A roaming creative couple blended the language of their animation studio, an iconic chair, and the colors of southern Spain for their part time residence and rental.
Dorien Smeets and Jeroen Aendekerk have lived a nomad’s life. The couple spent six years traveling across Europe in their ’90s school bus conversion, even growing their animation business, Studio Fluxi, from its cabin. But even though they’d adapted to life on wheels, in 2023, the couple decided to return to Belgium, where they are both from, wanting a home to come back to after stints out on the road; it wasn’t time to give up completely on the nomadic lifestyle.
Dorien Smeets and Jeroen Aendekerk spent $247,000 designing and building a two-bed, two-and-a-half bath home in Belgium’s Bosland National Park.
Photo by Geert Van de Velde
"We never dreamed of a huge house," says Dorien. "We always knew if we built something, it would be small, but unique." She and Jeroen’s home is 650 square feet, forming a half circle.
Photo by Geert Van de Velde
In the same year the couple spent $115,000 on a site next to a pond in Belgium’s recently established Bosland Natural Park. "Everywhere we went with the bus, if there was water, it felt more like vacation," says Dorien. The park doesn’t allow full-time residential homes, but Dorien and Jeroen found a loophole that dovetailed nicely with wanting to live in a home part-time: by building one and listing it as a rental, it would qualify the structure as a recreational building, which is allowed by the park.
The couple found a company to custom manufacture the corrugated metal siding for around $2,400.
Photo by Geert Van de Velde
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: They Spent Two Belgian Winters in a ’90s Bus While Building a Home for $274K
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