuin Toere programme recently commented, ‘this restfulness cannot be bought with money’. It is simply unique. Wonderful area Great investment Fantastic opportunity