F&H DESMET house - Dirk Hulpia

In Lovendegem, near Ghent, the Desmet´s House stands out for its spaciousness, natural light and a timeless architecture, all in a limited site.

The parcel is defined by its length, narrowness , not-optimal orientation and an existing unsuitable house. Open spaces, light and warm cosy atmosphere, were the concepts to design the new house which looks for a closed familial coexistence, without secrets. To that end, the different spaces of the house are connected through double heights, natural light, common furniture and a common material in all the rooms.

Due to the narrow land, the design clings to look for spaciousness by the relation between levels, so to say, a double hight, in the garden side, provides a tensional space and brings light to the deepest.

Every room, like toilet, storage, wardrobe, technical room… are placed on the side of the street, thereby the rest spaces are together in the same environment looking to the outside, the garden and the sky. A long window, all along the house, throws natural light and joins all the rooms as one. In any case, the rooms have the possibility to close themselves in a future.

As regard to the interior, the design tries to create a warm cozy space. An old box next to a modern Vitra chair, an antique wooden closet in front of a new custom-made fireplace, worn out chairs in a new kitchen… these generate all an interesting confrontation between the old and the new.

Increase in storage capacity was important to design the interior space, therefore there were created continuous closets all along the house. As a result, the kitchen and the living space are linked between them. All the compartments of the closets, like the sink, the tv, the shelves… have the possibility to hide themselves, thus several atmospheres may show up.

On the one hand, the white is used in walls and floors in order to have a sobriety environment; on the other hand, the walnut wood emphasizes the ideal points to provide warmth at home.