“The work on this house was more of a resurrection than a renovation. We live in a throwaway culture where new and fashionable designer stuff is desirable. I wanted to do the opposite, without being confined by trends,” reflects homeowner Dapper De Wet of the 160-year-old farmhouse in the hamlet of Philadelphia, near Cape Town. The house, part of which was being operated as a general store, was bought on a whim five years ago. The pandemic propelled his plans to relocate from Singapore, presenting an opportunity to transform the building while living in it with plenty of time on his hands. First converting a tractor shed into a rustic, barn-like wing, he drew out the house’s full potential, replacing and repairing heritage features and infusing it with décor inspiration and pieces collected while traveling.
The travel photographer and financier, raised on a remote village farm, hadn’t called South Africa home for decades. Relocating to Philadelphia (population 570), he faced the challenge of accommodating farm heirlooms that had been in storage for decades with furniture that had graced his apartments from Moscow to Sri Lanka. “In some ways, I designed the house around everything that came out of my storage crates,” laughs Dapper. “I’ve been collecting pieces that interested me for decades, and they finally all have a home under one roof. It felt like being reunited with old friends. I started with the furniture and worked backward.”
The most pressing concern was to create a place to live while renovating. Dapper designated the garage for this, embracing the double barn doors, exposed brick-and-mud walls and corrugated iron roof. He transformed the attic into private mezzanine sleeping quarters perched above a living room, linked by a wooden staircase featuring reclaimed iron road barriers. It now connects to the main house but retains its own aesthetic, with farm tools, equipment and other memory-infused pieces from his childhood.
“I wanted to respect the house,” says Dapper. “It felt appropriate to explore a rustic farmhouse feel with the shed. But a lot of my newer furniture, like the four-poster bed, was picked up in Sri Lanka and has a Dutch Colonial feel,” he says. These pieces found a natural crossover with the house’s original footprint, with its beautifully carved doors and high wooden ceilings.
The shed links with a central dining room, open on one side, to create an airy, transitional space that opens on three sides to the kitchen, guest room wings, and entrance passage. The kitchen unapologetically retains its traditional roots, transporting one into a cozy room featuring a wood-fired stove, glass-fronted wooden cabinet and an assortment of humble, vintage kitchenware. “When friends visit, they inevitably comment on something that reminds them of their childhood and the nostalgia it invokes,” describes Dapper.
With clusters of pieces grouped throughout the house, a similar ode to the Victorian roots is expressed in the guest bedrooms. However, the guest bathrooms have a spa-like disposition, inspired by the earthy design elements and tones of Asian bathrooms. Ornate wooden shutters have been reworked into vanities, copper shower fittings cling to wooden cladded walls and the concrete flooring contributes to the raw feel.
While the house dates from 1860, Dapper reflects that he is only the sixth owner. This, he states, came with a responsibility to retain and celebrate its character. “My soul has gone into this place. It’s a home that makes me feel very connected with my roots.”
Photography by Warren Heath.
For more like this farmhouse, be sure to check out this historic home curated by a passionate collector.
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