This white house situated in a quiet residential area offers an open living space that blends into an outdoor living space with the bladed roof system Camargue by Renson. Thanks to the outdoor fireplace,integrated side elements in the terrace covering, the residents no longer have to wait until summer to enjoy quality moments outside.
The interior architect was commissioned to create more living space inside as well as outside taking into account to experience a sense of openness and daylight: ‘The customer had three clear objectives with this renovation’, he explains in detail: ‘He wanted to get more daylight, create extra space inside and a covered outdoor area which perfectly connects to the interior.’ He achieved this by enlarging the living space with a number of extra square meters and by replacing the old curved window with a roof overhang with a new large sliding window. But it is above all the room-wide wall cabinet, made of white and black lacquered MDF and equipped with indirect LED lighting, which increases the living space optically.
The interior architect saw the connecting terrace as an extension of the living space and it is also used optimally by the owners. ‘I got a lot of freedom for my design and suggested the aluminium bladed roof of Renson myself. This construction offers the great advantage that you can even control the incidence of light on the terrace and in the living room adjacent to it’, he explains. The ‘Camargue’ terrace covering ensures that the sunlight is controlled with one press of the button. With closed blades, the residents no longer have to flee inside in the case of a drop of rain. The vertical positioning of the blades on the south-facing back façade ensures that – where previously a fixed overhang took away lots of light – now they can also enjoy plenty of daylight inside as well. But when the sun is too bright, the bladed roof also proves to be useful as sun protection for the home.
The interior architect developed a tight concept for this project, in which the horizontal black and white lines of the wall furniture in the living room continue on the incorporated wall under the terrace covering. ‘I played with the idea to provide, by way of analogy with the gas fireplace, a fixed wall in a solid material, where a fireplace could be integrated,’ he says. ‘This proposal was immediately successful with the client. The outdoor fireplace of Metalfire is not only just for conviviality but also serves as a barbecue. The extra closet space next to the fireplace is very practical to have everything you need for an aperitif or barbecue close at hand. The Renson covering was the perfect solution for this because it could be perfectly tailored to the terrace and the wall.’ The residents received the result with a lot of enthusiasm.
A project customised like this requires, of course, perfectly matched parts. According to the installer and Renson Ambassador this did not have too many consequences for the installation of the terrace covering: ‘The wall was only placed after the covering and therefore had to, of course, be tailored specifically to the dimensions of the fireplace wall. The depth of the built-in cabinets and fireplace module played a role, but at the same time it also had to be well-aligned with the interior furniture. On the other hand, we were then again dependent on the shape of the building. But since the Camargue can be completely customised (up to a mm accurate), it never posed a problem.’
The two remaining open sides of the terrace covering are provided with screens that can be closed. This creates a cosy cocoon, sheltered from the sun and/or wind. In combination with the dimming LED lights in the blades, the residents now use the terrace until late at night: ‘We experienced that we can stay outside longer now, even in poorer weather conditions. In the meantime, the terrace covering is our favourite place for enjoying a drink and a snack on the barbecue in good company.’
More info:
Renson – Camargue Terrace Covering – www.renson-outdoor.com
