Place

De Hoorneboeg is a centuries-old estate, and originated in the Golden Age (C17th) in the Netherlands. It provided an escape to the country, far from work and urban discomfort.Most landscape changes so far have been in three areas of the estate, and all are work in progress.

brief

A collaborative of social entrepreneurs is giving a new future to the antiquated estate, in a way giving 21st century city-dwellers a beautiful retreat. A range of ‘green chambers’, situated around the central hill, each hosts a separate destination.

Design

In and around the kitchen garden, the gardener’s cottage, greenhouse, and sheds are housing new functions as farm-to-table restaurant, a cidery and distillery. It gave rise to the reinstallation of the productive garden, with attention to recovering the lost beauty, and adding layers of meaning: a new hedge, rows of vegetables, a permaculture forest and a bee stand, to name a few. All aimed at explaining the story of our food and its relation to nature, providing at the same time an aesthetically pleasing garden.

At the crest of the hill once rose the historical mansion, which was pulled down 40 years ago. In its place an enclosed garden was planted in the 80’s. Now sadly dated, we are opening up this space and giving room for visitors a view out, and making the space usable for events.