The Bunkers — Knokke-Heist, Belgium
Growing up on his family farm in Knokke-Heist, a charming rural retreat in Belgium’s north-east coastline, Axel De Bisscop fell in love with the abandoned 18th-century fort in the adjoining farm. So when the property came on the market in 2012, he was quick to snap it up with ambitious plans to convert it into a private residence, and a five-room bread and breakfast.
Bruges-based studio Architectuurburo Govaert & Vanhoutte were called in to renovate the two principal brick buildings – a farmhouse and a barn, which had once been the fort’s watch house and jail – in a harmonious sequence of slatted timber screens, glass walkway and brick. With Belgium’s cold winters in mind, an underground tunnel was dug to connect to the lap-pool and infra-red sauna whilst a clutch of original stone bunkers built around the First World War encircling the grounds now house chickens, sheep and bees which supply the dining table with honey and eggs.
Interior designer Kristof Goossens, meanwhile, counters the buildings’ lofty interiors of concrete, timber and stone with deeply set grey sofas, thick-piled rugs and wire chairs. Taking centre-stage is a sleek kitchen sheathed in black powder-coated steel specified by Vipp, a favourite marque of the owners who also worked closely with the kitchen specialists on the lamps and a sophisticated rack system.
When the bucolic views of fields and sheep no longer enchant, then Damme and Bruges are a 15 minute drive away.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Burkeldijk 18 B-8300|
Knokke-Heist
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
The moments fashion met art at the 60th Venice Biennale
The best fashion moments at the 2024 Venice Biennale, with happenings from Dior, Golden Goose, Balenciaga, Burberry and more
By Jack Moss Published
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the senses
New restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallagher
By Billie Brand Published
-
Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe goes up for sale in landmark Christie’s auction
The proceeds of ’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’, running this June, will go to the charitable causes she championed during her lifetime
By Jack Moss Published
-
Bar Magritte in Brussels is the world’s only bar dedicated to the Belgian Surrealist artist
Bar Magritte, located inside Hotel Amigo in Brussels, offers expert mixology and René Magritte’s inimitable quirkiness
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Fine dining and environmentally friendly shelters define La Roseraie Modave
Chef Marie Trignon’s La Roseraie Modave adds these cabin-style shelters to its acclaimed dining offering, on the edge of the Ardennes in Belgium
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Hotel August offers a modern-day sanctuary in Antwerp's Green District
Hotel August is a former Augustinian convent quirkily reimagined by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
La Réserve, Knokke’s grand dame of hospitality, is back with a bang
La Réserve in Knokke launches its luxurious redesign by Glenn Sestig, bringing the iconic Belgian hotel icon into the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Brussels' Mix Hotel opens in the former headquarters of La Royale Belge
For the new Mix Hotel, Lionel Jadot completed the interior overhaul of the former headquarters of La Royale Belge in Brussels
By Emma O'Kelly Published
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro Published
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
By Dimity Noble Last updated