Modern House Architecture

The House Tijl & Indra, in Belgium, designed by Atelier Vens Vanbelle is a distinct house that captures various emotions of the space in a vivid manner. With the use of materials, like walnut stained rough wood, cedar ceiling, polished cement flooring and custom built furniture pieces; every space inside the house has a story of its own. Renovated by the Architect, over a period of 4 years, the house has undergone a dramatic transformation from being a house to “house within a house.” It called for some meticulous planning and spatial re-arrangement, where every space has been put to good use by the Architect.

On entering the premises of the house, roughly polished wooden planks give a warm welcome from the living hall. It is being designed to act like a panelled facade inside the house and has an opening, which is actually a kitchen counter from behind. Towards the right of the living, free standing straight flight staircase reaches up to the first level of the house. Also, worthy of mention would be the racks assembled on the wall to hold books, artefacts, and more books. It is a simple, but yet colourful display that was built on the site.

Behind the wood panelled facade, the kitchen is found with its own inbuilt cabinets and racks leading to the guest room. On the first and second level, the architect has created beautiful spots for recreational purposes, amidst the private and semi-public areas. It is fine-tuned by the addition of custom designed furniture pieces by the client, and they are intricately detailed and are very flexible to be used for various activities. At the end, the house stands as a representation of an artistic work brought to life by interpreting space with materials, and it has been a tremendous effort, worthy to be showcased for a lifetime.

Photos by: Tim Van de Velde