La Residence’s new villas combine luxurious and sophisticated design with practical child-friendly touches…

At first glance the new villas at La Residence seem very grown up. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vines twist their way up the Franschoek valley that surrounds them. Antique gilt chairs sit poised in corners, velvet and brushed-silk cushions recline on three-metre deep-buttoned sofas and elegant chandeliers glint magnificently in the afternoon light. Then you hear a giggle and maybe a splash.

Here Liz and Phil have reinvented the idea of family holiday. Not only are children welcome in this luxurious five-star environment, but family life has been considered and indeed informed the way the spaces work together. Following the footprints of old farm cottages, Villas Four and Five interlead to make one huge home for 10. In Villa Two there’s an attic room intended for Liz’s grandchildren, but it’s lush with red silk and the very best bed-linen. The villas are child friendly, but you won’t find bunny wallpaper nor rocket-patterned duvets- ‘I created them so that I would love to sleep in any room,’ explains Liz.

Each villa features Liz and her interior muse, Ralph Krall’s, signature block colours and bold patterns via a rich mix of magenta shot silks, green velvets or cerulean armoires. Once again Liz has burnt the rule book and her magpie look contrasts  colour and styke with relish. Besides this, they have wittily clashed eras and genres with a vintage Sri Lankan four-poster bed alongside a modern David Moorgas mirrored cupboard.

Liz follows Ralph’s theory that ‘if you pair something good with something else that is good, you don’t have to worry about it working’, so when she loves something she buys it. The design for a room will start with something she’s found – it could be a baroque settee, a painting or a modern floral carpet – and grow from there.  There is a luxurious optimism to her interiors that makes them upbeat, interesting and fun to live in.

The cherry on top is the unexpected touches that make parenting here somehow effortless – a basket of toys, books, and cute little explorer wagons with bug-catching kits specifically chosen for the kids.

At the Terrace Rooms the menus are designed around what your family likes to eat and when you feel like eating. Playful chefs will also spontaneously start pizza-making lessons, cupcake decporating or popcorn making, leaving you to read the last few pages of your book blissfully undisturbed, Brilliant babysitters are on call, so whether you feel like heading into Franschoek for an evening of fine dining or nipping up to the Hotel for dinner in the beautiful chateau-like hall it is all possible.

You can be close enough to one another to enjoy time together but also far enough away to enjoy the privacy that makes a holiday, well, a holiday.

Contact: Andrew Shapland

Email: andrew@tourismcorp.co.za

Tel: 021 426 0991

Website: www.tourismcorp.co.za

La Residence

Tel: 021 876 4100

www.laresidence.co.za