An unexpected visit to De Ark! My wife and I had extended a recent road trip and we decided that a night at this Guest House is just what the doctor ordered. A true statement, seeing that my wife IS a doctor and she HAD asked that we stay over to extend our holiday time, and to break the journey back to the Big Smoke.
This particular room, on the opposite side of the property to where we have stayed before, was done in an Edwardian theme and the owner’s attention to detail is what makes return visits to this guest house special and exciting. You never know in what era or style you will be accommodated.
Edwardian doors tended to be painted in dark colours such as green or black, but in the 1920s and 1930s, front doors started to get lighter and brighter, with colourful stained glass also becoming popular.
With that in mind, the door to this room paid homage to both colour schemes, but without the stained glass.
Our room for the night was recently re-furbished and gave us not only a comfortable bed but there was also a table that I could work on.
When we visited, the bed was a temporary one as the linen for the permanent king-sized bed had not yet been delivered. But by the time this is published, dear reader, that will have been rectified.
Did you know?
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victorian era. Her son and successor, Edward VII, was already the leader of a fashionable elite that set a style influenced by the art and fashions of continental Europe. Samuel Hynes described the Edwardian era as a “leisurely time when women wore picture hats and did not vote when the rich were not ashamed to live conspicuously, and the sun never set on the British flag.”
The soft furnishings pay tribute to the colour palette that was in fashion in the early part of the 20th century.
Were you aware?
Pastel colours soared in popularity in the Edwardian period, a stark departure from the rather glum dark colours favoured in the Victorian era. Floral designs with natural colours such as primrose, lilac and green and dusky blues, yellows and greys, all became popular.
The trimming on the lamps in each of the bedrooms that I have stayed in on previous visits have featured in my posts, so why should this be any different?
Perhaps not as sparkly as other bedside lamps, but a detail that I have come to expect at De Ark.
This was to be my ‘office’ for the duration of our stay.
During the Edwardian period, the favourite wood used for making furniture was mahogany but with a much lighter aesthetic. Some light materials like wicker and bamboo were also introduced in making furniture. Also preferred by designers was bird’s-eye maple, thus creating an easy-to-polish speckled finish.
A kitchen IN a cupboard, rather than a kitchen cupboard? This huge piece does not overwhelm the space but does offer everything that a guest might require should they decide to self-cater. Tea, coffee, rusks, crockery, cutlery, a microwave AND a fridge and packed into this space and vanish once the doors are closed.
Just out of this shot are the basin and a large shower space. I say space as the shower has no enclosure an as such allows the guests to feel like they are showering outdoors.
The bathroom was bigger than we expected and was light and airy. The bath was particularly alluring and my wife decided to annex that for her relaxation time.
FYI:
Edwardian bathrooms featured oval-shaped clawfoot tubs with an even rolled trim all the way around, like this Cast Iron Clawfoot from Elizabethan Classics. Bathrooms were still large and made for family use during this period, but were very much in line with the overall aesthetic of cleanliness.
The gazebo in the back garden, this time from a different angle.
To paraphrase Joni Mitchell :
“I’ve looked at this gazebo from both sides nowFrom up and down and still somehowIt’s gazebo illusions I recallI really don’t know gazebos at all”
What I do know about this particular gazebo is that it often features in celebrations that are held at De Ark.
Pick a colour, any colour. A handful of straws await patron’s drinks in the Fickle Fox bar.
Wine by the glass? Don’t mind if I do. A pre-dinner drink for my wife.
A chair outside the pub caught my attention. Although I have visited this establishment on several occasions, I always stumble across something I have not seen/photographed previously.
If you are wondering who is in the kitchen preparing YOUR breakfast, you can rest assured that it is NOT this young woman, even though her portrait hangs in the dining room, she is not a member of staff.
Art facts:
The Milkmaid (Dutch: De Melkmeid or Het Melkmeisje), sometimes called The Kitchen Maid, is an oil-on-canvas painting of a “milkmaid”, in fact, a domestic kitchen maid, by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. It is now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which regards it as “unquestionably one of the museum’s finest attractions”.
Good night from the lekker De Ark Guest House in Lydenburg. I look forward to visiting again in the not-too-distant future, and next time I hope to try out your Goth-themed room.
BTW: Themed rooms might not necessarily be your cup of tea, but trust me when I say that these rooms will convert you and make you, like me, want to return again and again.
To find out more about the guest house and what it offers, visit their website by clicking on the logo above.
The legendary hospitality and years of experience of owner Francis Le Roux and her small, well-trained staff are just what you would expect when considering a wedding, conference, a comfortable business stay or affordable accommodation for a short stay on your way to the Kruger National Park. (From their website)
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