Some clients are simply a pleasure to work with , this was one such story. Our client gave us a detailed brief about 3 months before her builders were due to handover her new build (a holiday home) in the seaside town of Still Bay. That early planning makes a massive difference on custom projects. Particularly in holiday homes, where spaces need to feel easy and relaxed from the moment people arrive, and to ensure it is ready for trading season, if its also a hospitality project.
One of the first things we worked on together was storage for the four bedrooms.Rather than installing large built-in cupboards, Lu-Rae opted for modular wardrobes throughout the home. Her thinking was simple — built-ins can sometimes make coastal bedrooms feel visually heavier and slightly closed in, especially in spaces designed for short stays and holidays. The modular wardrobes kept the rooms feeling lighter and more open, while still being practical for unpacking, cleaning and everyday use.
Because if we’re being realistic, nobody arrives at the coast wanting admin. People want to throw their bags down and get straight on with what they came there to do — relax and get to the beach.
That same thinking carried through into the kitchen space, where Lu Rae opted for our Serengeti Kitchen Island , but she chose to modify it a little with more oak that steel so we switched out some steel elements for solid Oak panels and tops. .
Rather than fixing the island permanently in place, Lu-Rae wanted flexibility depending on how the space was being used.
We make sure our clients are kept in the loop and they get videos and video calls to feel involved and sign off their projects before wrapping and packing - you can see a video on the set up of this island here -
Sometimes the island functions as a prep area, sometimes as a serving station when entertaining, and sometimes it simply gets moved slightly to open up more floor space. For holiday homes, that kind of flexibility actually makes a lot of sense. Especially when you have a house full of family, kids coming in from the beach, people gathering in the kitchen.
Lu Rae also liked our Bistro Coffee Station (but needed it modified for her space exactly, so we did that) . This custom coffee station for the home, which is also a firm favourite with our corporate clients wanting coffee stations for staff tea breaks. There’s something about a dedicated coffee area in a holiday home that just works. It naturally becomes a gathering "geselig" point in the mornings before everybody disappears in different directions for the day.
One thing we often say at Vintage-etc is that good custom furniture should feel integrated into the home, not like it was added afterwards because the rooms felt empty and this client did that very well, blending her steel furniture with steel door frames, and carrying the theme through all her spaces, from bedrooms to entertainment and kitchen area, creating a consistent theme that is functional, practical and easy on the eye , and this project was a lovely example of that.
Nothing felt overdesigned or overly formal. The furniture was designed around how the home would actually be lived in.
Lastly, we made free standing shelving for her living and kitchen area - to tie in the whole theme of the modular furniture
Relaxed.Practical. Easy to live with - exactly how a coastal holiday home should feel.
At Vintage-etc, we design and manufacture custom furniture for homes, holiday properties, hospitality spaces and interior projects across South Africa, including modular wardrobes, kitchen islands, custom storage furniture and bespoke interiors tailored around the way people really live. Feel free to get in touch with your request by clicking here to place a custom order query and see the wood finishes too.