Dear readers,

As you might already know I do love visiting musea and old historic buildings. In function of my job as a decorator and interior designer at our company Lefèvre Interiors, it is particularly important for me to get inspiration to design classic, traditional interiors. A few weeks ago I visited the beautiful historic city palace Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse, located in the city center of Ghent. It is one of the most magnificent eighteenth-century town houses in Ghent, with a sublime ballroom and opulently decorated salons.

  This house was built in 1768-1773 by Jan Baptist Simoens. To read more about the architecture of this historic building, please visit the website Historische Huizen Gent.

In the early 19th century, the building was used for noble society, culminating in 1815, in the stay of King Louis XVIII, who had been expelled from France. In 1953, the building became a listed monument. The City of Ghent acquired it in 1981. Since then, this townhouse has become a cultural centre. In the 90s it underwent an important renovation.

On the ground floor there are salons and halls that are typical for the rich social life of the higher social classes at the time. Especially the high ballroom ‘à l’italienne’ is richly decorated with ceiling paintings and mirrors.

All rooms were decorated with great attention to symmetry and each room had its own colour scheme. The names of the chambers, such as antichambre, boudoir,… bear witness to French influence.

The colourful salons, artful furniture and opulent wallpapers flash you back two hundred years in time.

I took a lot of pictures of course but wanted to share with you today some rooms or details, that were very inspiring to me indeed.

Entrance of the Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse with its gorgeous floor and beautiful stairwell in the background.

The beautifully painted ceiling of the majestic ballroom.

A ‘grisaille’ above one of the doorways of the gallery around the ballroom.

The dining room.

I loved this room’s panelled walls with gorgeous painted murals.

Panelling details are always important to me.

Faux marble painted skirting.

Let’s have a coffee in the ‘antichambre’.

Loved these chairs that have a French LXVI- style design and that are decorated with a mix of LXVI and Empire style ornaments.

And those shutters! All rooms are provided with window shutters.

Even some pieces of hardware caught my eye.

This is the Chinese salon.

From the 18th century, Chinese murals have been very popular as the nobility and the bourgeoisie loved it.

The hotel’s Chinese room shows 19th century wallpaper.

Detail of another wall covered room.

Notice that gorgeous marble chimney and the painted murals in the King’s salon!

Chimney detail.

A very inspiring panelling detail in that same room!

Panelled and colourful painted bedrooms.

Colourful painted panelling and opulent wallpapers.

This is one of the artful furniture pieces seen in the house and that I absolutely loved! A beautiful oak, hand carved, 18th C. Belgian ‘meuble Liégeois’.

Hand carved ornaments inside the cabinet. Amazing!

If you would like to bring a visit to Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse, please check visit information on the webpage Historische Huizen Gent.

Be sure to make a walk in the Hotel’s beautiful city garden after your inside visit!

Garden wall of the Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse.

 

For more about the Hotel d’Hane Steenhuyse, please visit the website Historische Huizen Gent

xx

Greet

All pictures by me