The Barn House, Belgium : Architecture Information

Barn House – interior Together, Rita Huys and Hendrik Vermoortel run the Belgian architectural and interior design office, BURO II/BURO Interior. photo: Kris Vandamme Rita Huys, interior designer and manager of BURO Interior, and interior architect Anne-Mie Vermaut, drew a very simple design that reflects the essence of an architectural interior. Their design starts from white and grey tones as basic colours. The designers played with planes, and sliding and pivoting doors, allowing for the rearrangement of spaces when desired. The focal point of the Barn House design is the relationship between the building and the outside space and its embedding in the surrounding, rolling landscape. The landscape is drawn inside, as a result of which any addition to the interior may become obsolete. The furnishings of the house breathe transparency and openness towards the outside space. The purity of the white walls and the black and white furniture against the black concrete floors, in combination with de-complicated details, provides the neutral background necessary to fully experience the landscape. The highly stylised interior allows nature to enter into the house. The interior abides by a natural logic: the bedroom is on the east side allowing the residents to wake up to the sunrise, while they can experience the sunset from the living area. The design creates a year-round spectacle of light that continues to amaze the residents. photos: Kris Vandamme The concrete basement houses the technical spaces, the ground floor is the living area, and the first floor acts as guest accommodation. An anthracite poly-concrete floor was poured over the entire length of the house. The stairs leading to the first floor are also made entirely of concrete. The banister is in matt-brushed stainless steel. The aluminium is echoed in the handles of the pivoting doors. Walls and doors are painted white. The kitchen was custom-made in Corian. The living area is enclosed by a floor to roof glass facade that can be partly obscured by the fold-up sliding panels covered in white felt. The white B-lux lighting columns in combination with indirect lighting ensure ambiance lighting in the evening. The bedroom at the other end of the house is also bordered by a vast glass facade. The bathroom is only separated from the bedroom by a wall of 100% crystal glass so there are no colour effects. In order to allow the residents some privacy, a white curtain hangs from a taught stainless steel cable, without doing injustice to the transparency of the house. The rustling of the leaves on the trees outside is brought into the house in a spectacular fashion through the strategic positioning of the mirror. It can only give you a sense of peace. A bathroom to relax in. On the upper floor we find the same consistency in choice of materials: shower and bath are also made of Corian. The walk-in shower is integrated in the concrete floor, between the layered glass of the glass wall a white opal film was applied. The glass walls in the hallway are treated with a red adhesive film. This is the only space where colour is used, as the relationship with the outside space is only minimal. In order to maintain the integrity of the spaces, indirect uplighting from below are foreseen. On the terraces we find white folded aluminium benches by MDF Italia based on a design by Belgian designer Xavier Lust. The brick constructions on the inner court refer to the historical buildings that were there before. pictures : BURO 2 Landscape architect Eric D'Hondt translates the context of the site – a distinctly rural context with active agriculture – in the plans for the outside space. The various outside spaces can be reached by concrete stepping-stones. There is an herb garden, a vegetable garden, a field of flowers, a garden for cut flowers and a pasture for sheep. Self-supporting just as farmers once were. NATO Belgium building photos : Koen Van Damme BURO I, Belgium Team Interior designer Rita Huys founded BURO Interior or BURO I in 1983. The eleven team members furnish residential houses, apartments, public buildings, shops and offices. The miscellaneous projects all share one and the same vision of simplicity and perception. Vision The client and his dreams are at the forefront. Our team members listen closely to his needs and analyse them. They then convert them into a preliminary study and design which results in a made-to-measure project. The flexibility and openness of our team, as well as the room left, allow the client to open up. By looking for the simplest solution, the design goes beyond time. Simplicity in construction, materials and form generates a pure form of austerity. Gearing the design to the client’s perception results in a made-to-measure project, while the quest for simplicity results in timelessness. Projects BURO I furnished various hotels, as well as buildings in the medical sector, e.g. hospitals or retirement and nursing homes. Consult our website www.buro-interior.be The Barn House Belgium images / information from BURO 2 Jul 2008