Orchard Cottage.

Orchard Cottage is a weekend house in Riebeek-Kasteel in the Western Cape, completed in 2022. The project began with a previously undeveloped site planted with olive trees, lemon trees and a small clearing towards the rear of the property.

The house was settled among the existing trees with care, retaining most of the orchard and repositioning others where necessary. Set well back behind the trees, the house still lives towards the street, as many of the historic houses in Riebeek-Kasteel do. This gives the cottage a direct relationship with the town while allowing it to feel quiet, shaded and protected within the orchard.

The plan is modest and carefully resolved. The main house contains the everyday living spaces and two bedrooms, while a third bedroom and laundry are accommodated in a separate outbuilding. This gives the house useful flexibility: intimate enough for a small family weekend, but able to expand when guests visit or when the property is rented.

The architecture draws on the Cape vernacular traditions of the town without becoming nostalgic or self-conscious. Reclaimed sliding sash windows, simple white interiors and timberwork carefully detailed in our drawings and meticulously crafted by specialist joiners give the house a quiet familiarity. Its strength lies in proportion, restraint and the ease with which life can unfold between house, garden, pool and street.

The result is a weekend home that felt settled into its site almost immediately. It is simple, comfortable and quietly generous — a place shaped by the client's clear understanding of atmosphere, the character of Riebeek-Kasteel and the pleasure of living well in a small house.

Orchard Cottage is available as a weekend stay. Please go ahead and visit.