Brick And Concrete House Surrounded By Rural Bliss

Although this house has completely replaced the old barn that used to occupy this same site, it did so while keeping its memory and spirit alive. This is a family home designed and built by studio OYO Architects in a lovely rural area called Drogen in Belgium. Its floor plan basically mimics the old barn and adds a new extension which brings more indoor spaces and also makes the transition towards the garden smoother and more seamless and organic.

The house has a concrete ground floor and a reclaimed brick upper floor

The two floors make use of contrasting materials but complement each other well

In addition to retaining the original barn’s cross-shaped floor plan, the new house also incorporates in its design a series of salvaged materials coming from the barn itself. Most notably, its upper floor is built out of salvaged bricks and contrasts with the concrete ground floor which has a simpler and more modern aesthetic. Other noticeable differences include the windows which are quite small in size on the top floor compared to the bottom section which engages with the outdoors a lot more.

A wooden spiral staircase is positioned at the center of the floor plan and doubles as a decoration

The kitchen features an angled island with a minimalistic design

The lounge area has a really nice view of the garden as well as easy access outside

The ground floor of the house opens up towards the garden and has sliding glass doors that make the transition feel very organic. It’s also where the social hub of the house is situated. This includes a big open-space kitchen, a dining room and a living area. The new extension is positioned at a 45 degree angle in relation to the main house and adds a series of private areas including a home office. That leaves the upper floor of the house which contains the main bedroom as well as three other bedrooms all of which have sliding walls that can be pushed open in order to connect these spaces and to create a big open play area for the kids.