Years ago, on a quiet corner of his family farm, Dewald Scholtz stood looking out over the land. It was a spot that had always drawn him back – a place of shade, silence, and sweeping views. To anyone else, it might have seemed like just another patch of veld, but to Dewald, it held a pull he couldn’t quite explain.
Over the years, the idea grew. What if this special place could be shared? What if the stillness and beauty that made it such a retreat for his family could become a weekend getaway for others too?
After ruminating over the idea with family friend Pieter Venter, Dewald brought the idea to Michelle, his wife and closest confidant. Together, they started sketching out what affordable weekend getaways for couples in Gauteng could look like. They weren’t just thinking about buildings; they were thinking about how it would feel to stay there. Warm but uncluttered. Thoughtful but unpretentious. Something that would bring the outdoors in, where the views and the wildlife would always take centre stage.
The first real challenge came when they decided to use shipping containers as the foundation for the cabins. It was unconventional, but it fit their vision perfectly: compact, efficient, and adaptable. What they hadn’t expected was just how tricky it would be to turn something so industrial into something inviting.
The terrain wasn’t easy either. Moving materials up and down slopes, figuring out how to work with the land rather than against it tested their patience and ingenuity at every step. But slowly, the cabins began to take shape. Local slate from the farm formed the base, rooting the structures firmly in the landscape. Large glass panels opened them up to the world outside, letting the views pour in.
By the time the first cabin was finished, it felt like it had always been there. Dewald and Michelle spent a night there themselves, not to celebrate but to test it out. They lay awake in the quiet, listening to the sounds of the bushveld and watching the stars through the wide windows. It was exactly what they’d hoped for.
The next day, Michelle started filling in the details. She added linens soft enough to rival any luxury modern cabin and scattered small touches – a plant here, a cushion there – to make the space feel as welcoming as it did serene.
Now, when guests arrive, they find a place built from persistence and care. A place that started as a quiet idea and became a space for quiet moments.
There are no grand gestures at Cabin Collective, only an open invitation: to stay, to rest, to let the land work its quiet magic. It’s a space built by hands and hearts that wanted to share something simple, and in its simplicity, something extraordinary.