apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Belgian Townhouse
The New York Times 9.30.08

10-1-brussels-1.jpg

The New York Times has been publishing lots of neutral spaces lately and this home's interior, painted in Flemish grays and whites, fits right in. British knitwear designer (and expert furniture scavenger) Justine Glanfield and her husband, photographer Vincent Fournier ,turned a former commercial townhouse in Brussels, Belgium into a family home that would fit right into the pages of Living Etc....

 
 

10-1-brussels-2.jpg

10-1-brussels-3.jpg

10-1-brussels-4.jpg

The home was built in 1912 and has 3,230 square feet spread out over five floors &mdash the two interior images above are of the sparsely-furnished (though near perfect) basement apartment. Check it out: In Brussels, a Town House With a Vintage Vibe and slideshow.

Pics: Sarah Michielsen

Tags

real estate, white, gray, townhouse

Related Links

Share

Comments (11)

Again the white... I love it.

posted by wendi_c on October 1st 2008 at 5:14am
view wendi_c's profile

swoon.

posted by atlantadesigner on October 1st 2008 at 5:22am
view atlantadesigner's profile

look at that adorable little mini fireplace!

posted by jln3681 on October 1st 2008 at 5:29am
view jln3681's profile

I cannot imagine a world without color. Especially in winter, and especially with kids. I would feel really depressed in this space. Since it's a rowhouse, there can't be that much natural light in some of the rooms.

The photos are pretty, and the owners have good taste, but still.

posted by madsarah on October 1st 2008 at 5:45am
view madsarah's profile

Actually I think the white is a good choice... it reflects what light there is. It's pretty standard in Scandanavian decorating.

posted by whytephoenix on October 1st 2008 at 5:55am
view whytephoenix's profile

love, love, LOVE Belgian design!!

I didn't use to love such all-white interiors, I would have found this too stark, but a trip to Denmark has changed my mind (although I still associate Belgium more with greys)...
People and life provide the colour, instead of things...

In a place where the rays of the sun are weak for much of the year, white interiors really help bounce around and magnify those precious rays

posted by mschatelaine on October 1st 2008 at 5:59am
view mschatelaine's profile

Love it! Belgian design is so wonderfully simple, never overdone or too designed, just looks easy and natural yet very stylish.

posted by Tiffany on October 1st 2008 at 6:33am
view Tiffany's profile

Guess I need a trip to Belgium, just so I can be convinced. :)

posted by madsarah on October 1st 2008 at 7:26am
view madsarah's profile

madsarah

ok, so this isn't your taste but there's no convincing needed. different people have different styles and different needs.
these people obviously love their space and that's all that matters

:)

posted by lcatt on October 1st 2008 at 7:49am
view lcatt's profile

I love this house! I love Belgian interior design! And count me in the Neutral Fan Zone!

This is hardly an all-white house - there's plenty of greys and blues. Besides, white walls make the inhabitants and the contents, uh, "pop" more.

I shall grit my teeth through "Colour Month", not because I don't love colour, but because I burn out on it quickly. I don't use much colour when I decorate because I get sick of it, and am not rich enough in money or time to be selling off stuff and starting from scratch again every year or two.

posted by Jaze on October 1st 2008 at 8:18am
view Jaze's profile

white never looked better. (though the gorgeous architectural bones help a lot too).

posted by reb on October 2nd 2008 at 7:39am
view reb's profile