The Bruynzeel House

Private sale of a unique property
Plot: 2110 m², Building 375 m²
Phone 021 8876 939 or e-mail: Hans at StellenboschWriters.com

The famous Bruynzeel House in Stellenbosch

Deutsch Building material Situation More photos List of rooms

A work of art When in 1973 Kees Bruynzeel won the Cape Town to Rio yacht race we read about it in the yachting magazines. At the time we lived aboard our own yacht in the Caribbean.
Little did we suspect that one day we would buy his spectacular house in South Africa.
The Dutch wood merchant Kees Bruynzeel was not only a lover of wood, but also of the sea and sailing ships. With this house he created a monument to sailing.
The house is a design by the architect Aardt Bijl
and has been shown in several publications - a true work of art.

The hyperbolic paraboloid of the roof calls to mind an enormous sun sail on a yacht, which seems to float in the air. It is lined with precious yellow wood. The roof never touches the walls directly but rests on windows.

Click on first photo to enlarge these pictures and see more.


Early morning sun illuminates the roof and its yellow wood paneling.	This magnificent ceiling spans the upper rooms

The east side has large panorama windows up to the ceiling.

Click on the first photo for enlargements and more photos

At its highest point
the ceiling is 6 m high. The window cleaners
look small against this front!

Called by its builder Kees Bruynzeel Die Hoogste Hoek*
the house is placed high up on a north facing slope of Stellenboschberg.
Superb views on the town and mountains (including Table Mountain)!
(*the highest peak - this name alludes both to the lofty situation of the house and the peak of its unusual roof).

view on Table Mountain
Have you seen the
wonderful panorama yet?
If not, click on the photo! North side
North facing side:
this is one of the few houses not exposed to the hot midday sun.
The wooden wall and the overhangs of the roof keep the house cool in hot summers. Plan of the neighborhood
A large plot in a sought after neighborhood

Welgelegen is a sought after quiet neighborhood with larger plots than in other areas of the town.
Constantia Avenue is a circular road - no through traffic- around a small park with many proteas and indigenous trees. Walk to center of town in 10 minutes. The area is sheltered from the strong summer winds.

The materials used for the construction of this building are of unsurpassed quality:
Teak, yellow wood, copper, glass and a slim face brick that was commissioned and specially made for this house.
The quality of workmanship is equally stunning. The face brick walls were build with a slight slope of 3%, which is a costly procedure but so much more elegant. The bedrooms have moulded plaster ceilings.
Throughout the house one finds features that are admired by every architect.
The construction of this jewel cost ten times more than that of an average house.

Some remarkable pieces of art:

A ceramic sculpture built into the wall of the staircase: horse, 120cm long

A large glass window in the study, carved with acid and sand-blasted,
depicts a sailing yacht at the high seas under a high sky.

A carved wooden door from New Zealand (which Kees Bruynzeel won as a prize in a yacht race)

Have a look and click on the photo!

The beautiful wildflower garden with mainly indigenous trees attracts lots of birds.
We counted 117 different species of birds here!

Dr. Hans & Rosemarie Breuer 18 Constantia Avenue Stellenbosch 7600 South Africa
Tel/Fax ++27 (0)21 887 6939


At its highest point the ceiling is 6 m high.	The window cleaners look small against this front!