Second life

P. 90

In the Belgian countryside, a home-workshop based on ongoing creative experimentation

A project in progress for twenty years: ever since the creative couple Joris Van Apers and Caroline De Wolf, in 2000, built their villa at Duffel, in the Belgian countryside. «The evolution has never stopped, thanks to constant modifications to the structure, adapting the house to our needs and tastes as they change over time», says Caroline. The latest renovation reflects the creativity and flair of the owners, with their extensive knowledge of design, architecture and art.

Exploiting the large area (over 500 sqm, including indoor parking, pool and sauna), the house is an ideal space in which to invent unique furnishings, a sort of showcase for the design abilities of Joris and Caroline, who have produced many of the pieces in their own workshops.

The second life, in architectural terms, happens in what is also the emotional center of the house, with the domestic interpretation of an icon, the spiral staircase by Frank Lloyd Wright at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. «For its first version we used a recycled stone column, with glass steps and a stainless steel handrail. But we wanted more discretion and warmth. We have created a new sculptural volume, using wood and adding a new walkway for greater depth», Caroline explains.

«The two of us have designed practically everything you see». Like the island in the kitchen with its slate top that conceals the dishwasher and the pantry, or the oak dining table. The main thrust has been to balance the materials and colors, in a constant game of combinations. The saturated tones (especially in the living area, influenced by the art of Paul Klee) shift to paler hues in the other rooms, where white walls set off the colors of original artworks, including pieces by Michel Mouffe, Sam Dillemans, Dirk Braeckman, Ado Chale, Eric Astoul and Lucien Petit.