{"id":19497,"date":"2023-03-15T09:30:52","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T08:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=40713"},"modified":"2023-03-15T09:36:39","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T08:36:39","slug":"a-cottage-in-south-africa-filled-with-found-and-collected-antiques","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-cottage-in-south-africa-filled-with-found-and-collected-antiques\/","title":{"rendered":"A cottage in South Africa filled with found and collected antiques"},"content":{"rendered":"

When interior designer Charlotte Collins found a charming cottage to renovate and \u2018flip\u2019, she couldn\u2019t have predicted she\u2019d fall in love and make it her own. Production Sven Alberding, Photographs Greg Cox\/Bureaux <\/p>

By Vicki Sleet\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 15 March 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Charlotte Collins\u2019 charming cottage in Greyton, South Africa, epitomises the look for which the interior designer is known: gently worn sophistication, a perfect blend of found and collected antique<\/a> and vintage<\/a> furniture<\/a> set against a backdrop of original decorative<\/a> details, and clever additions designed to look as though they\u2019ve been there forever.<\/p>\n

When Charlotte first visited the tiny town of Greyton, some two-and-a-half hours from Cape Town, buying a cottage was not part of the plan, she says. \u2018I was there to help a friend of mine with the interior<\/a> of her home,\u2019 she explains, adding that, having spotted the cottage for sale, her original intention was to \u2018flip\u2019 the property.<\/p>\n

\u2018But as I got further into the project and spent more time in the village I decided I\u2019d keep it as a weekend spot. Greyton is that quintessential country village,\u2019 she adds. \u2018When I go into the hardware store they all ask how I am. Everyone is very friendly and knows your name.\u2019<\/p>\n

The property was a very simple affair when Charlotte first saw it: \u2018literally a box with one room off to the side for the bedroom<\/a>, one bathroom and a living area\u2019. Above this there was an empty roofspace, which has been cleverly used to create extra rooms.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> a careful restoration of a characterful Tudor cottage<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018It took me just under a year to bring it to where it is now.\u2019 Today, the cottage has everything a weekend bolthole needs \u2013 enough bedrooms and bathrooms for guests, a generous fireplace<\/a> around which to gather, a simply furnished open-plan kitchen and dining area and a pretty garden outside.<\/p>\n

Charlotte\u2019s clients range from private individuals to big commercial projects, and this experience has made her both fearless and resourceful when it comes to design. And in this project, the newly installed staircase is a perfect example of her ingenuity.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wanted it to look like it\u2019s been there for a hundred years, so I bought new scaffolding planks off Gumtree and traded them with builders across Cape Town for their old, worn planks.\u2019 Her carpenter then used them to build the staircase leading up to the newly created rooms in the roof.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wanted to create what you would imagine the perfect little country cottage<\/a> to look like, and I love how it really reflects my love of all things salvaged<\/a>. I really feel that items with history can conjure up such a wonderful mood,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

You might also like <\/strong>an old malthouse filled with salvaged furniture<\/a><\/p>\n

When it came to decoration, finding the right colour palette<\/a> that felt true to Charlotte\u2019s ideal of rural bliss was not without its trials. The wood-panelled back wall in the living room \u2013 another clever old-yet-new addition \u2013 is painted in the perfect shade of green for a home with historic<\/a> appeal.<\/p>\n

\u2018I took 10 tester pots to find it and it was the last one I tried. In the pot it looked totally wrong, but I was so sick of the process I thought \u201clet\u2019s give it a go anyway\u201d and, lo and behold, it was the colour I had been searching for. Everyone who visits is now obsessed with it.\u2019<\/p>\n

While Charlotte\u2019s colour<\/a> choices \u2013 along with finding the cottage in the first place \u2013 sound like strokes of luck, there\u2019s no doubt that the end results are a consequence of her extraordinary vision and determination to bring her ideas to fruition.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same pioneering spirit that led farmers to these rural parts hundreds of years ago, and Charlotte to a house \u2018that may only have been a year or so in the making, but feels like it already holds generations of happy memories\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In autumn and winter, the quaint riverside village of Greyton comes into its own. Morning walks are followed by afternoons spent fireside.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The original reed ceiling and supporting gumpoles are typical of heritage Cape homes. They were stripped of varnish and restored to their natural timber hue. The firescreen was a lucky find at John Brass Salvage Yard in Cape Town.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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When she first viewed it, one of Charlotte\u2019s favourite elements of this property was its garden: \u2018It was totally overrun but it\u2019s a great shape,\u2019 she says.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The coffee table has been upcycled from an old wheelbarrow and topped with glass.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The dining table by contemporary South African designer Gregor Jenkin is an elegant foil to the history-laden details that surround it. Slasto \u2018crazy paving\u2019 completes the eclectic look.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The timeworn sideboard was a lucky find from salvage and vintage specialists Ko\u00f6perasie Stories in Simondium.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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a discreet corner of the kitchen plays host to its hardest working areas, with a porcelain butler\u2019s sink and marble countertops.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The kitchen features exposed wooden beams and a reed ceiling, a restored wooden sash window and a handcrafted staircase, built from salvaged scaffolding planks. Charlotte created a central kitchen island in worn duck-egg blue, using a piece found at Barn & Werf in Paarl, near Cape Town. <\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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A previously unloved space was transformed into a charming reading room where guests can retreat in comfort. The Delft-esque wallpaper is from Cara Saven: \u2018The room was previously just a dumping ground as it was a small space that didn\u2019t have a purpose. As soon as I had the wallpaper installed it became the most amazing little sanctuary,\u2019 says Charlotte. Cushions in a mix of lustrous fabrics add luxury to the worn daybed.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Quirky collections provide food for thought.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Charlotte alongside her faithful rescue dog, Oily. \u2018We didn\u2019t name him, he was found on the highway, covered in oil,\u2019 she says.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Charlotte is an avid collector of vintage portraits, which line the stairwell and staircase.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The headboard in the downstairs bedroom consists of two pieces from single \u2018peasant beds\u2019 from Poland, welded together, while the wallpaper sets a dramatic tone.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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A view from the bedroom to the living room.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Charlotte\u2019s penchant for marrying old with new shines through in this bathroom where the ball and claw bathtub was given a fresh lick of paint.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Charlotte\u2019s eye for delightful surprises is a trademark in her projects. Here, a porthole-style window serves a purpose while providing privacy. A marble-topped vintage table has been upcycled into a vanity, while the wall-mounted cupboard was found at Onsite Gallery.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The two upstairs bedrooms are tucked beneath the rafters.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Greg Cox\/Bureaux<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n
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