IN PICS | Pared-back design in a prefab pod cabin in the Western Cape

The feeling of lightness and sense of expansiveness was also achieved through a playful approach to storage and fitted furniture. For example, recessed shelves were left exposed, and cabinets wall-mounted so they don't touch the floors.

"We took this philosophy right through the design from choosing sheer curtains to a perforated coffee table and laser-cut chair," says Kim.

Having to work within the available space, the living space is centralised, with a combined kitchen and lounge, and a fireplace that multitasks as a braai.

"The challenge was to provide sufficient storage and functional space in the kitchen without hindering the seating space. We needed a simple, flexible way of integrating the two. I intended to make it feel calm, airy and clutter-free," says Kim.

A solution was to provide versatile seating configurations. Lightweight chairs can be shifted towards kitchen conversations, or nearer the fireplace for a cosy nightcap. The hero of the space is a hanging chair that creates a "special spot", and was installed to have a specific line of sight down the valley.

"It can allow you to feel contained and private, but you can also swing one way to enjoy the view and back to participate in kitchen chatter."

The light timber cladding inside dominates the cabin and the palette of the wood was then used to make it part of the aesthetic. Anything added needed to blend or complement it, which led Kim to select blonde and neutral fabrics and woven elements, for example. Small concessions to glamour were made with a white kitchen counter embedded with recycled glass fragments, and a bronze and marble coffee table.

Compromises had to be made because of the size of the cabin, but Kim took this as an opportunity to treat the deck that leads from the kitchen/lounge as an additional room. A sail was installed above the dining table to shield it from the sun at the peak heat of the day. The kite-like structure attached to the perforated pergola is strategically placed and angled so it doesn't hinder the deck's views.

The pergola, which the sail attaches to, forms part of the cabin's structure and was added to break up the blocky feel of a modular build, says Dean. Instead of leaving the deck unroofed, the pergola also gives it a sense of context as an outside room.

The deck, which features a hanging day bed and heated circular pool, is home to al fresco dining and dreamy afternoon naps. It's all about living inside and outside seamlessly, says Kim.

"When we thought about the design we kept in mind the flow of the day and how we wanted to experience and journey through from morning to evening. We imagined someone sitting on the deck with their feet dangling into the pool, or children swimming while you're reading on the daybed."

With the natural focus falling on the lounge, kitchen and deck, Kim says it was important that the bedrooms and bathrooms weren't considered an afterthought. They work equally hard to maximise the use of space.

As a weekend getaway, generous cupboard space wasn't required. Instead of built-in cupboards, Kim chose to use one wall of the bedroom as a hybrid living space with a basin setup combined with black steel shelving for clothing. Shifting the basin into the bedrooms also allowed them to keep the bathrooms free of clutter.

Here too, Kim went to great lengths to source items that would speak to the philosophy of airiness while adding personality. Quirky cloud-shaped mirrors wrap around the shelving in the bedroom, capturing a glimpse of the views visible through a wall of glass and reflecting them. Above the basin a strip of windows inject mountain and sky views.

The bathrooms, which contain a shower and toilet, are bolted on to each side of the cabin and separated from the bedrooms with tracked sliding barn doors. Kim treated these units differently to the central modular pod they are attached to and instead of cladding, marble tiles were used for the walls.

"We wanted some movement in the tiles, so that the bathroom didn't feel too sterile. We landed on a white marble tile with mushroomy tone in veins," she says.

Showering is of course optional when there is a coil-heated circular pool that can be fire-heated at night. Cladded in raw wood, it is absorbed into its surroundings and sits level with the deck, so the view is unencumbered.

Says Kim: "Everything we did internally and externally had thought put into it in terms of how it would contribute to pulling the environment into the space again." - Bureaux.co.za