The interior architect of our estate is Judith van Mourik. She made the design for the Main House (the hotel and Restaurant Voltaire), the Coach House and recently for Bistro LOF.
Judith van Mourik began her career in fashion. After the AMFI fashion academy in Amsterdam, she ran her own styling agency. She produced shoots for magazines and commercials and worked as a contributing editor for various magazines. After ten years, it was time for a next step. In 2012, she graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and was awarded the title of interior architect. “I am still so proud of that. The combination of my styling background and the ability to make a striking translation into a spatial design turns out to be very valuable.”
She based the design for Parc Broekhuizen on the location and history of the estate. With a great love of characteristic, monumental buildings and hospitality, Judith was the perfect designer to flesh out the concept of Parc Broekhuizen. “Starting from scratch with the design of a building with such a clear historical identity is something I really enjoy doing. I like to emphasise original elements and at the same time create an innovative image. As an interior designer, you can make things that you hope will become iconic. Especially for a hotel or restaurant, it gives the opportunity to let people experience something special.” An example is the wide staircase in the hall of the main house: for the classic, oak staircase Judith developed a dégradé runner. Eccentric but stylish, a perfect match that is seen as her signature. The iconic gradient can also be seen in the entrance doors and the logo of Parc Broekhuizen.
Original panelling, fireplaces and cornices were contrasted with a combination of velvet, brass and marble. The items in the interior are largely custom made. “The nature of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug is beautiful in itself. Then suddenly this fairy-tale estate pops up. There is so much to marvel at, the interior gives that sentiment too. Restaurant Voltaire is outgoing, flamboyant, sexy, loose. Quite innovative for a starred kitchen. The conservatory (wedding and meeting room), on the other hand, is subdued, with much attention to nature. The blue painting room has a more bold character. An ode to knights, who also come back in a lively and humorous way in the hotel’s house style.”
Judith van Mourik’s design for Parc Broekhuizen was awarded the international Leading Design Award in Athens in 2018. The jury report praised her respect for the historic character of the estate and the modern élan she gave it. In 2017, the design also won the national Entree Award for Best Hotel Design.
Style
Judith’s style is characterised as frivolous, elegant, contrasting, colourful (both in the use of colour and materials and the addition of eccentric details) and with a creative field of tension between classic and new.
Bistro LOF
In addition to the culinary Parc Broekhuizen estate and restaurant Voltaire, it was a firm wish to open a second restaurant. In recent years, the monumental farmhouse next to the Orangery was transformed by Judith van Mourik into a breath-taking restaurant: Bistro LOF.
The LOF farmhouse looks like a picture from the 16th century. Surrounded by greenery, warm and authentic. In close consultation between chef Ewout, GM Anita Bos and Judith, the farmhouse was thoroughly renovated. “The atmosphere fits seamlessly with the fantastic building, the style is very original. Inspired by nature’ was the starting point. I worked mainly with natural materials such as clay, leather and a lot of wood. The whole thing gives off a warm, Wabi Sabi atmosphere. A lot is new, but it still feels familiar. As if it has always been there.
The best of both worlds
The interior gives new life and modern élan to the farmhouse, where animals used to be kept and crops grown for the owner, his family and staff. Judith has preserved robust, characteristic elements wherever possible. An impressive ensemble blends with more serene and sophisticated, 21st century details. The colour palette borders on brown. “The amount of brown tones is reminiscent of the past, but at the same time modern. For example, the concrete floor is dark brown instead of the original grey. And I combined the brown of the loam of the walls with soft brown leather and a touch of pink in the sofas.” The wooden rafters, 300-year-old masonry walls and the six-metre high fireplace were preserved. The fireplace now forms the entrance. As a contemporary counterpart, Judith designed a steel staircase opposite, in which a refined leaf pattern was lasered, inspired by plants in the restaurant. The Belgian bluestone in the farmhouse returns on the passages in the kitchen. The kitchen connects seamlessly to the restaurant. With a lot of use of wood, copper panels and a leading role for the Beech oven, which makes the whole even cosier. Apart from a few vintage pieces, almost all furniture is custom-made. Trees from the surrounding forest were used, among other things. It brings the whole to a next level.
At LOF, you come for a lunch that never ends, a break from a cycling or walking tour, a drink at sunset on the terrace, an evening of intimate dining with your loved one or with a group in the kitchen, in the heart of the restaurant. Chef Ewout and his team can tell you everything about LOF’s cuisine, the amazing vegetable garden and the special design of the kitchen that Ewout created together with Judith.
