On Belgium’s Western Front close to the French border, lies the village of Adinkerke. Flanking the historic village and not far from the Belgian coast is a country estate; one of the last farms in the region to be walled by water.
Local designer Pieter Vanrenterghem was asked to bring this former farmhouse and its cluster of outbuildings from beneath their agricultural veil and into the open as a rural retreat. Offering an antidote to fleeting trends, Pieter asserts the hallmarks of modern Belgian design; simplicity, warmth and craftsmanship, bound by natural materials.
While no longer a working farm, Pieter set out to accentuate its Flemish pastoral history when transforming the main house and the adjoining four buildings. The main house spans open plan living, three bedrooms and three bathrooms, together with an additional two bedrooms with ensuites in the surrounding structures. “Two of the buildings are designed as a bed and breakfast. The program of the main house needed to be able to adjust to this same purpose, in case it became too big in the future,” Pieter says.
In creating a true destination of escape, Pieter converted the fourth building into a fitness space, complete with its own indoor swimming pool, while the fifth building became a dedicated party venue; a large, lofty hall designed to host large gatherings of more than 100 people.
Across all five buildings, the owners wanted to reflect the best of Belgian interior traditions. “The owners requested an easy house to live in; distinguished by warmth and tactility, shaped by natural materials,” Pieter says. He proudly lists a number of natural surfaces from the MuzillacVeine in Agripa Fine natural stone in the kitchen to the Travertine - both sourced from Belgian stone supplier Hullebusch.
The Moroccan Tadelakt lime plaster technique lines the floors in the main house, topped with sisal rugs and Pieter’s signature walnut timber joinery. He also selected dark oak herringbone flooring for the party hall, under restored exposed timber beams. “The interiors are very clean and minimal and consist of specific alignments,” Pieter says. “The use of natural materials softens these lines, making the spaces feel more human.”
When asked about his favourite space within the project, Pieter says he’s drawn to the open plan living, dining and kitchen area in the main house. A cosy, contemplative place to curl up by the custom fireplace, the living space plays host to a collection of design icons. From Michel Ducaroy’s Togo sofa for LigneRoset, Pierre Jeanneret’s Easy Chair and PoulKjærholm’s PK22 Easy Chair for Fritz Hansen, to the Austere Floor light by homegrown talent Hans Verstuyft for Trizo21.
When we seek to define what luxury design means today, there has been a refreshing shift away from excess, to the quiet, simple and slow. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Belgium; a nation that continues to produce some of the world’s most renowned design aesthetes. Pieter Vanrenterghem joins this esteemed crowd, capturing the essence of rural timelessness in grand scale and stature.
Material Used :
1. Living Room – Pierre Jaenneret – Easy Chair - Cassina -
2. Living Room - Carine Boxy – compilation of skins
3. Living Room - Destroyers & Builders – Bolder seat
4. Living Room – Michel Ducoray – Togo Sofa – Ligne Roset
5. Living Room - Poul Kjærholm – PK22 Easy Chair – Fritz Hansen
6. Bathroom/Dressing – Vittorio Nobile – Medea Chair (Vintage)
6. Muzillac Veine in Agripa Fine – Hullebusch
7. Travertine – Hullebusch
8. Walnut Timber
9. Dark Oak herringbone
10. Black tapware – Vola
11. Metalfire – fireplace in multiple spaces
12. Moroccan Tadelakt lime plaster
13. Muzillac Veine in Agripa Fine – Hullebusch
