the sea-fairy house
My dear friend Clinton and I used to live in the fairy house, a magical space in the forests outside of Pietermaritzburg. There we created a home that was filled with giggles and dancing, warm fires and long talks, and an immense amount of love. It was indeed a magical fairy house in the forest and some of my fondest memories will forever be housed within those trees.
When I moved to Cape Town, I wanted to fill my home with the same spirit, only different in a new and inspiring way. I now live in the magical sea-fairy house, a beautiful face brick house looking eastward over the stunning harbour of Hout Bay and the mountains curving into Chapman’s Peak. It is undoubtedly one of the most exquisite views that I have ever seen and no matter the time of day, stepping out to that sight is a sweet reminder of the beauty, the harshness, the constant change of all things.
And the house is just beautiful. It’s excessively large for my current lifestyle, but I’m playing the long game, and transforming this space is part of a larger vision of my future. It is double story, with two rooms downstairs, a kitchen, bathroom, sitting area and beautiful deck overlooking the harbour. There is a pretty big garden with all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies. I rent downstairs to the lovely Rush, who has a dog Keeva, and fills the air with a positive light.
I live upstairs. The house faces the harbour and is surrounded by mountains on all sides, so no matter where you look, it is beautiful. The kitchen and living room both face the water, a collection of boats and buses and people all interweaving in the way harbours do and that sight adds a sense of life and motion to the start of every day. There is a bathroom that doesn’t have a shower yet, but plans are afoot. Then I have four bedrooms. This sounds ridiculous, but the house is not especially conventional. Each of the rooms are unusually small, and they all have unique cupboards or shelves. One room is my bedroom and I am busy creating a spare room and a prayer and meditation room. Between the rooms there is an unusual open area, which is the perfect space for my office. Not only does it get flooded with light throughout the day, the windows face the mountains, and this has become a significantly grounding sight over the past weeks.
I have bonded with my house over the few weeks I have been here. I have discovered little secrets and hidden shelves and been comforted by the sound of the creaks in the windows, and the wind rustling through the clay tiles on the roof. We have created a magical energy and I cannot wait to see what delight the sea-fairy house has yet to bring.
