{"id":282300,"date":"2026-02-09T15:51:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/282300\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T15:51:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:51:19","slug":"decancq-vercruysse-reorganises-bungalow-around-fireplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/282300\/","title":{"rendered":"Decancq Vercruysse reorganises bungalow around fireplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

A blocky fireplace<\/a> and a fold-down desk both feature in this rework of a 1960s home on the outskirts of Ghent<\/a>, designed by Kortrijk studio Decancq Vercruysse.<\/p>\n

Decancq Vercruysse<\/a> oversaw a complete refurbishment of the mid-century Bungalow Sint-Martens-Latem, which is located in a woodland in Sint-Martens-Latem.<\/p>\n

\"FacadeThe house was originally built in the 1960s<\/p>\n

While the exterior was largely restored, the inside was transformed with a reorganised layout, a repositioned entrance and all-new interior design and furnishings.<\/p>\n

“The basic structure of the house was sound, but almost everything else needed to be renewed,” explained Emiel Vercruysse, who co-founded the studio with Hannes Decancq.<\/p>\n

\"EntranceDecancq Vercruysse moved the entrance to the opposite side<\/p>\n

“In essence, we had to restart from a raw structural shell,” the architect told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

Home to a couple with two young children, the single-storey property is neatly divided into two wings. Communal family living spaces are on one side and bedrooms and bathrooms are on the other.<\/p>\n

\"Fold-downA fold-down desk creates a space than be used for work or play<\/p>\n

Vercruysse’s scheme unites the previously separate kitchen, living and dining spaces, with an open-plan layout anchored by a central fireplace. This serves as a focal element, with a white-painted brick chimney breast that cantilevers in three directions.<\/p>\n

The front door was originally on the garden side but was moved to the opposite facade. This increases the family’s privacy, setting up a new entrance sequence on the woodland side that is accessed via large stepping-stone slabs.<\/p>\n

\"FireplaceLiving spaces are organised around the fireplace<\/p>\n

Inside, this realignment creates a natural buffer zone between the two wings.<\/p>\n

The old entrance lobby has been repurposed as a flexible work or play space, with a large fold-down desk allowing it to easily switch between uses.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Renovated<\/p>\n

Enrico Sassi uses Le Corbusier colours in revamp of 1970s house overlooking Lake Lugano\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

“As this is a bungalow, it was essential to create a soft and gradual transition between the day and night zones,” said Vercruysse.<\/p>\n

“The multifunctional office space mediates the transition between the living spaces and the private areas.”<\/p>\n

\"LivingCustom-made joinery features a veneer of afromosia wood<\/p>\n

The adjusted layout also gives the family three bedrooms, including a main suite with its own generous bathroom. This en-suite has a fully glazed endwall, offering views out into the woods.<\/p>\n

The interior design is highly contemporary, but forms and materials draw heavily from original architectural details in order to achieve a sense of coherence between old and new.<\/p>\n

\"FireplaceFloor surfaces define different areas, with a mix of carpet and square stone tiles<\/p>\n

White-painted brickwork is a consistent element, matching the exterior, while custom-made joinery features a veneer of afromosia, a dark-toned wood with a similar appearance to teak.<\/p>\n

“We applied a subtle sheen to the wood finishes, a technique typical of the 1960s, which adds a sense of elegance,” said Vercruysse.<\/p>\n

\"BedroomThe main bedroom features a generous en-suite<\/p>\n

Floor surfaces are carefully detailed to define different areas, switching between square stone tiles and carpet.<\/p>\n

Stainless steel sits alongside wood in the kitchen and bathrooms, with key pieces including a pair of\u00a0matching 1960s-inspired basin units. There are also floating shelves in the dining room and en-suite.<\/p>\n

Finishing touches include a “hat” that was added to one of the chimneys to increase its sculptural presence.<\/p>\n

\"BathroomThis en-suite has a fully glazed end wall offering views of the woods<\/p>\n

“It’s a pleasure to see how naturally the family inhabits the house, especially the children,” added Vercruysse.<\/p>\n

“The open layout offers them plenty of freedom, and daily life revolves around the fireplace. From the very first day the house was delivered, everything felt right.”<\/p>\n

\"GardenA “hat” enhances the sculptural presence of the chimney<\/p>\n

Bungalow Sint-Martens-Latem is one of several newly completed schemes by Decancq Vercruysse, as the studio celebrates its fifth anniversary.<\/p>\n

Vercruysse also unveiled his own mid-century renovation, a revamp of a 1950s townhouse in Kortrijk<\/a> featuring oak panelling, birch joinery and a patinated stainless-steel fireplace.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Eric Petschek<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A blocky fireplace and a fold-down desk both feature in this rework of a 1960s home on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,127146,15311,438,146,22774,446,85,46,31637,17148,448,13912],"class_list":{"0":"post-282300","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-belgian-houses","13":"tag-belgium","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-ghent","17":"tag-houses","18":"tag-il","19":"tag-israel","20":"tag-mid-century-renovations","21":"tag-renovations","22":"tag-sectionall","23":"tag-sectioninteriors"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}