If you can make your childhood dream come true, you've got it made, it seems to us. A West Flemish couple got the chance to transform this beautiful castle in Diksmuide into their own dream home. To fulfil their fairytale wish, they engaged Ville Design. Once again, the studio succeeded in creating a clean, fresh design with cosiness at its heart.
Thaïs Niville, the face behind Ville Design, always strives to create sober yet warm designs with her interior design agency. She succeeds in this by putting her focus entirely on the client. Using the 'talk-design-finish' model, she first completely maps out the client's wishes and then responds to them with mood boards. Creating the right atmosphere is really what it's all about, according to Niville: ‘A resident has to feel completely at home in a house, otherwise something is wrong.’ This is also why the studio always chooses to follow the site closely to ensure everything goes according to plan. This allows the team to focus fully on the finishing touches: soft colours, natural materials and organic shapes make their concepts sparkle with energy time and again.
The experts also managed to sanitise this outstanding castle with their design. They did so by going the extra mile, as originally the intention was simply to give the ground floor of the property a good refurbishment.Still, when a property offers so much potential and you know that through bold actions you could meet the residents' needs even better, you shouldn't let that opportunity slip away, Niville thought.In the end, the architects decided to keep only the original floor, colour it and reinstall all the mouldings after insulating the entire floor.All the walls were also given a coat of white so the whole thing would feel timeless.
'A resident must feel completely at home in a house, otherwise something is wrong’
The new owners would move into the castle with their three children, which means space is crucial.Therefore, a large dining area and a substantial living kitchen were created. That first space, like the sitting area, features a cosy gas fireplace. In addition, the immense kitchen stands out not only for its grandeur, but also for its bold black colour that blends beautifully with the floor. Moreover, the black veneer of the kitchen island perfectly matches the brown marble. In turn, the adjacent utility room contrasts with the main kitchen through its clean, white colour complemented by a white marble top.
To allow the owner of the castle to be completely bathed in luxury, the studio created a bespoke dressing room for her. This is separated from the master bedroom by a neutral in-between space in which elegant grey armchairs were placed.Furthermore, the parents' spacious bedroom is located in one of the castle's towers.This was kept sec so that rest and relaxation could prevail here.Some handmade sheep carpets by JOV give the room a cosy atmosphere. The authentic shapes of the windows enrich the room as if with their original design.Then, in another tower, a freestanding bath in the master bathroom shines. Thanks to Ville design, the spacious castle was given a dynamic, elegant character in which original elements flow flawlessly into modern accents.Its perfect layout allows the large family to put all their energy into it, while the home's graceful character can continue to shine.
Photography by Cafeine
Text by Emma Verstappen