Fynboshoek Cottage

by Beth Ogden, posted in Decorating, Travel

During the middle of our trip, we stayed in an awesome farmhouse/cottage in Stormsrivier.  We found the place on Airbnb and I knew immediately that we needed too stay there!  There was no electricity, but the place did have running water.  It was a simple but beautiful place to stay.  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.  It was also located on a working dairy farm.  We were glad to get out of cities and stay out in the country, where it was dark, quiet, and peaceful.

The front of the house, with the large Dutch door
The front of the house, with the large Dutch door
Me in front of the cottage- here you can see the size of the Dutch door a little better
Me in front of the cottage- here you can see the size of the Dutch door a little better

The house was made of earth materials almost entirely sourced on the property.  I think the walls were a straw/sod sort of material- no bricks were used.  It was then covered with plaster, both inside and out.  The door was a gorgeous, solid, thick wooden Dutch door.  The hardware was clearly hand forged.

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View of the main living area from the loft- you can see the bookshelves and other nooks here, as well as the fireplace
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Another view from the loft- you can get a sense of the height of the ceilings, as well as the additional window up above
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The living area looking towards the front door
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The sitting area and fireplace
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This is a bit blurry, but it shows the front door, as well as the wooden wall behind the couch (which is the wall that leads to the loft)
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One of the pretty bookshelves, as well as the view from the sitting area into the kitchen

There was a medium-sized living area, complete with fully stocked bookshelves (books written in various languages and boardgames), a huge fireplace, and cathedral ceilings.  The furniture was extremely comfortable as well- a large couch and an armchair. Not only was the house itself beautiful, but the textiles and wallpaper used throughout was very nice- someone knew what they were doing when they decorated the house!

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The dining table (with candle chandelier above), stove, fridge, and sink area with cabinets. The kitchen had great light thanks to french doors leading onto the patio and three other windows.
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Table in the middle, cabinets and appliances to the right, french doors to the patio and shelving with dishes on the left

The kitchen wasn’t huge but was perfect and beautiful.  There were cabinets along the right wall, with soapstone counters, along with a gas oven/stove, a sink, and a refrigerator/freezer.  On the left side, there were open shelves stocked with plenty of dishes and baking/cooking tools.  In the middle, there was a rustic farmhouse table with a candlelit chandelier above.  The water was heated by a gas.  When you turned the hot water handle, it started a flame that then heated the water as it went through the pipes- very cool!

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The outdoor patio, accessed either from the hallway or the kitchen

Off the kitchen, there was a outdoor patio.  It had a rustic pergola above, and a table and benches for sitting.  This bordered the farm’s garden.  There were lots of small monkeys in the trees behind the patio.

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The hall from the living area to the main bedroom and bathroom. The stairs lead up to the loft above
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The bathroom- subway tile on walls and pretty vanity with mirror on the right
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The sink and mirror. This room also had a gorgeous wooden door with hand forged handle
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The shower, which was open to the room but had a glass wall dividing it from the toilet, which is out of the picture to the right

There was a small hallway from the living room to the bathroom and main bedroom. The bathroom was very nice.  There was an open shower (typical in South Africa), a very nice wide vanity with sink, and a toilet.  The walls were white subway tile and the floors were a slate-like stone.

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Sorry this picture is blurry- the pretty bed with beautiful bedding, nightstands, as well as one of the built-in-the-wall shelves. The window sills in the house were very thick, providing lots of places to put fresh flowers
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The other side of the bedroom

The main bedroom was quite spacious.  There was a bed made from wood on the property, two side tables, and a couple of built-in shelves.  It was quaint an nice.

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Two twin beds in the loft
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The pretty view from the loft’s window

Above the bathroom and main bedroom there was a large loft.  It was accessed by a set of narrow, steep stairs.  There were two twin beds, as well as an armchair.  There was a small window, and the loft overlooked the main living space.  The ceilings were actually pretty high for a loft.  I’m not particularly tall, but I think even my dad could stand up comfortably in most of it.

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My mom reading as the sun started to go down

We ate dinner before it got dark, then lit all of the many candles for some light as dusk hit.  Our host had wood all set up in the fireplace for a fire, so we also had a nice fire to provide light and warmth.  We played cards in the candlelight.  We had to be up very early in the morning, so I also took a shower in the candlelight.  I was worried it would be too dark, but it was actually quite quaint and nice.

We really wished we could have spent at least one more night here.  It was gorgeous, and after many nights staying in medium-sized cities (which we aren’t very used to), it was nice to be out in the country.  I think it would have been a great place to relax for a day or two.  I also would have liked to see more of the farm, but we were there for such a short amount of time.