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A few days ago, on 17 July 2026, we got the message that our oldest friend had passed peacefully. Gwen Fagan was an extraordinary woman. So much has been written about her that the best way to know her is to read her story yourself — Nauti’s Gwendoline, Breestraat Publikasies. We loved her honesty, her anything-is-possible way of living, and the marriage she built with Gawie. 101 years, all of them creative.

We met around 14 years ago for an editorial story, later published in a book alongside others and awarded. Over the years that followed came whiskey, red wine, Amarula, rooibos tea, and long lunches at the Royal Cape Yacht Club and at Die Es, her home.

We were lucky to photograph a lot of their architecture, too — much of it you’ll find here — and along the way we met the wonderful people they surrounded themselves with, at the practice and at home.

Our biggest memory will always be the afternoon on our empty plot with Gwen and Gawie, talking through house plans. Who knows — maybe one day we’ll build the house they designed for us, one of their last. We still have the plans.

Read the editorial that started it all: Gwen & Gawie Fagan on Freunde von Freunden