House L & W in Ghent, Belgium by Fragmenture.

Recently transformed by Belgian design studio Fragmenture, this 190-square-meter row house in Ghent suffered from a lack of light and a sense of openness.

An overall renovation transformed the house into a pleasant and cheerful city residence. Fragmenture removed all original partition walls in order to create an entirely new layout and spatial hierarchy.

The bathroom was relocated to the first floor. The old outbuildings at the back of the house made room for a new compact house extension.

All necessary functions for the ground floor were organised in a single triangle shaped piece of custom joinery. The central dark zones play host to storage space and laundry room. The living room is separated by a custom-made cabinet to create a more intimate area. The oblique line of the joinery strengthens the perspective.

Round skylights allow overhead light to pour into the interior while also softening the sharp lines of the floorplan below. The use of warm coloured timber and terrazzo flooring versus clean white furniture and perforated steel creates an elegant material contrast.

Fragmenture is based in Ghent, Belgium and was founded in 2014 by architect Lies Van Kerckhove. The studio specialises in interiors and product design, with a knack for approaching everyday products and spaces with a twist. The intersection of imagination, concept and realisation is central to Fragmenture’s work.

[Images courtesy of Fragmenture. Photography by Dennis De Smet.]