PLACES & SPACES | ROOMS & GARDENS | WORLD OF CABANA
Exclusive: A place where the handcrafted and historic intertwine, Soetmelksvlei reimagines Cape Dutch farm life with exquisite detail. Emma Becque and Inge Prins explore this celebration of 19th-century craftsmanship at Babylonstoren in Cape Town.
BY EMMA BECQUE | ROOMS & GARDENS | 10 DECEMBER 2024
Soetmelksvlei at Babylonstoren showcases the artistry of Cape Dutch design, where every historical detail is considered. In this bedroom, William Morris & Co wallpapers from 1897 are complemented by auction-won antiques and textiles. © Inge Prins
Leading South African hotel, Babylonstoren, has crafted a secret historical home. Namely, Soetmelksvlei, meaning "sweet milk meadow" in Afrikaans. The restored farmhouse is an ode to 19th century Cape Dutch farm life, meticulously reimagined through decoration and a forensic eye. Far from a simple restoration, the house is a revival of historical life, weaving the expertise of historians, designers, and artisans into a tale that spotlights the craftsmanship and artistry of a bygone era.
Led by Babylonstoren's museologist, Elsa Vogts, the team consulted with historians specialising in Cape Dutch architecture and furniture, including Matilda Burden, an expert in 19th century Cape interiors. Their detailed research, drawn from archival inventories and foraged photographs from the Boland region, informed the selection of every object and material that formed the exhibit's authentic nature.
"We want visitors to walk through the door and step back into a time when crafts and techniques were at the heart of design," explains Vogts, who encourages guests to remove their shoes to feel the warmth of the sun-drenched terracotta flooring in the summer months. "We aim to cultivate a visceral reaction, where smells, textures, and color envelope you, summoning those who enter the farm to slow down," she says.
For dramatic effect, costume designer Sylvia van Heerden was commissioned to work collaboratively with the team to create a 19th century display. With her set design background, Van Heerden applied her expertise in producing theatrical atmospheres, ageing textiles and surfaces to reflect decades of use. Her devotion ensured the interiors balanced historical fidelity with an evocative, lived-in quality. "The farmhouse isn't just a collection of objects," notes Vogts. "Sylvia's attention to detail made it feel like a home where it could be that the residing family had just vacated".
Soetmelksvlei at Babylonstoren showcases the artistry of Cape Dutch design, where every historical detail is considered @ Inge Prins
The kitchen captures the essence of 19th century Cape Dutch living. Its restoration was as thorough as it was inspired: paint fragments, carefully analysed by scientists at the University of Cape Town, revealed the ochre and sage hues that once softened its walls. Reclaimed timber beams and salvaged tiles were seamlessly woven into the design, preserving a tangible link to the farmhouse's layered history.
Every element speaks of craft and intention. Open shelves hold earthenware jars, brass candlesticks, and hand-carved wooden bowls—objects of simple beauty that feel as though they belong to the room. "We spent months combing auction houses, flea markets and antique stores to find even the smallest certified pieces," shares Vogts. At its centre, a fully restored cast-iron fireplace commands attention, framed by Delft tiles with delicate, age-worn illustrations. "Every item, from the hand-thrown clay bowls to the faint grain of the timber, reflects the spirit of its time," Vogts adds.
To infuse the house with soul, the team imagined a fictional family—a farmer, his wife, their teenage son, and a younger daughter—whose presence subtly animates the interiors. Their story guided every detail, from embroidered linen cushions bearing thoughtful sayings to patched woolen throws that evoke years of care. The boy’s room, with its wooden bedstead draped in ticking-striped linens, is warmed by morning light, while the girl’s room feels softer, with hand-sewn curtains.
Van Heerden and Vogts worked in harmony to ensure these objects felt not staged or 'placed' but connected, creating a home rather than a set. “We weren’t just furnishing rooms,” Vogts explains. “We were crafting relationships—an unfinished sketchbook left on a desk, a vase cradling the last blooms of summer.”
The restoration of Soetmelksvlei was a labour of discovery, weaving historical accuracy with artistic sensitivity. Matilda Burden, an authority on Cape Dutch furniture, offered invaluable insights into period-appropriate forms and materials. Artisans recreated furniture where originals were lost, while a carpenter from Swellendam crafted tools and workbenches for the blacksmith’s shop.
A stately kitchen dresser holds blue-and-white Delftware, each piece lovingly sourced or gifted by locals. Plates hang like works of art, while jugs and tureens sit atop lace cloths, hinting at a history of generous table settings. © Inge Prins
The dining room is a study in subtle storytelling. A long wooden table, etched with marks of use, is set with Delft crockery sourced from flea markets, their pastoral patterns reminiscent of scenes of 19th-century farm life. Above, an antique brass chandelier illuminates original wooden slats, while walls retain their hand-finished unevenness. “We wanted the house to feel touched by time,” Vogts notes, “not frozen in history but alive with the spirit of those who might have lived here.”
More recently, locals have contributed heirlooms, breathing new life into the farmhouse’s evolving narrative. “We now have a growing library of inherited pieces—each adding a new thread to the story,” shares Vogts. One such treasure, a floral-stitched armchair, graces the sitting room below a series of framed pressed flowers—a thoughtful nod to South African history captured in photographs from the era.
With its layers of artistry and intention, Soetmelksvlei is not merely a house—it is a dialogue between past and present, where history and craftsmanship converge. Every scuffed floorboard, gently frayed curtain, and timeworn Delft plate speaks to a deliberate world. As the sun sets across the farmland, the house hums with quiet vitality, as though the faint creak of footsteps and the warmth of a simmering pot still linger—a testament to Babylonstoren’s vision and imagination.
Silver mirrors, antique boxes, and family photos gather on a patterned runner: a vignette that reflects a world where sentiment and craftsmanship intertwine.
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