When approaching Belgian designers Thomas Geldof and Carmine Van der Linden about their new home, the client proposed the question: “how can you respond to such a view that is shaped by nature and tranquillity?” Thomas and Carmine thought using natural materials and colors would reflect the calming coastal location of the two-floor apartment, which is encircled by sand dunes and grassy banks.
In the apartment’s kitchen, the splashback, shelving and paneled birch-wood cabinets have been stained a murky shade of green.
“The color choice of the wood subtly brings in the seaweed color from the adjacent sea and the marram grasses in the surrounding dunes,” said the architects.
To provide an immediate unconscious sense of silence and serenity on the scale of instinct and acoustic the architects chose to work with a clay finish for walls and ceilings.
The texture and palette of a wet sand beach used for the terrazzo floors blends in a harmonious way with the stained birch wood paneling because of the subtile use of granulates in a similar color tone. The color choice of the wood subtly brings in the seaweed color from the adjacent sea and the marram grasses in the surrounding dunes. The rhythm and refined finish of these cabinets are found throughout the different rooms in the apartment.
The richness of white tones and various textures in the bedrooms is reflected in the refined detailing and material choice. This language continues in the bathrooms where simplicity, purism and softness are complemented by the power of a unique solid natural stone element.
A fresh tone was played with the use of a few particular galvanized elements, which are better known in industrial applications. One of these elements is the prominently placed spiral staircase that not only connects the two levels aside a collections of cherished objects, but also offers this open space a monumentality. With its extremely logical and pragmatic construction method, this object stands as a ‘pièce unique’ in the open living space.
This is the first collaborative interiors project from Van Der Linden and Geldof, who are based respectively Ghent and Antwerp.
