Location, location, location—it's the golden rule, and there are few neighborhoods along Cape Town’s famous coastline quite as spectacular as Clifton. ‘It has the most amazing views and most pleasant microclimate in Cape Town,’ says Stefan Antoni, founder of Cape Town-based architecture firm SAOTA. ‘The site has incredible sunsets and is directly up against the mountain, which is great for nature walks.’ – and few addresses are as commanding as Nettleton Drive, arguably the most sought-after stretch of real estate in the country. 

‍

‍

The home itself is is perched on the shoulders of Lion’s Head, rising out of the mountainside – the four lower levels contained within the structure’s robust form which is wrapped in composite aluminum screens, comprising six generous bedrooms, three of which can be interlinked for a family suite, and to a double volume entertainment space complete with spa, games room and cinema. Above that, leaning back towards the mountain to offer complete privacy – the top two levels are where the main living areas can be found – a capacious open-plan space holding within it the kitchen, bar, dining, living and family rooms, as well as a winter lounge and art studio at a mezzanine level.

‍

‍

A marvel of modern engineering, Beyond employs a tightly edited material palette—raw, elemental, and impossibly grand—and its very structure seems to dwarf the mountains that hold it. The brilliance of the villa’s architecture lies in its contradictions, how it achieves a sense of airy weightlessness through raw concrete and steel. Inside, granite floors and lime-washed pine timber planks echo the rugged terrain and silvery trees outside; their presence made known through the massive sheets of glass that flood the living spaces with light while shielding them from glare and moderating the internal temperature thanks to their high-performance treatment, which reduces the home’s carbon footprint by lowering its reliance on fossil fuels for heating and cooling.

‍

‍

‘The focus was on the creation of powerful spaces and the manipulation and intersection of forms,’ says Stefan. ‘Thus, the home is designed to maximize on its setting, with the glazed lines between inside and out able to peel back to blur this boundary in a continuous, transparent space that links a generous back garden opening directly onto the forested slopes of Lion’s Head to a pool that stretches out towards the sea in front.’ This is a home geared towards making the most of the sunshine season, while still ensuring the utmost comfort inside, even during the hottest days.

‍

‍

Every aspect of the interior spaces is carefully considered not only to work with the architecture but to become an extension of it, from the design (which was headed up by SAOTA’s internationally-acclaimed sister studio ARRCC) to the art collection. Custom furniture pieces have generous proportions and organic forms, softening the concrete structure, while creating a comforting scheme within the grand volumes. ‘At Beyond, the lines between house and gallery are blurred as it plays host to a collection of contemporary South African pieces, from the Paul Blomkamp tapestry and Paul Edmunds sculpture that animate the entrance hall, to Porky Hefer’s playful (and inhabitable) “Blowfish”, which floats within the double volume entertainment area, to the African masks worked into the dark walls over the kitchen,’ says Stefan. ‘The collection is always carefully curated to work with the architecture.’ What you have here is a home that defies expectation (and, at times, the laws of gravity) to become a once-in-a-lifetime place to call home. That’s why we call this villa Beyond—because there is nothing like it.

‍

‍

But despite its awe-inspiring design, at its heart this is a family home geared towards long summer days spent outside—either swimming in the pool, surfing at nearby beaches, or hiking the incredible mountain terrain that’s just out the front door—or gathered in the state-of-the-art kitchen sharing meals and stories.

‍

‍

Of course, it wouldn’t be an In Residence by Pieter Brundyn villa if it didn’t have what we call the In Residence Difference – the bespoke services that cater to your every need. Fancy yoga on the sprawling sun terrace overlooking the Atlantic and surrounding Twelve Apostles mountains? Our personal trainers are on hand to take you through your Vinyasa flow. Or planning a festive gathering for friends and family? We’ve got private chefs on standby ready to cater, whether it's an intimate dinner at the 12-seater dining room table or a lively cocktail party beside the dramatic glazed bar that extends out of the house, floating over the pool with a glass floor. 

‍

‍

This iconic architectural home, dreamed up by one of South Africa’s leading architects, and set along one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world – Beyond is in a league of its own and, exclusively through In Residence by Pieter Brundyn, the opportunity to live at the edge of the world is here.