The Life Aquatic
Words by Jessica Ross Photography by Inge Prins Production by Charl Edwards
ABOVE Gawie and Gwen Fagan’s seaside home is set on the shores of Langebaan lagoon. The vaulted ceiling, resembling waves, almost disappears into the landscape. Soaring above the house, the chimney is a playful addition to its design; painted in a palette of blue and white, the home has a decidedly Grecian air.
Ask Gawie and Gwen Fagan about their holiday home and they’ll tell you they don’t have one. ‘A home is a home wherever it is,’ says Gwen. ‘We don’t distinguish between holiday and ordinary houses. It’s a place that makes us happy. It’s part of us.’
Yet as you stand on the terrace of this low-slung abode right on Langebaan’s frothy shoreline – surrounded by the rhythmic crashing waves, cawing seagulls and the salty-sweet sea breeze – you’re struck with that quintessential holiday feeling. And no one seems more relaxed here than Gawie and Gwen as they recline, always hand-in-hand, on their deckchairs overlooking the ocean.
ABOVE Running throughout the house, brick was used as the primary building material.
LEFT Running throughout the house, brick was used as the primary building material.
ABOVE Always sitting close together and rarely without a book in hand. Gawie and Gwen relax in the open-plan living space.
ABOVE Always sitting close together and rarely without a book in hand. Gawie and Gwen relax in the open-plan living space.
Admittedly, reclining is an unusual activity for the husband-and-wife team who, midway into their 90s, are still at work every day at Gabriël Fagan Architects on Bree Street. ‘It’s a sense of relief when you arrive here,’ says Gwen of their Langebaan bolthole. ‘We love the sea.’
An affinity for water is rooted in Gawie’s upbringing. ‘He’s always been fond of the sea and building boats,’ says Gwen, who recalls Gawie’s intrepid seafaring adventures with a knowing smile. ‘He’s done the Cape to Rio five times and in the last race, when he was 80, he was the oldest man with the smallest boat and he came first!’
ABOVE The pop of the poinsettia wall colour outside in the courtyard creates a warming contrast against the greenery that creeps over the wall.
ABOVE The open-plan living zone, comprising of dining area, kitchen and lounge, is pared-back yet bright, and geared to relaxation.
ABOVE Gawie and Gwen’s approach to interiors is simple, opting for the essentials of living over decorative detail.
ABOVE Gawie and Gwen’s approach to interiors is simple, opting for the essentials of living over decorative detail.
TOP LEFT The pop of the poinsettia wall colour outside in the courtyard creates a warming contrast against the greenery that creeps over the wall.
BOTTOM LEFT The open-plan living zone, comprising of dining area, kitchen and lounge, is pared-back yet bright, and geared to relaxation.
An affinity for water is rooted in Gawie’s upbringing. ‘He’s always been fond of the sea and building boats.’ Gwen recalls Gawie’s intrepid adventures with a knowing smile.
The sea theme flows into every part of this home but, thankfully, not as yet another twee nautical interior scheme. It’s in the way that the building is set on the site, seemingly suspended between sky and sea, and in the vaulted ceiling that softly undulates like waves in the ocean. It’s also in the porthole windows that give you peeks at the view as if you were inside the hull of a ship, and in the chimney that looks a little like the periscope of a submarine, looking out for distant land.
Much like a submarine, this home is submerged. The Fagans dug into the earth to set the home in line with the shore, ‘so we didn’t make an imprint on the landscape,’ says Gwen. It might be encased in its surroundings, but it opens up to the light, which streams in through expansive glass panels, inviting natural warmth into interior zones.
ABOVE The Fagan’s approach to the bedrooms was to utilise space in compact zones, the rails that climb up one side of the wall lead to a small open space, which is used as a landing for the children’s bedding when family comes to stay.
ABOVE The bathrooms, also decked in blue, are small but functional. Shutters open right out to the sea, letting the crisp sea breeze flow through the home. Subtle yet distinctive nautical details such as this door are scattered throughout.
The façade’s defining feature – that chimney, which soars almost comically high above its footprint – is a playful and unexpected addition to what might be perceived as an otherwise deceptively simple design. Gawie says with a chuckle, ‘Ours is the only single storey so we put in the chimney to one-up the neighbours.’
‘The plan is actually ridiculously simple,’ he explains of his approach, an ethos that’s at the heart of his work and life as an architect. This is nowhere more evident than in the bones of the house, which were created using just one material. From the driveway, through the interiors, up the walls and along the curves of the vaulted ceiling, brick paves the way through the home, encouraging any new visitor through its spaces and providing a calming sense of continuity.
But simplicity is not just an architectural technique for the Fagans. Their lives have been centred around creating spaces that allow for minimalist living and effortless enjoyment. Here, they’ve pared back interiors to cater to the basic elements of happiness, pushing aside design flourish for life’s essentials.
You won’t find a flat-screen TV anywhere. Instead, every free surface groans under the weight of well-worn books, which the Fagans devour with relish. Seats and cushions carry the creased evidence of long, lingering tête-à-têtes; personal spaces are intimate yet open. Every design decision has an intention, whether it’s to draw people together or allow them the luxury of immersing themselves in nature. This might not be a holiday home, but it’s an ode to the very spirit of holidays. gabrielfaganarchitects.co.za
‘A home is a home wherever it is,’ says Gwen. ‘We don’t distinguish between holiday and ordinary houses. It’s a place that makes us happy. It’s part of us.’
ABOVE Gawie and Gwen share a moment on the patio, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
