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Architects: CAS architecten
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Tim Van de Velde
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Manufacturers: Miele, Agape, CEA Design, CJC systems, Flos, Knoll International, Ligne Roset, Metalfire, Tekna
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Lead Architects: Pieter-Jan Leenknecht
Text description provided by the architects. An instant holiday feeling with the relaxed sphere of Ibiza. They say: A word is enough to the wise but the client of this villa is still amazed at how well Cas Architects could realize her wish in a design, surpassing her wildest expectations. After one and a half year, we still have that holiday feeling in our house.
On the lot stood a very old and dilapidated house but it was the ideal location: a lot of ground, secluded, amidst the fields and in the vicinity of the centre of their social life. The client wanted a timeless house of which the outside was less important than the sphere they wanted to create inside. They absolutely wanted to be able to live inside as well as outside. Also important to them was a big covered terrace because either it rains in Belgium or you sit in bright sun and they don’t like either of them. And living with growing adolescents, they wanted a separate part for the children.
A good design provides a compact and practical house that settles well in the environment. The result was a Z-shaped design that makes good use of the sloping terrain. The architecture is austere and combines architectural concrete with Afromosia wood. The design also took into account the stage of life of the inhabitants and their leisure activity. There is a perfect division at which the children both have their own room/bathroom on one side of the house, even underground. The same applies to the parents. The client, a passionate triathlete, has his own fitness room with shower in the cellar, directly leading to the swimming pool in the garden via stairs. The allowed 1000 cubic metre of space is used optimally. Not a single square centimetre is lost in this basement house, thanks to many built-in closets. The design responds completely to the way they lead their daily life, every space is used every day. Moreover, the house is very practical and easy to maintain.
The natural Pietra di Medici stone floor, the wooden furniture made to measure in blond walnut and the plaster look in nude tint, with which walls, ceilings and even doors and cupboards are covered, create a warm and natural sphere, while other eyecatchers such as the vintage leather sofa, a Moroccan carpet and a classical Knoll kitchen table provide a personal touch. The construction of the house and especially the openwork back facade, complete the picture. The big overhang makes the covered terrace a full-fledged outdoor room and lets inside and outside blend seamlessly.
From the moment you enter the house, you can feel the pleasant atmosphere and once you have passed the income hall, you are, as it were, drawn to the outside again. “Here, the covered terrace does exactly what I envisioned. By its size, the clients can carefree leave their furniture outside winter and summer. From the very first sunny days in February they can sit outside, even though they need a blanket then. With sliding windows in most spaces, they can feel the environment inside and with the curtains flowing out, Ibiza is never far away. Of course they don’t always have a view on the water, but the rolling landscape is a delight to the eye. From everywhere in the house they get a glimpse of the unspoiled nature and that is a sight that is never boring.
