Stylish Island Villa

Stylish Island Villa is a single-storey house on Egret Lane clad in dark timber, with solar panels on the roof and two wood-burning stoves inside. Between them, those say it is built for both halves of the year.

A long paved driveway runs in between trees and a wooden fence, and a walkway leads past planting to the front door. A covered walkway breaks the dark cladding down one side, and a timber wall at the back is hung with sun ornaments above a bench of potted plants.

Herringbone floors, two stoves

The main living room has grey upholstered sofas on a herringbone wood floor. A second lounge takes swivel chairs round a coffee table with its own wood-burning stove, and a third puts a corner sofa on a rug in front of the other. The kitchen is white-cabinetted with a wood countertop, opening to a dining table with woven chairs beneath rattan pendant lights. A dishwasher, a washing machine and air conditioning are all in place.

Blue headboards, barn door

Four bedrooms sleep eight and blue is the through-line: a queen with a navy throw, a king with a blue upholstered headboard and storage bench, a tall blue headboard above a circle-patterned bedspread, one with a sliding barn door and full-length mirror. Beds are the extra-long sort. The bathrooms take timber vanities, white basins, round mirrors and glass showers.

Decks, and a green wall

A covered wooden deck holds an outdoor dining table facing the garden and another takes lounge chairs round a coffee table. A covered dining patio has a green feature wall behind it and sliding glass doors through to the house. A veranda carries wicker sofas, and a kettle braai sits on the lawn with a second braai on the gravel patio.

Egret Lane and outward

The garden is planted right up to the windows, so trees are what you see from inside. Leisure Isle is flat and residential and the Armstrong Road causeway is its one connection. Our guide to the island itself covers what there is to do once you leave the deck.

Eight people who

Want dark timber, wood smoke and a great deal of deck, and will use the braais rather than going out.