Bieke Casteleyn’s Belgian house is impressed by California modernism

‘I’ve all the time been fascinated by midcentury properties in California, significantly the homes present in Palm Springs and Los Angeles,’ says Belgian inside architect and furnishings designer Bieke Casteleyn. When she went to create her household house in Belgium, she knew she needed to take cues from California midcentury modernism, but adapt it to suit the cooler local weather and darker months of Belgium.

Positioned within the polders in Belgium, a flat and low-lying countryside space, the residence is a ‘winterised interpretation of California modernism‘. Casteleyn drew from components of the style in each the structure and interiors of the house, which is ready on a single degree, with heat wooden and considerable pure gentle. Tweaks have been made to suit the Belgian context, with exteriors in stone sourced by Casteleyn and her husband, chosen in a grey-green to higher movement with the panorama. The flat roof is roofed in grass, letting the house additional mix with the inexperienced environment. For the interiors, the nice and cozy tones meet touches of cooler supplies, similar to stainless-steel, in a nod to the native local weather.

Casteleyn launched her first furnishings assortment in 2015, that includes pure curves, tactile supplies, and a way of playful boldness. Her own residence carries these similar sensibilities, but can be pushed by her love of midcentury modernism.

She started the venture in 2018, engaged on the preliminary plans with architect Simone de Burbure, earlier than growing it additional with a website coordinator, an exterior structure workplace, and a member of her personal workforce. Casteleyn designed the interiors herself, creating a house that’s open, inviting, and related to the character round it.

The principle residing areas are separated from the non-public wing of the house by a sweeping 36m hall, with glass partitions for immersion within the surrounding panorama. Curtains have been added for privateness, along with a picket claustra (or architectural display) that runs alongside the outside in an elongated oval sample. This oval form recurs all through the house, from the door handles to the kitchen cabinetry, appearing as a ‘visible signature’ of the property.

Casteleyn intentionally balanced the house’s open-plan areas and expansive views with a way of heat. ‘Homes with in depth glazing and lengthy sightlines can typically really feel uncovered or impersonal,’ she says. ‘In contrast, properties with smaller corners and enclosed areas are likely to really feel naturally extra inviting. I needed to discover a stability between the 2: a house full of gentle and lengthy views that may nonetheless present heat, privateness, and a way of shelter.’ Wealthy woods and pure supplies, natural curves, and tactile textures are signatures of Casteleyn’s designs, and these function closely throughout the interiors.

Over time of designing the venture, Casteleyn and her husband had collected a variety of furnishings and artwork, and so they used the items to outline the house. ‘As an alternative of getting the inside after which selecting which items match, I selected to do the alternative: design the home across the furnishings,’ she explains. Collectible design items are interspersed with antiques from Casteleyn’s household, alongside choose designs of her personal.

In the lounge, for instance, a settee designed by Minotti, chosen in collaboration with RR Interieur, sits alongside a espresso desk prototype by Bieke Casteleyn, in high-gloss ivory lacquer and afromosia wooden, and classic Artifort armchairs. Within the eating room, an inherited desk, whose legs Casteleyn upholstered in burgundy, sits beneath a tiered midcentury chandelier sourced from Morentz Gallery.

Across the house, considerate options have been added to deepen the indoor-outdoor connection. On one terrace, a round opening within the roof makes area for a tree to develop by means of it. Elsewhere, stairs result in a small deck over a pond, with seating for watching the birds and taking within the bucolic panorama.

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