Mid-Century Split-Level Home Restored by Mamout in Belgium
Photography by Séverin Malaud, courtesy of Mamout. The problem with the mid-century split-level home in Hoeilaart, Belgium, wasn’t that it had been neglected over the years. Join us as Sébastien walks us through the sensitive restoration. From the street, just the upper portion of the split-level home is visible. The original garage, nestled into the side of a hill, is now the kids’ bedroom. A portrait of “the owner’s great great great great great grandmother,” says Sébastien, welcomes visitors in the entry to the home. The home is small but feels airy and spacious thanks to a wall of glass in the main living/dining area. Sliding glass doors lead to a “naturalist punk” garden (the roof of the kids’ bedroom). The garden design was influenced by French landscape architect Eric Lenoir’s book Petit Traité du Jardin Punk. Pellet stoves are the sole source of heating in the home. The stainless steel cabinets were made by local fabricators. A lofted living room and office is just off the dining room. Behind the USM Haller console is the “stair tunnel” that goes down to the main bedroom (on a mezzanine) and the kids’ bedroom (on the bottom floor). The view from the loft to the dining area. The loft is used for “chilling, playing, listening to music, reading, and looking towards the garden from an upper point of view,” says Sébastien. The main bedroom, with a cutout window into the ensuite bath. The couple’s two children share this large bedroom on the bottom floor (formerly the garage). Behind the curtains are a bathroom and laundry area. The driveway-turned-patio is just outside the kids’ bedroom. That V-shaped metal object jutting out from the top of the building is the world’s most stylish gutter. A photo of the house in 2002, concealed behind layers of bad remodels.