I have always been fascinated by the beautiful and authentic American barns. All around bloggerland I discovered the most beautiful images.
Source here
The grayed and red/brown aged wood reflects a long time farm activity and bearing of all weather conditions.
Source here
I loved the images of the Winter Collection 2012 online catalogue of the Belgian brand Scapa Home, where a part of the photoshoot was taken in a barn. A wonderful location to present their winter collection. To discover the collection , click here.
Source Scapa Home – Photo credit Arjan Benning
Today I am pleased and proud to tell you about a Belgian company that is importing old barn wood to Europe!
The Belgian Antoine Verhofstede, a man passionate about wood and experienced in the wood trade for more than 30 years, came up with the idea to give a new destination to the wood of old American barns!
He started to ship the best batches of old barn wood from the states to Belgium to give the wood a new destination. It meant the start of a new-born company, given the name EEUWENHOUT (literally translated in English : century-old wood).
This company is recycling old barn wood to re-use in European interiors.
Logo company Eeuwenhout
‘During a trip through the US, Antoine Verhofstede’s passion for wood leads him towards old and deserted barns and buildings. They stand ‘in the middle of nowhere’, as silent witnesses of past activity. They were once built from trees from the direct vicinity: various woods, mostly over a century old. Today they still defy weather and time, but they are deprived of their functionality. In places, these barns are dismantled, and the wood is reused by local farmers. This is where Antoine Verhofstede got his idea to give a new destination to the best batches of wood in exclusive European interiors. A perfect mix of quality, durability, ecology and aesthetics.’
(text website Eeuwenhout)
The unique dimensions and stability, together with the aged look of the barn planks and beams, ensure aesthetic pearls.
Here you can see different examples of how to integrate the old barn wood into your contemporary home.
http://www.eeuwenhout.be (realisation De Puydt Haarden)
http://www.eeuwenhout.be (realisation Galle Houtbewerking)
Notice these coffee table tops!
http://www.eeuwenhout.be
In this picture you can see the barn wood used for the facade construction of a chalet in Switzerland (realisation Galle Houtbewerking).
http://www.eeuwenhout.be
To see more of the use of old barn wood, please visit Eeuwenhout website : http://www.eeuwenhout.be
For further information :
EEUWENHOUT
ANTOINE VERHOFSTEDE
Veldstraat 365
9140 Temse | Belgium
T +32 (0)3 710 66 40
Have a great weekend!
xx
Greet
All pictures source :
Eeuwenhout website : http://www.eeuwenhout.be/ & Eeuwenhout facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/Eeuwenhout
Greet, This is a beautiful post. I am a great admirer of our (USA) barns and hate to see them disintegrating into the earth. My dream has always been to rescue one for a home.
ReplyDeleteVery happy to see someone salvaging the best parts. Funny that it is being shipped all the way to Belgium! Maybe to balance all the old French Oak floors I see here. :-)
I should talk... my front door is from Argentina and a pair of doors inside are from Mexico.
Cheers!
Greet,
ReplyDeleteVous avez raison, ces granges américaines sont superbes !
Et le vieux bois pour les murs, pourquoi pas...
À bientôt !
Céline.
Love old American barns. We actually have 3 on some of our family farms. Always love to see them rescued or restored.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful and creative ideas of using barn wood in a more modern setting. The patina of the wood is something that cannot be manufactured and adds incredible charm. Hopefully the trends of injecting aged pieces of architecture into our homes will encourage people to enjoy the beauty of pieces rather than demolishing items. These pieces are simply priceless.
ReplyDeleteThe grass is always greener...someone I know brought to Canada a 1600 English barn, piece by piece and made a stunning house. I agree in re-using, re-storing instead of demolishing, but I wander about the cost of shipping overseas, carbon print and all.
ReplyDeleteDit is een heel mooie post! Ik ben zelf een bewonderaar van de Amerikaanse barns en zag deze zomer ook van dichtbij hoe de Amish er ééntje rechtzetten. Soms lees ik bij mijn volgers hoe spijtig ze het vinden dat er weer een barn verdwijnt in hun streek. Ik zou daarom graag naar deze post doorlinken in één van mijn volgende posts, zodat ze zien dat er heel wat moois gebeurt met dat hout.
ReplyDeleteGoedele
Good afternoon, Greet! I love not only the way the weathered wood looks, but the idea of recycling old wood and to put it to wonderful use! BRAVO! Anita
ReplyDeleteDe barn op de eerste foto deed mij meteen denken aan het kinderprogramma 'Het kleine huis op de prairie', waar ik vroeger altijd graag naar keek ;). Prachtig om te zien hoe mooi hout wordt toegepast in het interieur!
ReplyDeleteAlvast een fijn weekend, Greet! Lieve groet, Ingrid
How beautiful Greet! Love that someone can have a piece of the past in a new home....the patina, and texture of these old pieces cannot possibly be replicated in new material. Love the look......so beautiful and I too have always been fascinated by old barns, maybe because my mom spent a lot of her childhood at a farm. Hope you are well!
ReplyDeletelove using old barn wood in the house. we are using it as trim, a bar and bathroom vanity in our basement rooms. love the worn patina and the stories it could tell! beautiful pics Greet!
ReplyDeleteHello my friend,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! To think that an old falling down, neglected barn could end up being used as a part of a beautiful home just makes me so happy! That is what you call a happy ending! And it truly is beautiful in it's new life, too.
Thank you for such an interesting post.
Love and hugs, Cindy
Oh, this makes me so happy too! Especially as I grew up on farms with such beautiful barns. Greet, you would have loved our horse farm in Ohio. The barn was huge, made of the most beautiful wood and all with pegs and grooves (chevilles) not nails. Far more solidly built than what we see today and so much more lovely. The house on the property was the first barn (18th century) that had been converted into a home when the second was built and there were the most gorgeous beams criss-crossing the living room...How I loved that house--even if it was haunted! :O
ReplyDeleteAs Belgium is often ahead of the game when it comes to design, I hope this is a trend that will catch on!!
Thank you so very, very much for your sweet words chez moi--they made my day!!!
Gros bisous et Bon Weekend,
xo,
Heather
amazing pics!
ReplyDeleteI think that's a very good idea to give new life to old barns. The result are marvellous !
ReplyDeleteI hope that everything is fine with you and your family !!
xo
Anci
Old barns evoke so many childhood memories for me. I would be perfectly happy finding one to bring back to life and live in it. Maybe some day...Barn experts in the US tell me there are three components to look at when deciding to "rescue" a barn - foundation, structure (the posts and beams) and roof. If two are good, it's worthwhile. If only one of the three is good, you better think long and hard on it. If all three are bad, the barn is good for salvage purposes.
ReplyDeleteI really like the modern details in the Haarden images.
So evocative. Then there's the final chalet image...
Have a great weekend!
Cheers,
John
How smart and resourceful to reuse old barn siding!! It adds such a warmth and texture that you just can't get from a wallcovering or paint.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend, Greet!
xoxo Elizabeth
Greet,
ReplyDeleteI have a thing for old barns too. I have used the wood on walls, cabinets and vanities. The look is so very warm and welcoming. Thank you for the post and inspiration.
xo, Lissy
Greet~ Thank you for sharing this! As a designer here in the States I often have clients who want to import old structure wood from France. I love old barns too and pleased to find that the old wood is going to good use in your part of the world. I live in Virginia horse country where barns are an everyday sight. Some are old and falling down~ thank you for reminding me of the beauty. If you are ever in Virginia let me know!
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Deborah Whaley
What a beautiful post. Reuse, YES! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images, theybremind me of the Danish country side.
ReplyDeleteRespectfully,
Scandia Decor
What beautiful pictures. I, along with three other women here,are lucky enough to have become recent owners of a 100 year old barn on 10 acres here. We feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to preserve its beauty and share it with others along the way.
ReplyDeleteHi favorite Greet,
ReplyDeleteWhat a facinating post. Good for him for merging history and cultures!
My dream has always been to have a separate barn on the property for fun parties only! One of these days...
I have really missed being here. I am leaving a few stressful weeks behind. You will see me more blog alert again!
Happy weekend to you and your family.
OXOX, Mon
Thanks for sharing! I think I just found an inspiration for my to-be-reconstructed guest-bathroom.
ReplyDeleteI love looking at you blog, thanks for all the wonderful pictures, ideas and hints you share!
Beste wishes from
HansensGasse
Thank you for a fabulous post! when i first moved to the States, i went on my first ski trip to Vermont and fell in love with the local barns and covered bridges. I did a house in Utah, reutilizing the board from and old barn and really enjoyed the process. Your images are stunning and are going straight to my Pinterest!
ReplyDeleteecht heel bijzonder en ik ben blij hierover te horen, lezen en vooral kijken !
ReplyDeleteanni
I am dazzled by the pictures and stories today. Tres elegante! Such incredible quality and love of the craft.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fascinating post. I live in the countryside where many old barns are crumbling. I love long car trips when my husband is the driver because I get be on the watch for old beautiful barns. Really enjoyed this, Greet!
ReplyDeleteAs I browsed into some older issues of magazines and some of the interior design books which I hadn’t taken of our library shelves since a long time, I came across some beautiful and inspirational images. Sección Amarilla
ReplyDeleteI have always been fascinated by the beautiful and authentic American barns. All around bloggerland I discovered the most beautiful images. laverne plumber
ReplyDelete