Painter's Light

Old eighteenth-century farmhouse Ter Neuve. Once upon a time it was part of the estate of a castle and housed a congregation of nuns. The rich history of the house inspired Élise, especially the episode when it served as the artist's studio of the luminist painter Anna De Weert. The twelve-layered fresco in the renovated entrance hall covers all the colours applied in the interior as an homage to De Weert.

'Timelessly modern' is the maxim here, through the use of a rich variety of materials, revisiting the original chequerboard pattern and the authentic tiled chimney. High ceilings on the inside, embraced by the river Lys on the outside, this reverie never launches brutal attacks on the senses nor does it look forcefully dislocated into the future. Instead, it gently transports the visitor into a quiet realm beyond the confines of time.

In 2024, Élise returns to the house, extending the interior to the outside surroundings.
She reshapes it into a sanctuary: creating a courtyard, from an invisible carpark, walking up towards the frontdoor. A pathway of two concrete jardinières filled with a multitude of herbs, vegetables and flowers, stirring up the senses.
The same materials rejoin at the back of the house, where the living room spills out onto a playful yet poetic platform. The memory of a greenery provides a secure setting where the light will always remain misty.

(photographs by Filip Dujardin)