DREAM WEAVER

A former shepherd's house in a historic region of Belgium is transformed into a vibrant getaway by Jean-Philippe Demeyer

- MICHAEL JAMES GARDNER

My design process always comes down to three words,” says AD100 talent Jean-Philippe Demeyer. “Chaos, creation, and harmony.” As every interior designer and client knows all too well, chaos can be an inherent aspect of many renovation projects. How does Demeyer work his way through chaotic beginnings? “I’m theme-obsessed,” he replies. “Once the theme is known, it gives structure and limits possibilities. At the end of the project, I know harmony will be present. There may be 40 colors, but there will be harmony.”

Nowhere are Demeyer’s words more truthfully and artfully evident than in a recently completed project located in the rolling hills outside of Ypres, Belgium. (Architect Peter Bovijn and landscape designer Bart Monbaliu also worked on the property.) In this case, the theme arrived with crystal clarity thanks to an unlikely source for the transformation of a shepherd’s farmhouse in the historic Flanders Fields: American fashion designer Ralph Lauren.

Demeyer’s client and friend Francis Coussens provided the creative brief based on his passion for the icon’s work. But not just any RL label. “For every situation, I find something in Ralph Lauren,” says Coussens. “Classic. Casual. Simple. Elegant. At this moment in life, I’m more attracted to Double RL.” The RRL brand takes its name from the Colorado ranch that Lauren and his wife, Ricky, acquired in the 1980s, and many of its colors and themes are inspired by American Western wear. Understanding this theme helps bring the story of this delightfully layered home with its patchwork of colors and geometric shapes to vivid life.