The brief from the Thompsons was to design a home that is great for entertaining people, as well as being comfortable for day to day living (the list of ‘nice to haves’ was very much the classic list of spaces for a South African home).

The design is a simple logical sequence of spaces that allows for all the living rooms of the house (the lounge, dining room and kitchen) to open up completely to the garden and patio. This design also makes economic use of a small piece of land, and maximises the amount of sun that the rooms should ideally receive.

The architecture of House Thompson is part of a journey that our practice continues to explore – to design architecture that is modern and South African, rooted in its own place, and responding to the climate (in this case, the Johannesburg Highveld), the suburb (leafy Forest Town), the character of other architecture that surrounds it, and, most importantly, the users of the space (Craig and Di). The materials and finishes of the building are raw materials that allow the structure to be honest, wholesome and nurturing to its inhabitants.