Farmhouse transformed into the modern retreat by the local designer Pieter Vanrenterghem.

On Belgium’s Western Front close to the French border, lies the village of Adinkerke. Flanking the historic village and not far from the Belgian coast is a country estate; one of the last farms in the region to be walled by water.

The designer was asked to bring this former farmhouse and its cluster of outbuildings from beneath their agricultural veil and into the open as a rural retreat. As an antidote to fleeting trends, the hallmarks of modern Belgian design are adjusted to the interiors; simplicity, warmth and craftsmanship, bound by natural materials. 

While no longer a working farm consisted of five separate buildings. The main house spans open plan living, three bedrooms and three bathrooms, together with an additional two bedrooms with ensuites in the surrounding structures. “Two of the buildings are designed as a bed and breakfast. The program of the main house needed to be able to adjust to this same purpose, in case it became too big in the future,”says the designer.

In creating a true destination of escape, the fourth building was converted into a fitness space, completed with its own indoor swimming pool, while the fifth building became a dedicated party venue; a large, lofty hall designed to host large gatherings of more than 100 people. 

Across all five buildings, the owners wanted to reflect the best of Belgian interior traditions. “The owners requested an easy house to live in; distinguished by warmth and tactility, shaped by natural materials,” says the designer.