At first light, Linda and Mark Robertson’s Plettenberg Bay home glows in soft shades of pink and lavender. The ocean stretches endlessly before them, the sand and mountains catching the day’s first warmth as whales breach in the distance. “We’re morning people,” says Linda. “Our favorite time of day is definitely just before sunrise, watching the light shift across the bay. In winter, it’s even more magical—we often see three to five whales right in front of the house.”
For the Robertsons, these quiet mornings are the ultimate reward after years of dreaming, planning, and building. Their home sits in Old Plett—the heart of this seaside town on South Africa’s famed Garden Route—a neighborhood of winding roads, hidden gardens, and breathtaking views. “We really wanted to be in Old Plett with a view of Lookout Beach, the Keurbooms River, and the Tsitsikamma mountain range,” Linda recalls. In 2014, while still living in Johannesburg, they heard that a neighbor might be selling a plot next to his home. “We immediately spoke to him and arranged the sale,” she says. “We only started building in March 2020, and moved in the following year.”
The initial plans were drawn up by architect Menno Meinesz, but when he died before construction began, the couple turned to local architect Tessa van Schaik of The Planet Thing. “I loved their brief,” Tessa recalls. “They wanted the house to feel unpretentious—a traditional seaside home with a contemporary edge, not a trophy house.” The Robertsons wanted a home that could easily shift between two modes of living: intimate and serene when it’s just the two of them, yet expansive enough to welcome family and friends during the summer holidays.
To achieve that balance, van Schaik designed the kitchen, dining, living area, and main suite on one level, allowing the couple to live comfortably on a single floor when alone. Below, a cluster of guest bedrooms and an activity room open onto the pool terrace, while an ingenious double bunk room, reminiscent of a train’s sleeper car, provides extra sleeping space for visiting children and teenagers. “We wanted the spaces to feel lived-in and relaxed,” says Tessa. “Everything needed to flow, without wasted or showy areas.”
The property’s steep gradient presented challenges that became opportunities. “It let us create an independent unit on the lower street level,” explains Tessa. “And we gained a main entrance above, where the house is nestled into the hillside between the two.” The result is a multilevel home with sweeping views—north over the lagoon and east over Lookout Beach—a rare dual vista in Plett. “Those incredible views really guided the design,” she adds. Local builder Andries Coetzee of AT Coetzee Builders brought the plans to life with precision, completing the project in just 18 months. The Robertsons wanted a home FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT theplanetthing.co.za/ that blended farmhouse warmth with Scandinavian restraint. “We wanted it to open completely at the front and back, so it feels like you’re outside when you’re inside,” says Linda. The main façade leads onto a generous covered veranda, lush with potted greenery and views to the ocean beyond.
For the interiors, the couple enlisted their friend and decorator Jennifer Jones, who helped realize a palette of pale oak, tin, white, stone, and soft textures. “Jen sourced pale oak floors and helped bring in beams and cabinetry in the same tone,” Linda explains. “She also softened the aluminum doors with natural materials and layers of texture.” Many of the Robertsons’ existing furniture pieces found new life here, repurposed to suit the house’s effortless, coastal rhythm.
The connection to nature extends into the landscaping, conceived by award-winning designer Leon Kluge. “We wanted a very natural garden with lots of grasses and indigenous plants,” says Linda. “Leon and his team were incredible—they created something that feels wild but completely intentional.” The native plantings blur the boundary between home and environment, grounding the structure in its spectacular setting.
Today, life in the Robertson home follows the easy tempo of the sea. Mornings begin with coffee as the sun rises over the bay, followed by a swim at Lookout Beach. Work, when it happens, often takes place from the veranda with ocean breezes filtering through. Evenings bring another dip, a walk along the sand, and a glass of wine as the sun sinks behind the mountains. “It’s like being on holiday all year round,” Linda smiles. “We built the home we always imagined—simple, warm, and completely connected to this incredible place.”