In the village of Heusden-Zolderin the Belgian province of Limburg, AID Architecten renovated a dilapidated farmhouse for owner (and interior designer) Dorien Cooreman of Moka Projects. The traditional steeply pitched facade of brick and clay plaster was saved, as were the original timber beams. The Aga stove, lime-painted walls, and fairytale garden are new.
The restored farmhouse and an adjacent outbuilding have been transformed into a four-bedroom guesthouse with rates starting at 130€ per night. For reservations, see Moka & Vanille.
See more of our favorite Before & After transformations.
Read on for a before-and-after look at the renovation:
Above: Photograph via Booking.
The farmhouse is surrounded by meadows and forest, so the palette and scale of the foundation plantings are deliberately understated—green and low-growing—to play up the building's relationship to the Belgian landscape.
Before
Above: Photograph via AID Architecten.
Rundown and unloved, the roof leaked and under-size windows and doors did not take advantage of the views.
After
Above: Photograph by Bieke Claessens.
Windows and doos have been strategically placed to encourage an indoor-outdoor flow.
See more of our Before & After transformations.
Above: Photograph via AID Architecten.
The steeply pitched roof and a sunny patio create a bucolic corner sheltered from wind.
Above: Photograph via Weekend.
An edible garden is sited close to the kitchen.
Above: Photograph via Booking.
The garden beds are edged with mown lawn, extending the visual sweep of green.
Above: Photograph via Moka Projects.
When large barn doors are wide open, the outdoors becomes an extension of indoor living space.
Above: Photograph via The Travel Files.
Oak cabinets and gray lime-painted walls in the renovated kitchen, along with original timber beams for support.
Above: Photograph via The Travel Files.
As seen on Remodelista, "Cooreman has meticulously overhauled the interior, creating an understated, luxurious sanctuary—custom-designed linens, ceramics by Anja Meeusen of PTZE Porselein, and solid oak pieces from furniture maker Malvini."
Above: Photographs via Booking.
Some of the permanent residents are a reminder of a previous life as a working farm.
See more of our Before & After transformations.
For more of the interiors, see Hotels & Lodging: Moka & Vanille in Belgium on Remodelista. For another landscape with a restrained palette and topiaries, see Garden Visit: A Classical Approach to Mod Dutch Minimalism.More Stories from Gardenista