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House & Home Sunshine & Waterside Living Special

Cape Town sits between ocean and mountain, so its natural allure is assured — but can the city cope with its continued popularity? This city report kicks off this special issue, which also travels from sculptural rammed-earth homes in the desert to 18th-century mansions on the shores of Lake Como, from turquoise lagoons in Florida to swimming in the Seine . . .

© Paolo Prendin

Do too many people want a slice of Cape Town?
South Africa’s second city is at a crossroads: those flocking to live there are powering the economy, but also driving up house prices and exacerbating a strained market and local infrastructure. For a city surrounded by ocean and mountains, the expansionist path forwards is a complex one
The tastemakers turning up the heat on desert living
Some of the world’s most seemingly inhospitable landscapes are providing stylish sanctuary for a cohort of pioneering homeowners. Architectural innovation is keeping things cool . . .
Valentina De Santis: ‘It’s difficult to find a place as beautiful as Lake Como’
The hotelier has won international acclaim with Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Passalacqua, but her own 18th-century waterfront home has just as many stories to tell
Who really wants to swim in the Seine?
Or the Spree? Or the Parramatta? Since the Paris Olympics, the movement to make city rivers swimmable has been making waves — but does the idea hold water?
On the waterfront: the rise of lagoon living
Developers are increasingly looking to turn inland residential projects into waterside ones with artificial lagoons and lakes. What was once a trickle is now becoming a steady stream. But not everyone has the same approach
Hot property: five homes in Brittany
From a château on its own private island to a seaside thatched cottage with coastal hiking trails just metres away

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