IN PICTURES | Ultra-mod meets farmhouse chic in this Cape home

Fifty years ago, Noordhoek, near Cape Town, was a valley known more for its fertile farmlands than anything else. Since then, the growth of a community of people seeking a semi-rural environment and a lifestyle that embraces mountains and sea has made it a popular place to put down roots.

The area attracted James and Clare Templeton for these reasons. The couple had been living in Johannesburg and moving to the Western Cape meant they could breathe a little. "James always said one day he'd move to Cape Town and since he's crazy about the sea and riding his bike on mountain-side roads, it made sense," says Clare, who loves that they can see the brilliant turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Noordhoek beach from their new home.

Clare and James are something of an anomaly. They loved their home which was built from start to finish, even managing to celebrate their wedding during the year-long process. "We're so lucky. We worked with incredible people to make our home happen. I'm in awe of the professionals and craftsmen we worked with," says Clare.

An important part of their brief to architect WP Bosch was to create a two-storey home that embraced the natural surroundings. The architect and local builder, Lee Slabber, fulfilled the brief and more, demolishing the original house down to foundation level and starting again.

"When we first saw this house it was pretty darn ugly, but we knew the site was really special. There was this crazy, overgrown garden with rusted wheelbarrows. WP Bosch brought our needs and wants together beautifully with his design," says Clare, who explains that while James loves ultra-modern design, she wanted more of a farmhouse feel for their home.

Their architect managed to combine both James and Clare's desires and transformed the space into something they both felt was made for them. Aspects like the stone driveway, slate-coloured tin roof, magnificent external stone masonry and the dramatic view of garden and pool on entering the house feel delightfully old-school, while the double-volume steel windows and the monochrome palette of raw and polished cement, exposed brick, tempered steel and natural textures feels thoroughly modern and elegant.

The couple love to entertain and the kitchen forms a central part of their home. "We wanted something special that was a showpiece without being over-the-top," says Clare of the central island made of a single piece of tempered steel and an impressive slab of oak.

They also commissioned a local boat builder to design and build their kitchen cabinetry. The result is a seamless and thoughtful design. "This kitchen has seen a lot of wine," says Clare with a laugh.