A typical Belgian farmhouse, known as a ‘fernette’ inspires this addition to a residence, House DS, with an expansive back garden in Destelbergen, Belgium. Architects Graux & Baeyens addressed the client’s request of ensuring the addition would provide ‘spacious, bright and contemporary living’ and molded the idea of 4 rectilinear volumes as extensions of the existing building, creating a stark contrast between old and new, past and present. A fifth volume in the form of a pool house also serves as a shed for additional storage.

While I do wish there were more photos of the interior showing the transition between the existing and the new, the proportions of the new volumes, the unobtrusive appearance of its minimalist interiors and the well-designed layout of the spaces that connect the two structures present an elegant way of two styles coexisting. Photos by Julien Lanoo.