The Van de Velde family has always been close, but twins Barbara and Lien have taken it to a new level: The sisters live with their respective families in apartments stacked atop each other in a new building near Ghent’s historic center.

As tourists and property developers slowly wake up to Ghent’s placid beauty, the Belgian college town still maintains its medieval village charm. This is a place where locals know their neighbors well enough to drop by for a cup of coffee on Sunday-morning walks. It’s a place where word travels quickly, where childhood friends grow old together, and where family is at the heart of it all. To some, the closeness and familiarity might feel stuffy or suffocating. To Lien and Barbara, it feels just like home.

The twin sisters grew up a stone’s throw away in Schellebelle, a tiny town that was once crowned the village with the most beautiful name in all of Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. The Van de Veldes are a large family (Barbara and Lien have two additional sisters), none of whom have strayed too far afield. To this day, the twins’ parents host Sunday dinners in Schellebelle for all their daughters, and their partners and children too.

In 2006, Barbara and Lien’s parents bought a plot of land on the banks near Handelsdok, one of Ghent’s three major docks, formerly the heart of the textile industry, for which Flanders was once known. In recent years, the city has transformed around this historic waterfront. Lien’s partner, Jeremy Godenir, explains that new developments in the neighborhood are laid out like a kebab, with alternating residential, commercial, and public spaces lining the waterway like layered meats and veg on a skewer.

To Jeremy, a trained architect and the founder of MOEA Architectural Design Studio, the Van de Veldes’ plot of land presented an exciting opportunity. He could see a future in the docklands, and he began drafting plans for the site in 2014, while working in an old building on the property.

In collaboration with Lien and Barbara’s parents, Jeremy put his plan into action: The existing building was demolished in 2016, and construction began in 2017. The project was ambitious, comprising the family’s apartments, a set of rental units (also designed by Jeremy), and a hotel and parking facility developed by VDM Invest. In late 2020, Barbara moved into the duplex on the second and part of the third floors with her partner, Karel, and their daughters, Mira and Elza. Lien and Jeremy followed soon after, moving into their duplex on the fourth and part of the fifth floors closer to the New Year.

While the outside of the building is made of crisp, white volumes inspired by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens’s Villa Paul Poiret and Villa Noailles, Jeremy used color to lend a sense of play and fun to the interior of each floor. Take the kids’ bathroom in Barbara and Karel’s apartment: The dizzying tiles in varying shades of green and pink are inspired by Mira and Elza’s love of Minecraft. Some might balk at the idea of hot-pink woodwork, but the fuchsia cabinetry is color-matched to a piece of art by Karel’s nephew Benjamin Van Oost. It’s part of the couple’s growing collection of paintings, photographs, and sculptures. “We like that we can walk around our house and see the things we collect,” Barbara says. “Jeremy and Lien’s aesthetic is a little cleaner. We have a little bit more clutter.”

In the apartment he shares with Lien, Jeremy drew inspiration from the company Jung, which licensed Le Corbusier’s universal color system for its hand-lacquered light switches. He carefully harmonized the hue of the blush-pink countertops and cobalt faucets in their home—and the pistachio revolving door in Barbara and Karel’s apartment—with the light switches and electrical outlets. The effect is sophisticated, but warm and cozy all the same.

“Ghent is a city, but everybody knows everybody like it’s a village. When you walk around, you’re sure to meet somebody you know.”
—Jeremy Godenir, designer and resident

Jeremy is currently working on furniture for the poolside bar on the rooftop terrace, and he also designed the ground floor, where his office is based and where Karel runs a popular bar known for its tartare. Working side by side is nothing new for the two lifelong Ghent residents: While Jeremy and Karel bonded a few weeks after they met their respective partners in college, they first met as classmates when they were 12.

Closeness can breed such coincidences, but to Lien and Barbara it just makes sense. “It has something to do with coming from a small village and living in a small town,” Barbara explains. “We feel family and close friends are quite important,” says Lien.

“We’ve always lived in Ghent, too,” Lien adds, before correcting herself. “Well, I lived in Barcelona for one year,” she admits. “But we all stay close to home.”

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: MOEA Architectural Design Studio / @moea_jeremygodenir

Builder: Wyckaert and Bouwmeester De Clercq

Swimming Pool: Bob Monteyne

Tiles: Vloeren Franssens and Tegels Provijn

Loose Furniture Aid: Classo Meubelen + Interieur

Cabinetry: Atelier Ternier

Wall & Floor Finishing: Atelier W.D.S.

Natural Stone: Hullebusch

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In Belgium, Twin Sisters With Distinct Styles Build Two Vibrant Homes—One Above the Other