DE House

Making the most of the connection with the lake next to the house, this renovation project for an old family residence sought to integrate the built space with the surrounding nature.

Located on a large plot of land with no close neighbors and a dense forest surrounding it, the young couple and their children have complete privacy.

Due to local legislation, most of the walls on the façade had to be maintained in relation to the original project, whose old roofs created a volume that tended towards verticalization. With the use of our thin roofs and eaves, we made the house more horizontal, creating a visually lighter relationship with the land.

An extensive lawn welcomes visitors who arrive at the house. Upon entering on the ground floor, they are welcomed by a staircase that crosses the three floors of the residence, bathed in the light of a skylight.

At the living room, a double height ceiling opens to the other side of the plot, where a large lake becomes the main view. Sunlight spreads throughout the living room, kitchen and dining room.

Climbing the stairs, located on the wall behind the fireplace, there is a mezzanine that functions as a music room, with a large piano, guitars and an extensive vinyl collection. From this point, you can both observe the room below and have a privileged view of the lake, through large glass panels on the façade of the upper floor.

Through the sides of the mezzanine one can access the intimate areas: on the right, the master suite and a closet; on the left, the bedroom of one of the couple’s children. The other two children’s bedrooms are located on the ground floor.

Going down the stairs to the basement is the service area, with the laundry room, the garage and the mudroom, as well as an office and a space for yoga practice.

The house marks the transition between the lawn and the lake, so the materials were chosen to reinforce this connection with the surrounding nature, with the use of locally supplied wood and stones, and large openings for greater entry of natural light and maximum visual continuity between the internal and external space.

The interior design project, with carpentry and layout, and the decoration project, with the choice of vintage furniture and local design elements, were also designed by Jacobsen, resulting in a mix of our tropical aesthetics with the essence of a Belgian residence.