Bold ideas meet old bones in this Victorian house in Richmond, a historic Karoo town, where architect Jan Sauer layers mood, memory and a touch of mischief.
Photographs Greg Cox
Text Lori Cohen
Production Sven Alberding
From the street, it looks like a postcard. A crisp black-and-white tiled patio (referred to as stoep in these parts), hedging with a playful twist and classic Victorian fretwork – all basking under the vast, bright sky of the Karoo. But walk through the front door of this small-town Richmond home, and you realise quickly that this house doesn’t play it safe.
Named House of Light and Shadow, it’s the work of architect Jan Sauer, who’s transformed this slice of history in South Africa’s semi-desert north. The house was once part of a row of bookshops – some of the first structures built in the area. “They’d fallen into disrepair,” says Jan. “But I loved them from the start. You could see the potential immediately.”
This is not your typical restoration. Jan, who trained as an architect but has an intuitive eye for interiors, isn’t interested in pastiche or overly polished finishes. He’s interested in mood, flow and spaces that feel lived-in. “I don’t like building new things if there’s something old with potential,” he says. “I try to keep the history intact.”
The front of the house sticks closely to its Karoo-Victorian roots. Jan reinstated the original fretwork, repaired broken balustrades and kept the silhouette as it was. But there are clues to what lies beyond: hedges clipped into soft curves, a non-working windmill topped with a sunflower – a nod to the region’s farming identity and a touch of humour.
Then you step inside, and everything shifts. The foyer is dark and dramatic. A suspended installation made from twisted vine salvaged from the garden hovers above a vintage table. Four chandeliers are wrapped around the vine like a sculptural nest. “It sets the tone,” Jan explains. “The house is about contrast. Old and new, light and shadow.”
Jan’s architectural eye is unmistakable throughout the house, but so is his instinct for atmosphere. It’s a home that was uncovered, room by room, story by story. “I’m proud of the whole thing,” he says. “Just seeing it come together. Giving it life again”.
