Maison Albert

Faced in plain brick like any other house on the street, Maison Albert gives nothing away until the door opens. Inside, raw steel, poured concrete and timber run through a 274m² interior that has been stripped back and rebuilt rather than dressed up. A glazed courtyard sits at the centre of the plan, closed off from the main living room by sliding walls of glass; open them and the sitting area, with its vintage gas fire and smart TV, runs straight into the terrace outside. The kitchen is built around a cooking island 3 metres long, with two dining tables set up to seat 16 people between them. Five bedrooms are spread across three floors. Two double rooms sit on the ground floor and two more on the first, each with its own bathroom and wood floor. The top floor holds a loft called the Cabin, lined entirely in wood, where four bunk-style beds are built into barnwood niches with reading lights, sleeping up to eight children or six adults. The house stands in the old centre of Nieuwpoort, a short walk from the beach and the promenade along the Yser estuary. From mid-April to mid-September, guests get free use of a private beach cabin by the pier, kitted out with chairs, a table and a windbreak.