Steel-panelled fireplace forms heart of Emiel Vercruysse's renovated 1950s townhouse

The co-founder of Belgian studio Decancq Vercruysse has overhauled a mid-century townhouse in Kortrijk, Belgium, adding oak panelling, birch joinery and a patinated stainless-steel fireplace.

The aim of architect Emiel Vercruysse and partner Marie Ingelbeen, who works in the textile industry, was to create a home that would offer them a sense of calm and cosiness.

An oak breakfast bar overlaps stone counters in the kitchen

Eschewing white walls, the Townhouse VI interior combines exposed timber...