During the holiday season, Yzerfontein on the West Coast is a veritable hive of activity. There’s no sign of the sleepy hollow that prevails for most of the year; the houses that stand empty for many months come slowly to life and the streets fill with barefoot children – and adults – on their way to the beach.

Many people from the Malmesbury area choose to unwind here every year. One of them is Maretha Roux who, after her husband’s death 10 years ago, decided to settle in Yzerfontein permanently. Her sister, Leone Louw, and her husband, Lambertus (also from Malmesbury), spend their vacations here too and the sisters take turns to host the holiday festivities.

Maretha says the blue-and-white colour scheme in her home was accidental. First she bought a pretty blue plate, then a sea-green kettle and toaster. She then spray-painted her old Frigidaire fridge – also in a soft blue. And soon everything fell into place.

But unlike many other houses at the coast, you don’t just see stripes, shells and fish all over this home. ‘In the beginning, we had plenty of shells and fish, but they’ve dwindled over the years,’ says Maretha. ‘Now I prefer floral prints and stripes; I’m also trying to reduce all the white. At one stage it was simply too much and now I’m over it.’

When the house was built, Maretha had only two requirements: broad white floorboards and a large indoor braai. She got what she wanted and now her three-bedroom house with its lovely back stoep and garden is a true haven.

Words and images: Home magazine