The exuberant growth bursting over the top of the sturdy white-and-stone walls of Camellia House hints at the secret garden within. The air is heady with the scent of wisteria, azaleas and yesterday-today-and-tomorrow. Birds and chirruping insects provide the soundtrack, while Greyton’s famous free-ranging horses stroll past, hoping for a nibble of the greenery hanging over the wall. There’s barely a sign of the tranquil farmhouse and stone cottage cloistered privately within the garden.
Camellia House sits on the fringe of Greyton, where the village streets give way to open commonage backed by the Riviersonderend Mountains. Originally a farmhouse dating to around 1800, when cattle grazed on the vlei beyond its front gate, this historic homestead has undergone a remarkable four-year architectural renovation. The original farmhouse and former onion barn have been joined by a contemporary addition that brings old and new together with wonderful assurance. “Architecturally, we took an old farmhouse and an onion barn and stitched them together with a contemporary seam,” say the owners. The result is a home unmistakably rooted in Greyton’s rural heritage, yet quietly contemporary in its design and execution.
Considered to perfection
What makes Camellia House particularly special is the thought invested in every detail. Hand-cut terracotta tiles imported from Italy, beautifully crafted solid-oak cabinetry, precisely made doors and windows, original timber beams and the contrasting texture of shuttered concrete speak to a renovation in which materials and workmanship were never an afterthought. Even the separate stone cottage was painstakingly recreated by retired stonemasons to look as though it had stood here for generations.
This is no conventional period restoration, but a country home with a quietly contemporary sensibility. The old farmhouse retains its architectural integrity, while the newer spaces introduce clean lines, natural materials and an easy connection to the outdoors.
The garden room
The heart of the house is undoubtedly its expansive nine-metre kitchen and dining room. Here, shuttered-concrete ceilings bring a contemporary edge to the warmth of terracotta underfoot and custom-made oak cabinetry. A generous kitchen island invites company while supper is being prepared, with a separate scullery keeping the practicalities out of sight.
Large windows open the room to the garden, overlooking the swimming pool and stone cottage beyond. Step onto the adjoining stoep for lunch, light the braai or simply pull up a chair beside the open windows. This is a wonderfully sociable space, designed for the everyday pleasures of cooking, eating and spending family time together.
Elsewhere, the 310m² main house offers a generous lounge opening onto its own covered verandah, a smaller pyjama lounge, three en-suite bedrooms and a guest cloakroom. The interiors are quietly restrained, allowing the architecture, tactile finishes and views into the garden to take precedence.
A garden renewed
The 2 552m² property has recently undergone an extensive landscape redesign following storm damage to some of the large trees. The result is a more open, naturalistic garden, with sweeping grass pathways, drifts of wild grasses and glorious views of the mountains.
Wisteria spills over old stone walls, soft pink roses climb the cottage and flowering plants attract bees, butterflies and a wonderful variety of birds. Orange, lemon and almond trees add to the garden’s abundance, while two ponds and intimate courtyard spaces offer quieter corners in which to disappear with a book.
And then, of course, there are the camellias. An established stand of these beautiful old flowering trees provides welcome shade beside the pool – just the place to linger over a long summer lunch. With swathes of lawn for children and dogs, quieter courtyard spaces and plenty to keep visiting birds and pollinators happy, this is a garden to be enjoyed as much as admired.
A cottage apart
Across the pool, the separate 60m² stone cottage is a lovely surprise. With its own entrance, private cottage garden, fireplace, open-plan living area and kitchen, and an en-suite bedroom, it offers visiting family and friends a comfortable degree of independence.
It also introduces appealing possibilities for a home office, creative studio or supplementary income through holiday accommodation, while allowing the main farmhouse to remain entirely private.
Country on your doorstep
There’s a practical side to this beautiful Greyton home for sale, too. Modern insulation, solar power with battery storage, borehole water and an irrigation system support comfortable year-round living.
Its position on a generous corner plot in Vlei Street is another considerable attraction. With a donkey paddock on one side and open commonage in front, Camellia House enjoys a wonderfully rural outlook. Walk out of the front gate and straight across the vlei for hours of hiking, trail running or mountain biking, with the Riviersonderend Mountains rising ahead.
Yet Greyton’s cafés, restaurants, shops and convivial village life are only a short stroll away. It’s an appealing balance – the freedom and open space of a country property, with the pleasures of village living close at hand.
For anyone looking for a distinctive country house for sale in Greyton, Camellia House offers something rather special: the architectural integrity of an old Overberg farmhouse, the comforts of considered contemporary design and a garden that is every bit as interesting as the home it surrounds.
Written by Sally Rutherford
What are the property details?
- Erf size: 2 552m²
- Main house size: 310m²
3 en-suite bedrooms
3 bathrooms
Guest cloakroom
Lounge, dining room & pyjama lounge
Kitchen & scullery
Covered verandah: 36m²
- Stone guest cottage size: 60m²
one en-suite bedroom
open-plan kitchen, dining & living area
- Swimming pool
- Garage: 18m²
- 2 ponds
- 2 boreholes
- Irrigation system with 2 metal tanks
- Solar system with inverter & battery
- Full alarm system
- All furnishings excluded from the sale