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Reginald Van de Velde

@suspiciousminds

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Award-winning photographer from Belgium. Published by National Geographic, Assouline, Condé Nast. Follow for hidden architectural wonders & interiors✨

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Interior Inspo ✨ Views inside a breathtaking holiday home, in Portugal.

It belonged to a famous count, João Ayres de Campos, politician, antiquarian & art collector. He was known for having the largest private collection of art & books of Portugal at that time. Post mortem this extensive collection was auctioned, with lots of pieces now on display at the Louvre and Prado museum.

This remarkable home was his holiday retreat, styled as a chalet with Victorian-Gothic and Romantic accents 🤍

I believe this space was his study. Located at the very top of the house it offered stunning vistas of the valley. The massive decorative ceiling was most impressive! There are four zodiac signs to be discovered within the ceiling — signs of his kids.

The house is in a very bad shape. Occasionally it goes up for auction but nothing ever comes to fruition.

What would you do with this space? Perfect spot for an artist studio, right 👩🏻‍🎨 Views inside a historical late 1800s mansion, in Portugal. This was the home of a famous count, used as a holiday retreat. taken in Portugal by @suspiciousminds

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2 years ago

As promised some more views of the stunning 1700s villa, in Italy 🍁

Lawyers, counts & engineers all called this place home. The last person to close the door was an artist, in the late 1960s. Abandoned for many decades the beautiful interior still reads like timeless poetry 🕊️

Slide 1: Swirling staircase
Slide 2+3: Grand entrance hall + salon
Slide 4: Staircase to the rooms
Slide 5: Stairwell landing illuminated by a skylight
Slide 6: Skylight room to illuminate the staircase underneath, by natural daylight or a lantern at night
Slide 7: Grand salon seen from above
Slide 8: Kitchen area (before the tiles were stolen)
Slide 9: Family chapel
Slide 10: Open air loggia
Slide 11: Frontside of the villa
Slide 12: Backside garden view

I’d move in in a heartbeat, wouldn’t you? 🤎 The view inside a beautiful and historical 1700s villa, in Italy. This is the main stairwell. taken in Italy by @suspiciousminds

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2 years ago

Some more of the magnificent Villa Borromeo d’Adda, in Italy.

I simply adore this place. The look of that beautiful lantern hanging idle amidst the gloom of a dim lit stairwell. The visible stains on the textured walls, where large paintings once hung. Or that wrought iron balustrade gently curving & swirling upwards — pure craftsmanship 🤎

Built by the Milanese family of Adda this 17th century baroque wonder luckily got renovated. Nowadays it’s an event & exhibition venue. Have a look if you’re travelling to Milano!

#italianheritage #beautiful_italy #aditalia #beautifulspaces #worldofinteriors The historical Villa Borromeo d’Adda, in Italy. It was built by the Milanese family of Adda in the 17th century. taken in Italy by @suspiciousminds

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2 years ago

Spa day anyone? ⛲️

Stunning views inside a monumental 1850s bathhouse, in France.

Built to impress this massive structure features an expansive 55-meter entrance hallway, flanked on all sides with private bathing & relaxation cabins. The circular frosted glass panels in the floor are skylights, illuminating an underground hallway with even more cabins and pools.

The natural hot spring it taps into is of exceptional curative quality. In the old days royals used to bathe here to enhance fertility. In more recent times this resort treated rheumatology & fibromyalgia.

The spa closed when Covid hit the world. It briefly reopened but never regained its clientele or revenue. The company finally went into liquidation. The city is now studying possible future scenarios for this monumental & historical place.

What purpose could this building serve, as opposed to being a bathhouse? taken in France by @suspiciousminds

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5 days ago

Could have been a prop from a sci-fi movie set, but this is real world 🛘

This otherworldly structure is a WWII bunker that toppled down from an eroding cliff, in France. Located in Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer this 1942 German defence bunker was once part of the Atlantic Wall fortification.

It sat atop the cliff for decades. But in the 1990s the eroding coastline turned this 1,6K ton concrete block into an imminent hazard for people walking on the beach below. The local fire brigade then sped up the process by digging holes & hosing down the soft chalk cliffs with water. The massive structure tipped over and fell in this angled position.

This beach and structure is accessible, have a look if you’re traveling Normandy.

Should they remove it, or leave it? taken in Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer by @suspiciousminds

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15 days ago

September is always so magical ☀️

The warm sunlight, the colours and textures. The scents and sounds. It’s all more subtle, more refined and peaceful.

Maybe this is all just a dream 🗝️🕯️💫 taken in Italy by @suspiciousminds

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21 days ago

For the dreamers ✨

The beautiful remains of a historical noble villa, in Tuscany.

With origins as far as the 1700s this place is really old! Sadly it’s been open to the elements for decades. Floors have collapsed, parts of the ceiling came down, vegetation is taking over. Still, there’s so much beauty in the breakdown, look at those frescoes 🌸

This property is conceived as a secluded hamlet, with 4 adjacent houses on a whopping 50.000 square meters of land.

Salvageable, or too far gone? taken in Pisa, Toscana, Italia by @suspiciousminds

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25 days ago

Tomorrow is the start of the new school year in many Italian communities 🎓

Sadly some schools never reopen, like this historical boarding school. In origin this was a city center palazzo, full of frescoed rooms and stucco wall decorations. In 1870 it was transformed into a college run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. It accommodated over 400 students, with accountancy as one of the most popular career paths at this school.

The school closed its doors in the early 2000s and has been abandoned since.

Imagine you graduated here, you return after a quarter of a century and this is the view. Heartbreaking 💔

Any ideas what they should do here? taken in Piedmont, Italy by @suspiciousminds

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a month ago

Beautiful views inside a historical villa in Tuscany, Italy.

A stately home with an imposing tower overlooking the beautiful countryside and its vineyards.

Ownership changed five years ago, with the plan to reconvert the villa into separate apartments. By the look of it that plan didn’t go through …

Who’s moving in? 🗝️🥀 taken in Tuscany, Italy by @suspiciousminds

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2 months ago

Interior Inspo ✨

A series of beautiful ornate Italian interiors. Vestiges of the past, seemingly forgotten in time.

We can only preserve the memory 🧚🏻 taken in Tuscany, Italy by @suspiciousminds

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2 months ago

Summertime, sharing some remarkable summer residencies ☀️

These are the remains of a beautiful 1600s baroque villa, in Italy. An excessively large building and park, with many open air loggias giving views on the valley below.

It served as a summer retreat for students of the Collegio dei Nobili, a prestigious pre-university school intended for the education of young aristocrats. During WWII German soldiers occupied the building, resulting in significant damage. After the war it became fully residential.

After many decades of abandonment, there is hope. There was a recent agreement of the owner to lease the buildings to the municipality for the duration of 33 years, for free. On the condition the municipality guarantees the funds for the renovation.

This historical villa will be fully renovated ✨ taken in Emilia-Romagna by @suspiciousminds

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2 months ago

Summertime, sharing some remarkable summer residencies ☀️

Today’s post: Villa Monna Giovannella, a beautiful frescoed 1690s villa on the outskirts of Firenze.

It was owned by a wealthy Florentine family who gathered a fortune in banking & trading. They used it as a summer house to escape the hustle & bustle of Firenze. In its final years the Faculty of Agriculture of Florence managed the estate and even housed a university wing right here. That’s having class, in class.

After 25 years of neglect this historical home is currently being renovated! The villa will be converted into 19 separate apartments, with some rooms entirely frescoed.

Isn’t this marvellous news? ✨ taken in Firenze, Italy by @suspiciousminds

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2 months ago