‘The simplicity of life,” says the South African fashion designer Frances Orzechowski without hesitation, when asked what she and her family love most about the cluster of thatched huts in which they spend the summer months.
Situated on the edge of the Keurbooms lagoon in Plettenberg Bay, in South Africa, the trio of traditional thatched cabins — called rondavels — are where she, her husband, Wojtek, and their 17-year-old son, Tadj, enjoy a relaxed and surf-filled summer. “In our garden, you don’t see another house, you just hear the birds. Plus it’s right next to the beach. We have flamingos and dolphins passing every day, and in winter there are whales.”
When they bought the property in 2012, the cottages were run-down, with “grass up to the roof”, but not much was needed to transform them. Now their laid-back home is furnished entirely with second-hand and recycled furniture and textiles. It’s in keeping with the way Orzechowski, who designs a locally produced range of leisure wear called Soul Clothing, approaches life. “There isn’t a day that passes when we don’t think how lucky we are,” she says. “It’s paradise.”
