Exposed beams set the pace in this farmhouse renovation. They run across the ceiling, break up the long spans of the open living space and keep the volume legible from one room to the next. Beneath them, the house shifts between timber, glass and stone-like flooring, with the kitchen and living areas arranged as one continuous interior rather than a string of separate rooms.

Beams, daylight and a rural interior with texture

The farmhouse interior keeps the structure visible. Timber posts and roof members remain part of the room, while skylights pull daylight down onto the floor and onto the pale ceiling planes between the beams. The result is practical to read at a glance: strong lines overhead, open surfaces below, and enough contrast for the darker frames and stair details to stand out without interruption.

Material changes do much of the work here. Concrete tiles and ceramic parquet mark different parts of the plan, while the rougher visual register of wood is left intact in the ceiling construction. That mix keeps the rooms from feeling over-finished. It also gives the open living space with beams a clear rhythm, especially where the sightlines stretch from the hall toward the fireplace and the stair core.

A blue-steel spiral staircase at the centre of the plan

The blue steel spiral staircase is the clearest intervention in the house. Its curved handrail and slim frame cut through the open volume and give the interior a precise vertical line. Seen from the kitchen and from the adjoining living areas, it acts as a hinge between floors, balancing the timber overhead with a much sharper material note below.

That stair is not treated as a separate object. Black-framed glazing, open passages and the surrounding finishes pull it into the daily route through the house. From one angle it appears almost graphic against the lighter walls; from another, it sits beside the kitchen island and the broad floor surfaces, where its dark blue steel gives structure to the openness around it. The effect is calm, but not soft.

Open living space with beams and a clear route through the house

The open living space with beams begins at the kitchen and continues toward the living room through glazed transitions. One glass door leads into the lounge, where a fireplace with glass front is built into a custom wall arrangement. This detail matters because it turns the fireplace into part of the circulation as well as part of the room. You see the flame area, the surrounding joinery and the line of the doorway at the same time.

Built-in storage is handled with the same restraint. Cabinet runs and niches are integrated into the walls, some with warm lighting set back in the recesses. A bookcase niche appears on the upper landing, while other storage sections sit flush with darker wall planes. The pieces are designed to hold the room together visually, but they also keep the walls useful. Nothing feels added for display alone.

The kitchen island and the glazed threshold to the living room

At the centre of the house, the kitchen island anchors the plan. It is set among glass walls, dark frames and a strong ceiling structure, so the work surface reads as a practical core rather than a decorative block. Above and around it, the lighting stays direct. Pendant lamps hang over the dining area, and ceiling spots keep the lines of the room visible after dark.

The transition to the living room is handled with a glazed opening that keeps the two rooms connected while still giving each zone its own edge. The fireplace with glass front sits in this line of movement and introduces another layer of reflection and depth. From the kitchen, the view passes through the glazing, across the floor finish and back to the timber overhead, which makes the house easy to read in one glance.

Built-in storage, lit niches and a fireplace wall

Several walls are shaped by storage rather than decoration. In one area, a dark recessed screen-like niche sits beside open shelving. In another, a white cabinet wall in the hall uses full-height doors to keep the circulation space visually quiet. The built-in storage does not disappear; instead, it becomes part of the room’s geometry, especially where small light strips mark the edges of the recesses.

The fireplace wall works in the same way. Its glass front, dark surround and adjacent glazing give it enough depth to register across the house, even when you are standing several metres away. Near the window seat, the floor changes to a wood surface and the large opening to the outside brings in a broad strip of light. That bench-like niche adds a pause in the plan without breaking the open layout.

Upper rooms under skylights and the weight of the roof structure

Upstairs, the rooms keep the same language of exposed timber and clear light. Skylights pull daylight into the children’s bedrooms, where the roof structure remains visible instead of being boxed in. The result is not a blank upper floor, but a series of rooms shaped by beams, slopes and openings. That is where the farmhouse renovation feels most direct: the old structure is not hidden, only refined around the edges.

A glazed balustrade on the landing opens the view between levels and brings another layer of transparency into the house. Next to it, the bookcase niche turns the circulation zone into a usable pause point. The master bedroom continues the same measured approach, with an adjoining bathroom and walk-in wardrobe arranged as part of the room sequence rather than as isolated extras. In every part of the house, the focus stays on line, light and the way one space leads into the next.

Photography: Jurrit van der Waal