In Belgium’s historic city of Ghent, a young family finds timeless balance in a home that bridges heritage and contemporary design.
In Ghent’s historic centre, most 19th-century townhouses have long been divided into apartments, their family histories quietly erased. This one, however—a stately home built in 1838—escaped that fate. Following a sensitive renovation by Belgium-based architecture firm Nóbrega Borghmans, it has been reimagined for a young family ready to write its next chapter.
The architects approached the project not as a restoration of the past, but as a continuation of it—balancing the weight of heritage with the rhythm of contemporary life. Working closely with local heritage authorities, the façade was returned to its original form, right down to a custom-mixed paint colour drawn from archival records. Inside, the structure was stripped back to its essence, revealing high ceilings, the original staircase, and the generous proportions that define the era. “The house was in poor condition, with dropped ceilings and missing ornamentation,” co-founder of Nóbrega Borghmans Charlotte Borghman explains. “We had to peel it back to its bones before reintroducing detail through reinterpretation rather than imitation.”
The kitchen’s Emperador marble surfaces are paired with cupboards featuring fine metal mesh inserts, complemented by a custom pendant and understated dining chairs.
Throughout the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home, material honesty defines the design. Sandblasted marble floors ground the main level with a soft patina that feels timeless rather than new. The palette remains quiet and tactile, with limewashed walls, dark oak floors, and burnished brass accents that catch the changing light. “The limewash gives the walls a subtle depth,” Borghman says. “It creates a texture that moves with the day, making the space feel alive.”
Reconfiguring the home’s four levels demanded both precision and restraint. The upper floors, once carved into small, dark rooms, were opened up to invite light and flow. The kitchen, previously hidden at the rear, now sits at the heart of the home, connected directly to the garden. The original horse passage has been transformed into a cloakroom and bike storage, a contemporary nod to urban living, while the old stable has found new life as a guesthouse complete with a home office, gym, and garden-facing entertaining area.
Behind the main house, the city garden and swimming pool offer an unexpected pocket of serenity. Large ground-floor windows open toward it, blurring boundaries between inside and out.
“We didn’t want to restore the home to the past,” Borghman reflects. “We wanted to reinterpret it for the present, to create a dialogue between what was and what could be.” In that sense, the project’s success lies in its quiet confidence. Nothing feels forced or overly preserved. It’s a study in balance, between restraint and renewal, memory and modernity, a 19th-century home reimagined to endure another lifetime.
Connected to the garden, this polyvalent space features a kitchenette, long communal table, and seating area with vintage furniture layered over a made-to-measure kilim rug. The sculptural lamp is by Belgian designer Jos Devriendt.
A Sergio Rodrigues armchair, custom white lounge chair, and Phantom Hands coffee table anchor the living space, where limewashed walls and oak flooring balance heritage detail with contemporary comfort.
The restored 1838 façade returns to its original 19th-century hue, opening into the former horse passage, now reimagined as a functional entry and cloakroom linking directly to the courtyard.
In the primary bedroom, a custom bedframe is paired with vintage brass lamps and a Sergio Rodrigues wooden bench, set against soft green limewash walls.
A Devon & Devon freestanding bathtub sits within a Calacatta marble-clad bathroom.
The guest bedroom’s bordeaux red walls frame a custom bedframe and minimal furnishings, combining rich colour and simplicity.
