Explore this new Flemish house that opens to the countryside

Flemish House by Julie Thiers, a brick house among greenery — (Image credit: Depasquale Maffini)

This Flemish house may appear monolithic and even a little mysterious upon approach – all clean, geometric shapes in a contemporary composition in brown brick. Yet stepping inside, the experience becomes cocooning, vibrant and at the same time truly expansive, as the home was designed to open up to its surroundings from the inside out. The project, designed by architect Pascal Bilqiuns and interior designer Julie Thiers, is the base of the latter's own family and effortlessly brings together the indoors and the outdoors, life and work.

Explore this new Flemish house

The property spans a substantial 550 sq m, nestled in the leafy Flemish countryside. Crafted around the owners' lifestyle and daily needs, the home features a flowing interior that unites different living spaces but is also at one with the house's context – and ensures a panoramic 360-degree view of its surrounding landscape.

Thiers heads Belgian design and product label Illus, and her home serves as the perfect showcase of her style and ethos. She treated the project as a 'living canvas', she explains, and a true 'place for experimentation'.

By being mindful when planning the internal organisation, the design team ensured there are few corridors and no 'dead space' in the home, which works hard for its brief at every turn. Open perspectives enrich internal views and allow the eye to rest – but equally, distinctive treatments and smart partitions between areas ensure different usages remain discrete as needed.

White or light-coloured walls help the spaces feel open, but bolder, tactile materials on the floors – such as the kitchen's Brecchia natural stone floor and the natural red stone with a bold pattern in the main bathroom – help anchor each room through a clearly defined personality. Timber window and door frames throughout blend effortlessly with the brick exterior and nod to Danish modernist architecture, which was a source of inspiration for Thiers.

Beyond products by Illus, the interiors feature a mix of vintage finds and contemporary pieces, such as a Nakashima table and chairs acquired at auction; a dining table by Brazilian designer Sergio Rodrigues; and an organic sofa by Pierre Augustin Rose.

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).