testimonial — a second house in the South for Karin & Vincent

Sometimes it can be interesting to see yourself through someone else's eyes. As it turns out, for Karin and her partner Vincent, who live and work in a Dutch coastal town during the week, a small Belgian village is a delightfully exotic destination. Far away from the sea winds and cold, cozy among the fruit trees. For them, Skilpod was a convenient partner to quickly and easily build a second home in "the South."

Karin: "You might not expect it, but nature is very different here. I can sit here for hours staring at the animals in my garden." Already during the interview, a squirrel came peeping and on one of the cabinets were the shells from the robin's eggs in the garden. In fact, the entire Skilpod was full of found treasures: used furniture, upcycled wooden crates, an old map of Flanders. Even the greenhouse in the garden was recycled.

In the bookcase, we stumbled upon "Belgian solutions," a photography book full of typically Belgian solutions: strange, absurd, often not really a solution or just plain unnecessary. "Skilpod need not feel addressed, you don't belong in this book. We are very happy with our home. We have everything we need here and everything is finished with quality. For example, we are struck by how straight all the walls are. In our 1930s apartment set in Holland, literally everything is crooked."

Sometimes happiness is in a small corner (of exactly 90°).

why Karin and Vincent love Skilpod

• The convenience of a complete solution, also because as "part-time Belgians" they are not familiar with Flemish regulations and customs.
• The sleek, yet elegant design reflected in the window frames, for example.
• Because Skilpod values sustainability, both in the construction process and - naturally - after moving in.

what struck us

• The many handy space-saving items in the house: a set of beds that you can literally stack so you have an extra bed just in case, a fold-out mini-ironing board in the storage room and several decorative pieces hung on the wall to save floorspace.
• The beautiful wallpaper in the bedroom. For a moment we were convinced it was a mural.
• The flipped organization of the living area, with the sitting area by the window so they could easily watch the squirrels in the garden with a nice cup of tea

Published: 15 March 2024