The rounded particulars of an art-deco-style facade are repeated all through the inside of this home in Antwerp, which has been renovated by Atelier Fréderic Louis.
Belgian architect Fréderic Louis has modernised the format of Home Mellinet, changing the beforehand separate kitchen and front room with a big, open household room that opens out to the rear backyard.
The design – created in collaboration with inside designer Sarah De Pauw – celebrates the constructing’s present curved particulars.
In accordance with Louis, it was these particulars that first attracted the homeowners to the 145-square-metre property.
“They purchased the house as a result of they fell in love with the unique art-deco-style components,” he advised Dezeen.
Additional curved particulars have additionally been added in, together with a brand new fire and two focal staircase treads.
The ambition behind the renovation was to create a extra open-plan floor flooring format, growing pure gentle and making the residing areas really feel extra beneficiant in dimension.
Reaching this format concerned stripping the constructing again to its construction and putting in new steelwork.
“Our place to begin was making an attempt to determine how we may open the rooms to one another, as these have been all closed off from one another by thick load-bearing partitions,” defined Louis.
“The structural components we used for this have been key for the design of the home, as they stayed partly seen.”
When builders began stripping the inside again to its construction, they found hidden particulars equivalent to a big arched wall body. This fuelled Louis’ determination to make curves the important thing design motif.
The brand new format creates a round route by means of the ground-floor areas, defining a foyer area, a lounge space, a eating space and a kitchen, whereas a small workplace sits off to 1 aspect.
Two completely different flooring surfaces characteristic right here: a chevron-patterned oak parquet, and a speckled white terrazzo.
The junction between these surfaces integrates one other curved element.
That is echoed by the form of the kitchen island counter, which is constructed from a marble that matches the tones of the terrazzo flooring.
“The tip of the wall was additionally curved, not solely as a reference to the unique model components, but in addition to ease the circulation across the kitchen island and the areas subsequent to it,” stated Louis.
New home windows have been put in instead of the earlier PVC frames, with slender aluminium particulars that look extra akin to the metal designs that may have been on the constructing initially.
Heating, plumbing and electrical techniques have additionally been upgraded to carry them as much as fashionable requirements.
Ghent-based Louis has run his personal studio since 2014, however he additionally works for Graux & Baeyens Architecten, the place he has led initiatives together with the blocky Home J-VC.
Home Mellinet is considered one of a number of traditionally delicate renovations the architect has undertaken. He believes the design has returned the constructing “to its former grandeur”.
“The residing areas have advanced from closed, darkish areas, to a vivid, daylight-rich residing area with a terrific view over the inexperienced backyard,” he stated.
“The kitchen has turn out to be a degree of attraction, whereas the brand new and restored art-deco components have restored the unique really feel of the home.”
The images is by Tim Van de Velde.
