158 THE BLUE PERIOD
The Hermans couple, Natasha and Henri Charles, produce excellent organic juices from their own pears and apples. This is not their occupation, of course, but the Boechout estate, in Flanders, where they live with their three children, was an old Flemish-style farm surrounded by orchards. Over the years they have made many changes, but the fruit trees and the natural pond have remained unaltered. At harvest time, they interrupt their activities as antiquarians and interior decorators and get their hands soiled. «We’ve done some research. Until the end of the nineteenth century, the estate was called The Lion. It was nothing but a tiny homestead. In the following decades various annexes were built on, until it became the imposing farmhouse you see now», says Henri. «When we found it, about fifteen years ago, it needed a complete makeover. But what struck me were the ancient trees all around: they seemed to be inviting me to stay», adds Natasha. Evidently she heard them: not only did they move their home here (formerly they lived in Antwerp), but also their business. Their home hosts the temporary showroom of Polyedre, the antiques store officially based in Antwerp. At weekends they invite their clients here. As well as feeling pampered, relais-style, their guests can browse among the pieces that the Hermans find around Europe. For this reason, too, the house is constantly evolving. Currently the walls are painted blue, but soon they’ll be a bright emerald green, Natasha informs us. The style and location of the furniture frequently change as well: «We like to mix vintage design of the fifties – such as the dining-room chairs by Vittorio Nobili – with more classical seventeenth and eighteenth century pieces», explains Henri. The couple has managed to elude the nostalgic mood of ancient floors of unpolished wood and the vernacular atmosphere that often pervade this type of building. Hardly by coincidence, their business is called Polyedre (polyhedron) – a solid with multiple faces – almost a manifesto of their style, which harmoniously blends extremely different languages. From a general overview, in fact, this old Flemish mansion shows intriguing flare: whether owing to the cobalt blue colouring (for a little while yet) the hall and kitchen; or to the 3D pattern hand-painted in the studio, because «we don’t like wallpaper»; or the wicker furniture, at once reassuring and up-todate, the interiors strike us as powerful, and far from banal – particularly the vibrant blue fountain dominating the bedroom. «Natasha is the colour specialist. She chooses the curtains, and the upholstery of armchairs and sofas, in shades that go with the walls», says Henri. Together they form an unbeatable pair. When they’re not travelling, after their morning coffee, they move to their office in the converted back rooms, which formerly hosted an oven. They have transformed these into a functional space, with a floor of unfinished concrete. Rather than office chairs they have chosen small Italian armchairs of wicker and a French work table of solid timber. Cosmopolitan by nature – and by profession – they continue to forsake the city in favour of sheep, horses, and harvesting. Weather permitting, a swim in the pond makes a good start to the day.
The Hermans’ estate in Boechout, near Antwerp, offers a wealth of surprises. The couple, an antiques dealer and interior decorator, has transformed an ancient Flemish farmhouse into an eclectic home, free of country-kitsch nostalgia: 1950s Italian design elements, antiques, geometrical patterns, contemporary art. The set is constantly evolving. Check it out before the walls are transformed into emerald-green
In Turin, in the very exclusive Gran Madre area, what was a school in the early twentieth century is now the custom-made penthouse of architects Stefano and Cristina. Having bought the whole top floor of the recently-refurbished building, the couple preserved the most spectacular part of the former technical