A home with hygge

Long before it became a trend, or a necessity, to live off the grid and to build with nature in mind, Roswitha and Eymo Kriete built their dream eco home in Zinkwazi 16 years ago.

From the road, you only see the wooden apexes and glistening windows peaking out above the treetops, but once you drive in, a world of rich, golden wood and stonework welcomes you and makes you feel instantly at home.

The Danish buzzword ‘hygge’ describes the Kriete’s home perfectly – cosy, charming and special.

“We knew we wanted to build our own African-style house that would become one with nature,” said Eymo, who was the previous Norwegian consul in Honduras, where they lived for 18 years after leaving their home country, Germany. They fell in love with South Africa after a few visits and extensive touring of the country.

“We immediately felt that South Africa was a world in a country. It offered everything – mountains, the sea, safari parks and wildlife,” said Roswitha.

KZN’s warm weather and ocean made living on the North Coast a no-brainer for the couple and so they bought a piece of land in Zinwakzi and started building their house in the sky.

“We built the two en suite bedroom house on 21 concrete pillars, which gives us a beautiful sea view and makes pest control effortless, as very few insects or ants crawl all the way to the top and if they do, it is easy for us to trace where they came from. Our two Jojo tanks are also under the house, which takes care of our water supply and we have lots of easily accessible storage space,” said Eymo.

The Scandi-style home with the light rooms, high ceilings and big windows has a soothing feel to it, yet the unique features such as rounded corners inspired by the Zulu huts and the natural rock work adds a beautiful contrast and texture next to the solid pine log walls and timber floors.

“The house has been specially built to be cool in the summer and warm in winter. We also have little to no maintenance, as the wood barely ever needs to be varnished.”

It is with a heavy heart that the couple have recently put their house on the market, as they have decided to move back to Central America.

For more information about the house or to view it, contact Eymo on 072 511 7976.

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