Buffelsdrift Farmhouse: A Sublime Heritage Escape in the Klein Karoo

The sense of history, huge Karoo skies and rugged mountain-framed landscapes are what first captivated architect Greg Truen of SAOTA and his partner Nancy Kashimoto Truen to Buffelsdrift Farm. When they stumbled upon the cluster of 200-year-old farm buildings, set along a quiet dirt road west of Ladismith, the traditional gables and poured mud walls were urgently in need of TLC. As an architect, Greg had the know-how… and the ability to see beyond the crumbling structures to envisage the idyllic Klein Karoo getaway it could become. 

A restoration journey

With an international reputation for designing trailblazing contemporary buildings that harmonise and work within their landscapes, Buffelsdrift Farm was a change of pace for Greg. He collaborated with architect Jaco Booyens to restore the place to be true to its origins. The idea was to keep what they found on the farm as pure as possible. “A lot of buildings from this era have been modernised, and a lot of them are simply falling apart due to neglect. I think it’s important that some are held together – it’s such a unique heritage for this part of the country,” explains Greg.

The meticulous restoration journey that followed took four years, and in 2020 won them an accolade that isn’t handed out lightly… a gold medal from the International Domus Restoration and Conservation Awards in Italy, a distinction shared that year only with Italian architects Giorgio and Ilaria Forti for the restoration of the facade of the church of Santa Maria Di Nazareth in Venice.

A Klein Karoo refuge

A place to escape to, to slow down and breathe, Buffelsdrift Farm is now a slow-living refuge for Greg and Nancy. And when they aren’t there themselves it’s in demand from connoisseurs of the unique combination of away-from-it-all heritage charm, contemporary-meets-timeless design, and home-from-home personal style, achieved with Greg’s architectural vision and Nancy’s eye for colour, fabric and texture.

The farmhouse (main house)

Taken back to its original simple lines, the main house has the living room at its heart, with all the rooms opening from it. The original yellowwood ceilings, poplar floorboards, poplar windows and shutters, and the tactile texture of the lime-washed clay walls, add a warmth, individuality and sense of timeless style. A big curved sofa in front of the double-sided fireplace provides a sheltering haven; through one door is the veld-state kitchen with a handmade poplar dining table, crafted by local artisans, and large-volume ceilings enclosed by the thatched roof.

As is traditional in farm homes, the two bedrooms open off the lounge, furnished with four-poster beds and a mix of old and new pieces. One has an ensuite bathroom, the other a separate bathroom carved out of the original kitchen, the shower occupying a wide chimney space. Outside, two historic barns have also been converted to provide extra accommodation when needed.

The wine store

Just across the dirt road from the main house, Greg has turned the old flat-roofed wine building into a self-contained guest cottage… a pink perch in the young olive groves that he planted to create a functioning olive farm. Also painstakingly restored, for the exterior he looked to traditional use of pink pigments in the Karoo, inspired too by a visit to Casa Luis Barragán in Mexico. An open-plan living room and kitchen downstairs and bedroom and bathroom upstairs connect with views out over the silver-leaved olive trees. This intimate space can be booked on its own or together with the farmhouse, and shares the pool and courtyard gardens.

Karoo living

Days are spent at your own pace. Dipping into the eco pool, walking farm trails through the olives, sitting at the fireside spinning stories or playing board games. There’s no need to leave this peaceful haven, but you can also explore the tiny towns and hamlets of the nearby Route 62, Ladismith, Barrydale, Calitzdorp, the warm springs at Warmwaterberg, or drive spectacular mountain passes such as the Seweweeks Poort and hike or bike adventurous mountain trails. But above all it’s a place to just be. “It takes you back to your childhood,” says Nancy. “There’s a simplicity to being in this space that allows you to remember what it is to be connected to the outdoors in the way you were as a child. We sit outside and spend the whole evening looking at the stars.”

Sleeps 10
The Main House: 4
The Wine Store: 2
The Barns: 2 each
Cost The Main House: from R5 485 per night for 4 people
The Wine Store: from R3 750 per night for 2 people
The Barns: R2 655 per night for 2 people
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