Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers

Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Exterior PhotographyImbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Interior Photography, Living Room, Windows, BeamImbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Interior Photography, Bedroom, ChairImbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Exterior PhotographyImbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - More Images+ 12

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  500
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Jan Ras
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Angus Taylor, Ashlee Lloyd Studio, Bok van der Merwe, D'art Milan, Dado, Gervasoni, Herman Brink, Martin Doller Design, Nikki Beach, Patrick Reid, Tonic Design, Vondom
  • On Site Architects: TCNO Architects, Rik Orts-Hansen, Ajay Corbett
  • African Art: David Ballam
  • City: Knysna
  • Country: South Africa
More SpecsLess Specs
Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Exterior Photography
© Jan Ras

Text description provided by the architects. Imbizo House is a holiday home set high in the hills above the picturesque fishing town of Knysna on South Africa’s Western Cape. The three-bedroom house was commissioned by a South African client and his family who live in the UK but wanted a second home where they could bring together both branches of their family. Socialising is central to the purpose of the house, and a layout of interconnected spaces was conceived as a contemporary take on an imbizo – the Zulu word for a gathering. A large open-planned living space flanked by generous terraces forms the heart of the home.

Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Interior Photography, Living Room, Windows, Beam
© Jan Ras
Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Image 17 of 17
Ground Floor Plan

“They wanted it to be a modern take on an African aesthetic, with a slightly rusticated but also contemporary look,” says partner Guy Ailion. “I came up with the concept of referencing an imbizo. The idea was to have satellite rooms, which would surround the central imbizo where we would have all the main communal functions of the household. This also meant that we could then orientate every bedroom to have its own view.”

Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Interior Photography, Bedroom, Chair
© Jan Ras

The lounge, dining room, kitchen and a cold store for hanging freshly slaughtered meat – a nod to the client’s farming background – are arranged in a U shape that traps an outdoor dining and cooking area against the shelter of the fynbos-covered hillside. On the other side of the living space, a sun-drenched deck with a fire pit and slate-clad pool faces towards the coast. A large section of glazing set into one side of the pool gives a glimpse of swimmers’ exertions from the gardens below. Lawns trimmed with ornamental borders surrounding the foot of the raised pool patio quickly give way to the natural, rugged landscape in which the house is embedded.

Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Image 11 of 17
Sketch

“We wanted to float the building as delicately as we could,” says Ailion. “We had to carve the building into a series of levels in order to deal with the slope. In terms of plants, what we took out we put back as well.” Sliding glass doors reinforce the fluid connection between inside and outside, and help to passively cool the building, while Garapa wood brise soleil shade the glazing from the heat of the summer sun.

Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Exterior Photography
© Jan Ras

Bedrooms in individual gabled blocks are linked to this central social hub by short galleries, but are oriented away from it to appreciate views across the nature reserve the property sits within. The approach to the house has been carefully choreographed, drawing visitors up through this terrain to an entrance cooled by a water feature before revealing the spectacular vista.

Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Image 13 of 17
Diagram

Artworks, textiles and furnishings add a rustic touch to the bright and modern interiors, which feature white walls and polished concrete floors throughout. A pair of granite boulders hewn from a local quarry are positioned to form a bar at one end of the lounge, and a tangle of fishing trawler net has been repurposed to create a striking light feature above an aquamarine couch. When the holiday home is not in use by the family it is let out on Airbnb, offering an ideal spot for tourists visiting the Knysna lagoon on their journey along the Garden Route.

Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Jan Ras

Project gallery

See allShow less
About this office
Cite: "Imbizo House / KSR Architects and Interior Designers" 20 Mar 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/958413/imbizo-house-ksr-architects-and-interior-designers> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.