Design & Lifestyle Blog

This 4000 m² property is located in Bryanston, South Africa , the beautiful villa is designed by Nico Van Der Meulen. The splendor lies in its magnificent scale yet light impression, the transparency and horizontal span of its structure helps with that. This has to be one of the most residential villas with open spaces and amazing views surrounding it from every angle.

Upon entering through the gatehouse you look down the sloping driveway with several large cantilevers protruding from the building, some in rust, other areas clad with unfilled travertine, and an atrium behind a mentis grating screen.

Next to the front door a large reflective koi pond flows over a retaining wall next to the drive way, with an illuminated glass staircase behind a two story curtain wall in the background. The koi pond was made with help from Living Water Aeration. The lift shaft forms a strong vertical element finished in rust behind the pond. All of this is framed by a cantilevered concrete beam. The staircase behind the koi pond is a double glass construction, with lights between the two layers of glass. Above the lower garage (that was designed by the experts from garage door repair texas city) a huge cantilevered structure hangs out, suspended by beams built into its roof.

The house was designed around three massive trees, one at the tennis court, and the other two on the east side of the house. The view from the hall towards the east is into one of these trees, framed by a large sliding window in the kitchen.

The kitchen, breakfast room and family room leads seamlessly through  wall to wall frameless sliding doors onto the patio, with the dining room situated behind the family room, sharing a fireplace with the family room.  When the doors are open, the family room, breakfast room, open and covered patio and kitchen becomes one large area. The home also features Contemporary Garage Door Styles with a view down into the koi pond.

The first floor consists of three kid’s suites, with a pajama lounge with its own mini kitchenette, and an open plan main suite with a private lounge and a panic room fitted with a kitchenette and desk/ dressing table. All suites and the lounges leads onto balconies.  The main suite has a covered balcony that juts into the family room below, and fireplaces in the private lounge, main bedroom and one outdoors on the balcony.

The basement consists of a gym with spa and dressing room, home theatre with a wet bar, wine cellar/tasting room with separate areas for white and red wines, music room and a dance studio/ discotheque.

Due to its north orientation, sun control features and cross ventilation, the house can be used almost year round without artificial heating or cooling.

Via Contemporist