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Hilde and I are from Belgium and we have two young adult sons. 2021 was the year of milestones celebrations for our family as it's our 25th wedding anniversary. I have been building my business for many years and now working online, whereas Hilde has owned her store for 30 years, which offers beautiful flowers, plants, furniture and other interior items, and the store sits in the heart of Mechelen. This means we are a busy family, and as we reached business and family milestones, we realised that we need to slow down when we can by taking frequent holidays!
Prior to joining August, we were looking to buy a second home in Belgium by the coast, but we knew it would be prohibitively expensive to purchase a beautiful home due to the rising property prices. We've naturally gravitated toward properties that exhibit that authenticity and have layers of history. We currently live in a 17th-century property that we adore, as we all know, older properties frequently require renovation or need redesigning, so doing it ourselves was out of the question. When we came across August and saw that the homes were of a period style that had been renovated, this rested our minds knowing this part of homeownership is taken care of...
The look and feel of the August homes very much suited our way of living, and we appreciate spaces that provide a range of indoor and outdoor environments and multiple terraces that offer views.
Having joined the Signature Collection and visited all of the homes, we can't wait to do the same with the new Premium homes. Each is so unique and the way that August designs the homes is so great. Very inline with each of the locations and regions so it feels like we are always on holidays.
We were initially drawn to the Signature Collection. The five locations and a range of different homes, which are large, suited our family. The reason why we joined the Signature Collection first was so that we could take those much-needed breaks every 4-6 weeks, effectively "forcing" us to go away! All while maintaining the essence of second home ownership, we think the concept is the best thing since sliced bread and I really do mean this!
Having these homes means we're in this for the years to come, which is truly exciting. As a family, this makes sense for us and we recently upgraded to the Premium Collection, with the children growing into adults, it's the perfect time to start implementing those family holidays. We like to prepare for the future so having a bit more space in the bigger homes will be fantastic.
It's great that we've already experienced all the Signature Collection homes! They are just so wonderful, everything from the team to the concept and the locations to the homes and experience.
We instantly felt welcomed into the August community and it's a huge factor to why we joined August. We have really enjoyed meeting like-minded people with the other August Homeowners. Paul and Anne live just up the road from the Cotswolds Signature home so we shared a meal with them when we were there for the Queen's Jubilee. It's great to be a part of that sharing economy.
When Hilde and I turn up to the August homes, we are welcomed with little surprises from August and other co-owners like fresh drinks in the fridge, just all waiting for us! It's also exciting to see all the small details you can't see in the pictures, the finishing touches or to see how large the garden is, and we're looking forward to simply wandering around the neighbouring villages.
It was an easy decision for us to upgrade to the Premium Collection!
We plan to go on a range of holidays throughout the year, including short breaks, spontaneous stays and long stays in the seasons. We love that the properties are all close by to other areas, and the possibility of being able to drive to Valbonne or Cannes or Lucca, and then back home is a fun prospect for us to do! Also, we're eager to share our holidays with friends who own second homes abroad, and show them what they're missing out on!
Our August community is full of interesting and inspiring homeowners, such as Hilde, a Premium Collection Homeowner who owns her own interior and homeware shop in Belgium; DE BORGHT. We sat down with Hilde to hear her take on the August home, the aesthetic and what she likes about the collections in general.
To find out more about Hilde's store DE BORGHT, visit their website or follow DE BORGHT on Instagram!
Hundreds of families trust us with their holiday homes and are a part of the August Community. Hear from them directly and discover their experiences with our Collections.
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