Devotion Shows in a 19th-Century Belgian Home

Devotion Shows in a 19th-Century Belgian Home

Devotion Shows in a 19th-Century Belgian Home

Everything about this 1896 house in Belgium reflects the love and energy which have gone into its own revival. The owners, photographer and founder of Yvestown blog Yvonne Eijkenduijn and visual programmer Boris van de Grint, have spent the previous four decades painstakingly renovating it to make it back to its former glory, while adding their personal touches.

Originally a six-bedroom family residence, the house was constructed for the owners of the brewery next door. Eijkenduijn and van de Grint are the third owners since 1896 and are handling one part of the house at a time as they bring in their trademark bright and light fashion. Eijkenduijn explains it as”the essence of an urban country home” with the advantages of being near the city and using a huge garden that is ideal for growing vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Yvonne Eijkenduijn and Boris van de Grint
Location: Lommel, Belgium
Size: 500 square meters (roughly 5,382 square feet); 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a basement which functions as two different workspaces

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The couple’s bright and light dining area exemplifies the texture of the whole house. Eijkenduijn can’t pinpoint the look as any single fashion but agrees with the description”Scandinavian pretty” provided by Joanna Copestick, cowriter of Decorate. “It is mix and match, mixing English and Scandinavian style fashions,” Eijkenduijn states.

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The couple began their renovations four decades back and are working their way upward. The first year they tackled the kitchen. The second year they completed the left side of the house, such as this dining area and music nook.

They plan to convert one of the bedrooms into a massive bath, convert the present bathroom into a spacious laundry area and refurbish the master bedroom. Finally, they plan to replace the roofing.

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“I really like the Scandinavian method of living, their use of white to brighten up the house during the dark, cold winter,” Eijkenduijn states. The few applied that formulation to what was previously a dim space to create this bright dining area. “The Scandinavians have this philosophy that in case you paint your floors, walls and ceilings white, the moment the sun comes out, your house is so vibrant and bright… like a burst of sunshine,” she states.

The consequent airy aesthetic is evident in this space, where classic furniture is paired with a neutral colour palette and lace curtains that soften the natural light.

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The light pink colored antique hutch in the dining area holds a collection of cherished classic and classic crockery, a combination of pink and white with occasional delicate florals that does not take itself overly seriously.

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The piece of artwork above van de Grint’s piano is by Dutch artist Auk van Hilten, a near buddy of Eijkenduijn’s. Van de Grint, a gifted carpenter, made the table. The few paired it with chairs they brought from Sweden.

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Birds and Roses background by Eijkenduijn’s favourite British designer, Cath Kidston, covers an accent wall in the dining area. “I simply love her aesthetic… her clever floral designs for the modern day woman,” she states. “Cath Kidston is very good for mixing and matching in conjunction with a great deal of white”

Eijkenduijn also finds inspiration from British interior design, such as the homes of several of the Most Well-known women in English-language literature, such as Virginia Wolf’s Monk’s House, Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, Vanessa Bell’s Charleston Manor House and Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top house.

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The right side of the house includes the living area and is the next area the few intends to redesign. The style will gradually echo that of the left side, with white painted wood floors.

The fireplace is unique to the house. The couple wishes to eliminate the uppermost part of this mantel and freshly plaster the walls, then repaint the mantel. They also aim to replace the tiles and install a wood-burning cooker.

The French-inspired coffee table was a flea market find.

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The living area also functions as an informal dining area; Eijkenduijn and van de Grint enjoy most of their meals there.

The restoration took a step backward in March 2010, when Eijkenduijn was diagnosed with a rare disorder involving her red blood cells. Work ceased for a year while she recuperated. “When things like this happen, you start considering things from another perspective,” she states. “You have to know yourself so much better and appreciate life and your health.”

The moment she recovered enough power, she resumed blogging and got back to the house undertaking. “Being optimistic was my savior,” she states. Her residence’s joyous interior is an extension of her sunny outlook on life.

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Holly Marder

The couple decided a fresh colour scheme of crisp white and blue to the kitchen, with hints of red, pink and mint green weaving their way across the space from the accessories and background. “I wanted to have a clean kitchen which was not too girly,” Eijkenduijn states. “I needed to mix industrial, classic and modern fashions, and I believe I accomplished that.”

The few plans to replace the existing floor with a bright white Novilon floor, a sort of vinyl, and add underfloor heating.

Background, pendant lamps: Cath Kidston (no more available)

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Simple white cabinets topped with wood countertops, open shelving along with a conventional range hood provide the room a country feel, while the wooden centre island topped with zinc provides an industrial vibe.

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Bright-colored accessories provide a unique touch. Open shelving, a signature of virtually every nation kitchen, stores fairly crockery and several cookbooks.

The house has been previously run on petroleum, and the first thing that the couple did was switch to natural gas. Then they got the power going and replaced the windows before getting starting on the aesthetics.

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The kitchen fireplace carries a stash of cookbooks and mason jars filled with goodies. A light blue Smeg refrigerator was the inspiration for the colour scheme.

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Just off the kitchenthrough a modest blue door, is a newly renovated guest toilet, sporting a fresh blue and white palette with vibrant red accents.

Before the renovation, the guest bath was available only from outside the house, which was inconvenient, particularly in the cooler months. With new tiling, a brand new toilet, a decorative sink and hardware, white wainscoting along with an antique vanity cupboard, the very small room is every inch the quintessential country guest loo.

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Holly Marder

The couple recently transformed the home’s existing sunroom into a mudroom-cum-pantry-cum–sunny back entrance. You can read about the transformation here. Old recycled doors have been added to a Ikea cupboard to make a pantry, a cupboard was installed below a window, along with also an Ikea seat gives a handy spot for taking off shoes or falling a tote. Fire-engine-red accessories bring out the red and blue floral design from the whimsical Cath Kidston wallpaper.

Steel magazine stand: Present Time Treasury

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A charming shelving system with coat hooks is a bright pop of pink which provides the finishing touch in this truly vibrant mudroom.

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Looking out into the back garden, we could observe the remains of what was a flourishing vegetable garden until just a couple of weeks ago. “I really like my summer garden,” Eijkenduijn states. “In fact, it’s a great summer house. We do a lot of entertaining outside in the warmer months.”

Once the couple bought the property, the outbuilding, which comprised the 2 walls displayed here, took up nearly all of the back garden. They removed a part of it to create this vegetable garden.

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The view from the back of the house may be bleak in fall and winter, but this little patch of soil bursts with herbs, vegetables and wildflowers throughout the winter months. The latest renovation job can also be viewed here: a tiny porch, nevertheless to be painted, which leads into the mudroom.

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Eijkenduijn’s home office is the sunny space where she conducts Yvestown, a lifestyle site she began in 2004 that now reaches some 400,000 readers. A palette of pink and white places a female tone in this area, found from the walls and vibrant injections of pink found from the polka dot accessories and wallpaper.

In her small workstation set against the wall, Eijkenduijn shares her own creative endeavors with her Yvestown readers, hoping to inspire them and make them joyful. “I am quite a happy, optimistic person, and I wish to reflect that in my blog,” she states.

Background: Cath Kidston (no more available)

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Eijkenduijn owes her interior design success to knowing her own style. “I understand my style,” she states. “I understand I use pink, white, red, green and blue. I stick into the palette and fashion, and it simply works. I am also not afraid to mix things up.”

She admits, however, she has doubted her fashion previously and strayed in the colour scheme, just to realize it didn’t work and return to the initial concept. “If you have a fantastic concept and it warms, stick to your guns,” she advises.

Bookshelves: Besta, Ikea

Holly Marder

Holly Marder

Eijkenduijn says she has always been drawn toward a clean, feminine and floral fashion, even during her childhood. She recalls her mother — also a longtime renovation and decorating enthusiast — allowed her to pick a Laura Ashley fabric for her bedroom. Eijkenduijn picked Emma, a flowery pattern she teamed with white, that in many ways still reflects the identical style she loves for this day.

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An original flame surround adds character and definition to the massive space, providing a whimsical backdrop for a table for 2 used for meeting clients.

This scene delivers a fantastic example of Eijkenduijn’s skill in mixing design fashions. She paired classic Bertoia chairs with a rustic classic table bought in Sweden and also a retro-inspired pendant, all against a Scandinavian-esque white background.

Pendant lamp: Cath Kidston (no more available)

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Set against a crisp white wall and surrounded by a collection of art prints and examples in white frames, this candy-floss-colored torso sitting in the entrance to Eijkenduijn’s house office insists on being in the spotlight.

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Every (renovated) inch of Eijkenduijn and van de Grint’s house is perfectly curated, not least this workplace screen atop the pink torso. Tones of pink, blue, white, green and red find a house in this very simple but carefully styled screen of books, stationery and a classic typewriter.

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When you thought the tour was finished, we’re heading downstairs into the basement, where the few enjoys two huge rooms for personal hobbies. It is also where Eijkenduijn stores her yarn, which she sells online.

Shelving: Expedit, Ikea

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Eijkenduijn is a avid crafter. Her hobbies range from sewing to knitting to crocheting, and that she loves drawing and illustrating.

Her personal hobby room from the basement allows her to indulge in all her favourite crafts.

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Van de Grint built this islandtopping it with an Ikea tabletop. It is sensible and beautiful at precisely the exact same time, enabling Eijkenduijn to spread her out cloths while providing ample storage and exhibit space beneath.

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The basement also holds a number of beautiful antique pieces, which store yarn and other hobby supplies. Small vignettes enliven the walls and corners.

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Holly Marder

A seat and easy peg stand hold the functional (cords and bags) along with the decorative (dolls and ribbons). In a different section of this room, bright-colored chairs add a sense of pleasure whilst on the far wall birdhouses are imaginatively covered with Cath Kidston designs.

Eijkenduijn admits that both she and van de Grint have been required to leave a couple hobbies supporting in favor of the renovation, which takes up most of their spare time. Luckily, this fully equipped space provides all of Eijkenduijn needs to enjoy the creative hobbies she still indulges in.

And beyond the craft area is…

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… the most remarkable man cave. Ever. For van de Grint, whose hobby is creating furniture, having this basement space for preserving wood, tools and supplies is perhaps his — and every woodworker’s — wildest dream. Most homes in the Netherlands and Belgium simply don’t have the space to accommodate such a pastime. The basement was a massive selling point for the bunch.

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When Eijkenduijn and van de Grint first laid eyes to their upcoming house, they were amazed at the sheer distance in connection to the asking price. Although the house has been in an almost unlivable state when they bought it, they understood they would have the ability to bring back a few of their original charm and personality.

“There was no hot water or power, the windows have been falling off their hinges, the entire house was covered in ivy, and there were bats, rats and mice inside. It was completely abandoned, and nature had taken over,” Eijkenduijn states.

With their eyes set firmly on the final product, they began planning the renovation. Both are no strangers to gutting, plastering and painting; this is the fourth house they’ve renovated in the 13 years they’ve been together. Obviously they were quite aware of the amount of work a house like this would demand for the type of overhaul they had in mind.

Their advice to first-time house renovators: Do not be put off from the work. Accept it and get on with it. It is likely to take over your life and will need an enormous amount of your time. Creating a realistic plan and budget can be key, in addition to being optimistic and bold to try new things.

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