Tuinwijk Vredeburg: Dutch-inspired architecture in Kalmthout

After returning from Amsterdam, the Belgian architect Egide van der Paal started his own practice. In his work he shows a great influence of Dutch architects like for instance H.P. Berlage and W.M. Dudok. The same can be said of co designer Paul Smekens. The first commissions of this architect, who was also inspired by the French Beaux Art, were the garden villages of Vredeburg in Kalmthout-Heide and Essenhout in Kapellen. Their combined efforts in Tuinwijk Vredeburg are often erroneously referred to as "built in a cottage style", in actual fact their work is halfway between Traditionalism and Modernism.

This double villa presents itself as a single dwelling, but is in fact a semidetached property. This building takes inspiration from both vernacular villa architecture and the plasticity of Berlagean design.

The gable tops are coloured white in these designs by E. van der Paal. This provides a striking contrast with the main body of the building clad in brick. The small red brick detail in the gable top, shown on the right, shows the architect was familiar with Amsterdam School architecture.

This large semidetached property with its protruding corner bays and symmetrical treatment under a hipped roof is a more traditional design. The colouration of the facade (red brick and white render) ties this building in with the rest in the row.

Each of the buildings of the garden village was to be set in an ample green garden with hedges along its boundary. The entrances on the Kapellensteenweg have been emphasised by portals that give access to the drive way. Each originally had an intricate and ornate  gate (shown on the right) between brick column with a central section rendered white underneath a hipped roof with red clay tiles (as seen on the left).

Central in the first building phase the so-called Discotheque Vredeburg took pride of place. This social club was changed into a Boarding house soon after it was opened. Nowadays it has been changed into private housing with a business premises where once the large arched gate gave access to what was planned as the Garden village Vredeburg. The name can still be read on the facade. This building by Paul Smekens is more ornamental than the housing flanking it either side.