Shadow Lands
Zimbali, Ballito

Overlooking the warm Indian Ocean and earthy shore of Ballito, is this holiday home to a family of five. The brief to Michele and her team included three important points; to be a comfortable abode for ultimate relaxation, to accommodate the family’s outdoorsy lifestyle and finally, to have an element of fun.

The latter was the starting point where Michele and her team designed a bar for the large open plan living area that informed the rest of the space’s orientation and design.

Flowing into the heart of the home, the kitchen has a stark blackboard wall that has become somewhat of an ‘interactive art installation’ that’s not just for shopping and to-do lists but canvases the interesting illustrations of teenage-hood by the three teens who call it their home-away form home. And talking of art, the team’s knowledge of the local design and art scenes is evident in their choice of items, which together read like the A-list of South Africa’s current design and art stars.

Seeing as though it is the family’s holiday home a sense of calm and relaxation also had to prevail. This was achieved by taking advantage of the close proximity to nature around the home; sea, forest and open blue sky. Michele and her team opted for a toned down yet rich colour palette of blues and greens providing the backdrop to fittings, furnishings and accessories with neutral shades, which had the effect of layered light and brightness.

Pops of colour in the artworks and a considered mix of materials such as glass, mirror, metal and timber reflected the already generous natural light creating that sense of wonder one would expect from a contemporary beach house in a sub-tropical location.