CHURCH HOUSE

The qualities of space, simplicity and purity that define this residence in a Dutch coastal town are no happy accident, as it was conceived for a couple whose lives are informed by the spiritual and physical wellbeing offered by Buddhism, yoga and healthy eating. Before its complete renovation, however, it was a dark and claustrophobic church.
The designer began its transformation into the light, open and contemporary abode that it is today by punching an enormous orb-shaped window into the upper part of the eastern wall, thus drawing in as much natural light as possible and allowing the ceiling to become a giant daylight reflector once it was painted. He then chose dark, heavy natural materials for selected features in order to offer these as carefully considered counterpoints, thus facilitating a tasteful contrast of lightness and solidity.