This South African Glamp-site Asks: What If "Moonrise Kingdom" Were Real?
Inspired by the art direction of Wes Anderson, this playful campsite offers a gleeful escape from the world.
Inspired by the art direction of Wes Anderson, this playful campsite offers a gleeful escape from the world.
You’d be forgiven for assuming Camp Canoe was the work of a Wes Anderson superfan. The cabins marked with embroidered scout badges, the meticulously clashing plaids, the pleasing symmetry of the pegboard kitchens: It’s like a beautiful, Moonrise Kingdom fever dream.
Camp Canoe is nestled right in the heart of wine country: a true escape from the world.
Photo by Warren Heath/Bureaux
But camp founder Amy Kropman sheepishly admits that she hasn’t even seen all of the director’s films. "I’m not a die-hard fan necessarily," she laughs. Never mind, though. Andersonphile or not, the result is quirky, quaint, and utterly inviting.
In the central tent, a Made light strip by Martin Doller is woven through a Barn and Werf canoe frame to create an on-brand light fixture above a large Boschendal dining table. Woodbender chairs offer ample seating for groups.
Photo by Warren Heath/Bureaux
Amy runs the glamping retreat in South Africa’s Cape Winelands with husband Tal, and their boys, Reef and Jax, play underfoot. The Kropmans previously operated a successful boutique hostel in Capetown, but when Covid hit, it offered the family a moment to reassess and figure out their next steps.
"We’re always on the lookout for things people aren’t doing," says Amy. So when the family moved out to a wine estate and found the property had a collection of heavy-duty safari tents set up out back—the remains of a never-completed vacation-rental project—the opportunity was too enticing for the hospitality power couple to resist. They called up acclaimed South African design firm Mr. with one directive: "Go wild."
Bit by Bit Design created a tile mosaic for the shower stalls that’s intended to look like the lining of a sleeping bag.
Photo by Warren Heath/Bureaux
See the full story on Dwell.com: This South African Glamp-site Asks: What If "Moonrise Kingdom" Were Real?
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