AT HOME_ urban roof terrace

At home_ urban roof terrace - Hannelore Veelaert for aupaysdesmerveillesblogThe first space I wanted to get started on when we bought our house, was our roof terrace. After spending a year in lock-down with little to no outdoor space, we couldn’t wait to transform this trapezoid terrace into a cosy outdoor space.  Since we didn’t own any outdoor furniture yet and I desperately wanted to start decorating and furnishing our house, this clean slate seemed the most logical option to focus my energy on.

In the three months between buying our house and receiving the keys, I started making mood-boards, comparing prices, trying out chairs and sofa’s and researching plants, hoping to enjoy our new and long-awaited outdoor space as soon as possible. The goal: turn this urban terrace into a green oasis where we could lounge, enjoy meals and have friends over from (not so) early in the morning until late at night. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the Ever Given fiasco and last year’s rush on outdoor furniture, many items were sold out and delivery was often delayed. Sadly our terrace was only fully furnished in October (let this be a reminder for you to order your outdoor furniture now!), so my plan didn’t really work out… However I’m still very happy I decided to be patient and stick to my first choices, and with sun gracing our terrace from morning until evening, we have definitely caught up on “terrace time” during the sunny weeks we’ve already had this year! Now, let’s have a look shall we?

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AT HOME_ we bought a house!

Authentiek herenhuis - Hannelore Veelaert - aupaysdesmerveillesblog.be

This past year has been quite the roller coaster, for multiple reasons, but one thing definitely sticks out: we bought a house! Ever since a certain health crisis kept all of us closer at home, my boyfriend and I started longing for a bigger home with a proper outdoor space, more daylight, a work space for each of us (my boyfriend is the music producer behind Boogie Belgique and was in desperate need of a home studio) and something we could call our own.

After one year of casually looking at listings in our hometown Antwerp, we bumped into this house from 1870, filled with authentic details, daylight, a roof terrace and more space than we could have possibly dreamed of. It’s been almost a year since we’ve moved in (and if you follow me on Instagram you’ve surely seen me decorate each room), but somehow this big decision hadn’t made it to the blog yet. So today, I present you a throwback to our empty home, and a close up of all the little details we fell in love with. Now that everything is looking more and more finished (don’t be mistaken, there’s still plenty to do!), I can’t wait to give you a detailed tour of each room. But first things first: let’s have a look at what we’re working with!

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WORK_ family home by Somerset

WORK-Somerset minimal family home by Hannelore Veelaert for aupaysdesmerveillesblog.beA while ago I photographed the beautiful home of Antwerp based interior architect Geraldine Somers. Under the moniker “Somerset”, Geraldine creates minimal interiors and interior objects. I’ve shared a few fragments on Instagram already, but felt that this minimal yet warm family home deserved a blog post as well! Despite its minimal color palet, Geraldine’s home is rich in materials and textures. From the Muller Van Severen for Valerie Objects wall lamp to the Louis Poulsen hanging lamp, from the wishbone chairs by Carl Hansen & son to the minimal 3D art by Edith Beurskens , every items is chosen with care. Even the salt and pepper shakers are carefully selected. The finishing touch is provided by Somerset’s original designs: the kitchen table, side table and night lights. The latter are available at Studio Ozart, a design collective run by Geraldine with three other female designers.

For more interior inspiration have a look here, for more of my work click through to my portfolio.

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AT HOME_ living room update n° 3

It’s been a year and a half since my latest living room update and a lot has changed since then! A few months after my last update, my boyfriend moved in with me and while he didn’t bring a lot of furniture (that’s an understatement), we were in desperate need of some more storage space.  Staying home for the past year made us very aware of other aspects we wanted to change.  A dividing curtain between the sofa and our “hallway” is still on my wishlist (but probably won’t happen as we’re hoping to buy a house soon), but other than that this room feels pretty finished to me! Curious for the result?  Read along!

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COLLECTION_ Let’s play house

Let's play house - Joni Vandewalle - Hannelore Veelaert

Toys and kids rooms are often missing from house tours, but lifestyle journalist and young mother Joni Vandewalle was determined to prove they deserve the spotlight too.  She collected twenty playful interiors from all over the world in the book Let’s play house.  In these homes clutter creates atmosphere,  toys and design are interchangeable and creative storage solutions are key.  The book Let’s play house is a must have for parents and parents-to-be and a very early Christmas gift idea from me to you!

It’s no secret I love a good interior book, so you can imagine my excitement when I was asked to contribute to one!  Joni and I met when I asked her to be part of my Insights series.  Back then, she was living in a rental apartment around the corner of the home she was renovating.  We chatted about her love for vintage, color and flowers and we’ve been collaborating regularly ever since.  Our most exciting collaboration is definitely this book, for which I shot all of the Belgian homes!

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AT HOME_ dining room update with Master Meubel

AT HOME_ dining room update with Master Meubel - Flos IC S1 - hannelore veelaert for aupaysdesmerveillesblog

My obsession with interior design and architecture started when I just learned how to read and discovered my parents’ collection of interior magazines.  At the time, they were decorating their newly built home and took my little sister and me to quite a few interior design stores.  While some kids undoubtedly might have found this boring, I absolutely loved it.  I still vividly remember when they took us to Master Meubel, where I was almost star-struck upon seeing all these designs I knew from  the magazines in real life, not to mention how impressed I was with the stunning modernist architecture.  You can imagine my delight when they contacted me to collaborate!

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WORK_ family home by Erica Jacobs

WORK_ Erica Jacobs shot by Hannelore Veelaert - aupaysdesmerveillesblog

Leuven based architect Erica Jacobs asked me to a photograph a few of her projects, all of which were a joy to shoot.  I’ve shared a few fragments on Instagram already, but felt that these lovely interiors deserved a blog post as well! The first project I wanted to share here, is this renovation of a family home.  The bathroom is probably my favorite room in the house (and I know you loved it too!) thanks to its play on transparency and combination of materials. The rest of the house however, with its custom-made furniture, steel window and brick wall, are pretty impressive too. The styling in collaboration with Plek shop (a must visit when your in Leuven!) formed the finishing touch to this stunning interior.  I hope you like the result as much as I do!

For more interior inspiration have a look here, for more of my work click through to my portfolio.

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EXPLORED_ Maison Jackie

EXPLORED_ maison jackie bohème- hannelore veelaert for aupaysdesmerveillesblog.be

Gather a few talented women, each with their own super power, give them a building to use as a blank canvas and what do you get?  A whole lot of female energy and a wonderful place called Maison Jackie.  Founder Jackie Bohème, née Ellen Wauters, has a heart for real estate, an eye for beauty, a soft spot for understated luxury and a drive that gets things done.  During her morning scroll through our country’s real estates websites (a habit she kept from her former career as a real estate agent), she instantly fell in love with this former convent and knew she just had to have it.  She gathered a few talented woman around her, from the architects of Studio Sober, the sisters and contractors Adriaensens, textile designer Nathalie Van Der Massen, kitchen designers Ask og Eng, steel welder and designer Esther De Vos,  carpet designer Tata Tapis, ceramist Alex Gabriels, and let them work their magic.  Fast forward a few months and Maison Jackie opened its doors for the public.  The house in Niel will serve as Jackie Bohème’s office and the showroom for Atelier Jackie, a lifestyle collection with pillows, scarves and kimono’s which will launch in the near future (you’ll find a sneak peek below).  Maison Jackie is too good not to share though, so you’ll be able to rent the house for photo shoots, boutique events and vernissages, or short (or longer) stays to escape the city.  One thing is for sure, no matter how long you’ll be staying, Maison Jackie will feel like your home away from home.

Maison Jackie - Dorpstraat 36, 2845 Niel - website - instagram 

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COLLECTION_ ikea ivar hacks

Because you all seemed to love last week’s post about my new bedroom interior and the accompanying Ikea Ivar hack, I’ve collected eight more ways to customize the popular  storage system.  The options to adapt the Ivar cabinets to your wishes appear to be endless: you can hang them or add legs to them, paint them in a contrasting color or give them the same tint as the walls, dress up the doors and add door knobs or leave them plain and let one element shine or combine as many elements as you like.  See, I told you options were endless!  I’ve collected a few examples, some super simple, some a little more challenging, that I hope will inspire you to make the Ikea Ivar cabinets your own!

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AT HOME_ my bedroom with ikea ivar hack

Ikea Ivar hack wardrobe - Hannelore Veelaert for aupaysdesmerveillesblog.be

When I wrote about my bedroom before, I already hinted at the big changes coming up in my home, and it’s time I showed you the result!  If you follow me on Instagram you probably already picked up on the fact that my boyfriend moved in over the summer.  While he didn’t bring a lot of furniture with him, he did need a proper workspace (we both work from home) and thus we quickly decided to swap the bedroom and the home office.  The result?  A much more spacious atelier for the both of us (which I’ll show you later), and a very cosy bedroom, which (thanks to its cute balcony and green view) often feels like it’s somewhere in Paris rather than Antwerp.  Click read more to read about our decoration process and to discover our Ikea Ivar hack!

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