This once 'ugly' Flemish home is now a showcase of playful antiques and handmade objects

Belgian antiques dealer turned self-taught house design expert Jean-Philippe Demeyer is looking to move, yet he knows it won’t be far from his current West Flanders home. ‘All of my artisans and craftspeople are here. I can’t do without them; they are my hands,’ he explains. 

‘I can make everything and anything within a 50-mile radius.’ Jean-Philippe of JPD Meyer & Co is clearly passionate about having such creativity on his doorstep. While Jean-Philippe loves silk from Venice and velvet from Lyon, he says he doesn’t need these in his work.

‘I believe you are so much more relaxed when you limit choice, and it makes you happier. Of course, we should be open to other sources but, for me, buying outside this region is the exception; it’s almost the seasoning on a dish, rather than the main ingredients,’ he confesses.

Jean-Philippe describes himself as a ‘vivid transformer’, which is certainly evident in his current home. Built in 2012, in a 17th-century Flemish style, the steep roof, clad with curved clay tiles, and a brick-red painted exterior, mask a coordinated riot of color and pattern waiting inside. 

Bought during the pandemic with his life and business partners, Frank Ver Elst and Jean-Paul Dewever, the house was a quick buy after the leasehold on their previous home, a 15th-century farmhouse, came up for renewal. 

‘I loved our old house,’ says Jean-Philippe, ‘but it was costing us more and more to look after.’ It was also listed, which was hindering the Bruges-born designer: ‘The building took over because I couldn’t change it; it started to change me. It was time to move.’ 

Change is something Jean-Philippe brought in abundance to this house, described previously as ‘horrible inside’, with every room a shade of beige or grey when they bought it. But Jean-Philippe could see the potential. ‘Even an ugly house can smile at you,’ he says. 

With 505 sq m of space, the rooms were classic in design, even though it was a recent build. ‘It was copy architecture,’ says Jean-Philippe, ‘but for me, a new house should feel modern and “now” and not pretend it’s in 1780. I don’t want to feel as if I’m in my grandmother’s house.'

Jean-Philippe goes on to comment, 'People tell me I have a certain interior design style, but I don’t – I have a method. I’m a maximalist but in a minimalist way. There’s always something that stays the same – the structure – and if this is good, then you can go wild.’ 

To give this house its ‘structure’, the flooring was ripped out and replaced with straw-colored terrazzo downstairs and floral carpet upstairs. Walls and ceilings were painted in a ‘make-up foundation shade’, using a sand-based exterior paint to give the impression of limewash – the type of twist Jean-Philippe always seeks. 

The biggest success is the drawing room, with its new fireplace created by a Bruges plasterer, towered by two mirrored walls, and flanked by a vast curvaceous sofa in large-scale blooms, with Empire Revival mahogany chairs from Bruges City Hall, today finished in sunny yellow and a patchwork of fabrics. 

‘For me, there is no interior without recycled antiques,’ says Jean-Philippe. ‘You need something from yesterday and today to make something for tomorrow. I’m always recycling, transforming, and changing what I have.’ 

For now, this house is finished and an exciting new chapter awaits. Unsurprisingly, it’s not the interior of a potential home that matters, but rather the land it sits on. Jean-Philippe explains, ‘I would prefer to find a horrible house on a huge plot, where I can plant an orchid with 300-plus fruit trees, for I know I can change the house and make it ours.’

Meet the designer and owner

Jean-Philippe Demeyer shares his style inspiration

What part of the home do you consider the greatest success?

The wrapping of the drawing room’s Louis XV-style fireplace with plaster.

What's your go-to color?

Foundation – it’s the new white for me. It blends all interior objects and items.

Describe your style in three words.

Structure, theme, twist.

Can you tell us a place we should add to our travel wishlist?

Damme, a small town between historic Bruges and the fancy seaside town of Knokke.

Favorite building?

I like any style; to me, it’s the atmosphere that counts more. If I had to pick one, it would be the Royal Palace of Laeken on the outskirts of Brussels, with its royal greenhouses – such amazing buildings.

What was the last item you restored for your home?

A beautiful pair of carved mahogany hippopotamuses.

What one object will you never part with?

My collection of ceramic orangery pots on stands from Vallauris, South of France.