GRANTED IN 1685 TO WILLEM ADRIAAN VAN DER STEL, Vergelegen has had a few visionaries who have shaped this historic property into the world-class estate that it is today, the most recent among them designer John Jacob Zwiegelaar, who was given the momentous task of updating and modernising the property’s guesthouse. Part of a 1930s extension to the original building commissioned by Lady Florence Phillips from architect Percy Walgate, the guesthouse has hosted dignitaries aplenty, among them Nelson Mandela, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. John’s brief was to ‘modernise while still maintain the property’s historical integrity.’
‘I started by streamlining the spatial structure, ‘he says, explaining how he opened up the interior to allow for better spatial flow. ‘Removing a wall between the old voorkamer and dining room, for instance, practically doubled the size of this space,’ Naturally, the process required an extensive permit-application process but, says John, because, the estate’s history is well documented, the historic resources were readily available. ‘In fact, many of structural changes I made are in keeping with the original architectural layout of the property,’ he explains.
A firm proponent of the philosophy that taste is defined by the appropriateness of the design relative to its context, Jacob set about ‘consolidating and simplifying’ in order to bring the interiors in line with the tenets of modern design: ‘I contemporised the interior styling by rationalising periods and palettes.
So, for instance, you still have the traditional old Cape-style pelmeted curtains but, instead of rendering them in florals. I’ve gone for more contemporary monochromes. I’ve done the same with the furnishings: the Green Room, for example, exclusively features yellowwood, right down to the picture frames. The period detailing is still all there but the composition is more relevant to a modern context.’ Updates required to make the suites more user-friendly to today’s guests included the refurbishment of the bathrooms, with the addition of underfloor heating and contemporary plumbing: ‘The fixtures are new but they were made from antique copper and brass, and so are still in keeping with the Cape Dutch aesthetic’.
In the bedrooms, WIFI and surround sound and seamlessly incorporated into the original environment: ‘All the technology is housed in antique-wood kists, which were custom designed by Pierre Cronje, says John , adding that, ‘while , Vergelegen’s historical fibre is integral to the property’s importance as a legacy of the country’s past, at the end of the day, the house still needs to be lived in.’
