
July 27, 2026 | DESIGN & INTERIORS
VILLA CLARISSE
words YUZU Editorial
photos Tijs Vervecken
At first glance, Villa Clarisse feels perfectly at home in Knokke's coastal landscape. With its pitched roof, whitewashed façade and understated elegance, it recalls the familiar language of Belgian seaside villas. Beyond the front door, however, architect and interior designer Merijn Degraeve takes the house in a new direction, where materiality, colour and carefully balanced contrasts redefine its character.

Inside, the narrative shifts. The home's split-level layout lends itself to moments of discovery, while the unexpected revelation of the original concrete ceilings during demolition prompted a complete rethink of the interior palette. What had once leaned towards a rustic farmhouse aesthetic evolved into a more refined and contemporary composition, where raw concrete, richly grained timber and sculptural furnishings establish a new architectural language.
A DIALOGUE OF TEXTURE AND COLOUR
The journey begins at the entrance, where an orange chair by Teun Zwets, a work by Zhuang Hong Yi, and a butter-yellow basin by Glass Italia establish a confident yet playful palette. Throughout the house, colour never dominates; instead, it punctuates an otherwise composed material language.
Rosewood panelling wraps the living and dining spaces, introducing warmth against the exposed concrete overhead. Marble, chrome, lacquer and brushed brass are layered with quiet precision, while contemporary pieces from Cassina, Baxter, Minotti and Tim Teven create moments of sculptural presence without overwhelming the architecture. Each object feels considered, contributing to an interior where atmosphere emerges through balance rather than excess.
Upstairs, softness becomes the defining material. Carpet continues uninterrupted from the staircase into the dressing room, where upholstered cabinetry reinforces the sense of continuity. The primary bathroom, conceived as an extension of the suite rather than a separate room, pairs Noir Perlé marble with brushed brass and mosaic surfaces, creating a space that feels both restrained and quietly luxurious.

AN INTERIOR THAT EXTENDS INTO THE LANDSCAPE
The same material discipline continues outdoors. Washed concrete transitions into a travertine terrace, where an organically shaped flowerbed softens the geometry of the architecture. The swimming pool reflects the villa's calm composition, while the adjacent pool house—lined with afzelia wood and centred around a fireplace—offers a more intimate retreat.
Perhaps the most memorable gesture is also the simplest: an outdoor shower cast in raw concrete. More than a functional element, it becomes a sculptural object that echoes the home's renewed material vocabulary.
Throughout Villa Clarisse, Degraeve avoids the obvious tension between old and new. Instead, tradition and contemporary design coexist through subtle shifts in texture, proportion and light. The result is not a renovation that erases the past, but one that allows the house to evolve naturally—revealing a contemporary coastal home defined less by style than by the quiet confidence of its materials.















