Sisters Tine and Charlotte Castelein – are the co-founders of Designcollectors, the Belgian platform for authored design. She has spent years surrounded by extraordinary objects, but the house she built in Koksijde, close to the Flemish coastal dunes, is neither a catalogue nor a manifesto. It is the result of letting things arrive when they are ready, trusting their natural evolution.

The house was designed by Alexander Dierendonck and Isabelle Blancke — friends before they were architects on this project — with a single ambition: to build something that felt as though it had always been there, rooted in the dune landscape rather than placed upon it.

When we sat down with Tine, the theme that kept returning was time: not as a constraint, but as the thesis the house its built upon. Tine has been thinking about objects since long before Designcollectors existed. A collection is just what desire looks like after years of patience.

How do objects earn their place in your home?

I need to feel an emotional connection. Sometimes it is the story behind a piece, sometimes the craftsmanship, or simply the feeling it evokes when you live with it every day. Good design should never feel forced.

Is there one piece that stands out?

The Tea Trolley by Alvar Aalto had been on my wishlist since I was twenty years old, so it was clear from the very beginning that it would find its place here. Certain pieces simply stay with you for years and become part of your personal story long before you actually own them.

Did the house have a clear vision from the beginning?

We had a strong feeling about the atmosphere we wanted to create, but not a fully fixed vision. We deliberately avoided creating something too polished or overly contemporary — we wanted the interiors to feel layered and lived-in rather than overly designed or completed all at once. A home should continue to grow together with the family living in it. We wanted a house that would age gracefully.

How did this very special landscape fit into that?

We wanted the house to feel understated and rooted in its surroundings. Almost all the existing trees on the site were preserved. We worked with native plants and shrubs so that the garden would feel completely integrated into the surrounding dune landscape rather than imposed upon it.

What does summer look like here?

One of my favourite rituals is going for an early run by the sea before the day truly begins. There is something incredibly calming about the quietness of the dunes and the sound of the waves in those early morning hours. When I return home through the small path leading into the garden and see the soft glow of the Sylvestrina still burning inside, it genuinely makes me happy.

What makes this house feel like home?

Nothing feels overly precious or staged. The connection with the surrounding dunes, the natural light, the materials, the objects we have collected over time — together they create a sense of belonging that is difficult to describe but deeply felt every day.