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    Atelier Fréderic Louis adds new curves to art-deco house in Antwerp

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    The rounded details of an art-deco-style facade are repeated throughout the interior of this house in Antwerp, which has been renovated by Atelier Fréderic Louis.

    Belgian architect Fréderic Louis has modernised the layout of House Mellinet, replacing the previously separate kitchen and living room with a large, open family room that opens out to the rear garden.
    The design – created in collaboration with interior designer Sarah De Pauw – celebrates the building’s existing curved details.
    The art-deco house has a brick facade with various curved detailsAccording to Louis, it was these details that first attracted the owners to the 145-square-metre property.
    “They bought the home because they fell in love with the original art-deco-style elements,” he told Dezeen.

    Extra curved details have also been added in, including a new fireplace and two focal staircase treads.
    The renovation created a more open layout for the ground floorThe ambition behind the renovation was to create a more open-plan ground floor layout, increasing natural light and making the living spaces feel more generous in size.
    Achieving this layout involved stripping the building back to its structure and installing new steelwork.
    An original arched opening was reinstated”Our starting point was trying to figure out how we could open the rooms to each other, as these were all closed off from each other by thick load-bearing walls,” explained Louis.
    “The structural elements we used for this were key for the design of the house, as they stayed partly visible.”
    New steelwork was required, although only some of the beams are left exposedWhen builders started stripping the interior back to its structure, they discovered hidden details such as a large arched wall frame. This fuelled Louis’ decision to make curves the key design motif.
    The new layout creates a circular route through the ground-floor spaces, defining a lobby space, a lounge area, a dining area and a kitchen, while a small office sits off to one side.
    The junction between floor surfaces is one of many new curved detailsTwo different floor surfaces feature here: a chevron-patterned oak parquet, and a speckled white terrazzo.
    The junction between these surfaces integrates another curved detail.

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    This is echoed by the shape of the kitchen island counter, which is made from a marble that matches the tones of the terrazzo floor.
    “The end of the wall was also curved, not only as a reference to the original style elements, but also to ease the circulation around the kitchen island and the spaces next to it,” said Louis.
    Other curves feature on the kitchen counter and the fireplaceNew windows were installed in place of the previous PVC frames, with slender aluminium details that look more akin to the steel designs that would have been on the building originally.
    Heating, plumbing and electrical systems have also been upgraded to bring them up to modern standards.
    Focal staircase treads repeat the curve themeGhent-based Louis has run his own studio since 2014, but he also works for Graux & Baeyens Architecten, where he has led projects including the blocky House J-VC.
    House Mellinet is one of several historically sensitive renovations the architect has undertaken. He believes the design has returned the building “to its former grandeur”.
    The renovated first-floor bathroom features a similar terrazzo to the kitchen”The living areas have evolved from closed, dark spaces, to a vivid, daylight-rich living space with a great view over the green garden,” he said.
    “The kitchen has become a point of attraction, while the new and restored art-deco elements have restored the original feel of the house.”
    The photography is by Tim Van de Velde.

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      Space Copenhagen adds “otherworldly” pieces to Antwerp restaurant

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      A cast brass chandelier and a colourful light installation are just some of the site-specific pieces Space Copenhagen installed in the interior of the Blueness restaurant in Antwerp.

      Called Blueness, the restaurant is located in the heart of Antwerp’s fashion district, on the ground floor of a 17th-century renaissance building.
      Space Copenhagen filled the interior of the Blueness restaurant with specially commissioned furnitureIt is three-Michelin-star chef Sergio Herman’s third restaurant and the second that he has collaborated on with Space Copenhagen following Le Pristine, a moodily-lit restaurant that takes its design cues from the Old Masters.
      At Blueness, the menu consists of fine-casual cuisine with French and Japanese influences.
      The restaurant’s design was informed by the history of the buildingThe Danish design studio, headed by Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützou, wanted to reflect the menu’s duality within the interior and also showcase the different purposes and activities of the building throughout history.

      As a result, the interior fuses the building’s classical architecture with new Scandinavian design elements while its layout offers diners the option of a theatrical dining experience at the custom bar, where they can observe the open kitchen, or a tranquil candlelit dinner experience in the main dining room.
      The restaurant features a bar with views into the kitchenOriginal features – such as tall ceilings, carved sandstone and marble columns and elaborate metalwork window and door frames – are paired with clean-lined furniture and a number of site-specific works from artists including Valentin Loellmann, Destroyers Builders and Mae Engelgeer.
      The studio describes these bespoke commissions as “otherworldly” with Rützou referring to them as “unexpected esoteric futuristic elements”.
      The curved bar is made from dark red walnut woodThe custom bar is the work of Destroyers Builders, a Brussels and Antwerp-based design studio, founded by Linde Freya Tangelder.
      Handmade in deep red walnut wood, it has rounded edges which have been carefully treated to create a smooth tactile surface. The dark red walnut is complemented by brushed steel worksurfaces for easy cleaning and maintenance.
      Dark furnishings contrast the light stone walls of the 17th-century buildingA series of dark oak Spine barstools designed by Space Copenhagen for Danish furniture brand Frederica Furniture line the front of the bar. As well as the bar, Destroyers Builders also crafted a futuristic waiter’s station in cast aluminium.
      The dining room is furnished with comfortable furniture in subtle colour tones and natural materials such as wood, stone, brass and linen.

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      A sculptural candlelight chandelier by artist Loellmann hangs in the centre of the space. Its four arms stretch down from the ceiling with platforms for candles that provide gentle, diffused light.
      Bespoke light oak tables are surrounded by soft benches upholstered in warm rose fabric by Sahco and Kvadrat while other tables in the space are flanked by sand-coloured Loafer dining chairs by Space Copenhagen for &Tradition.
      Fabric-coated benches and light wooden chairs surround the restaurant’s tablesFour custom pieces by Latvian designer Germans Ermičs were commissioned for the restaurant, the largest of which transforms the main staircase into an immersive art experience with copper-toned cladding that shifts from dark to light tones as guests descend.
      In the basement, Ermičs has created a colourful light installation positioned behind wrought metal bars that date back to the 18th Century.
      Several wall installations were also commissioned for the restaurantUpstairs, bespoke tatami drapes by Dutch artist Englegeer created a restful ambience.
      “More than anything this project has been shaped by a series of very intuitive processes, from our very first thoughts about the design of the restaurant, that carried through to the end result,” commented Henriksen.
      “The design process has been fueled by the fragmented history of the 17th-century renaissance building and the ongoing dialogue between the team and the commissioned artists who are central to the final design.”
      Known for its work in the hospitality industry, Space Copenhagen is the studio behind Esmée, a classic brasserie with a courtyard feel in the heart of Copenhagen, and Musling, a seafood restaurant overlooking Copenhagen’s Torvehallerne food market.
      The photography is by Peter Paul de Meijer and Eline Willaert.

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      Norm Architects designs spa-like dental clinic modelled on art galleries

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      Warm oak and smooth concrete are among the materials that Danish studio Norm Architects used to create the interiors for this Antwerp dental surgery, which aims to defy traditional, more clinical designs.

      The clinic, called Dentology+, is spread over a cavernous basement area and a ground-floor level. Both have been clad in a neutral material palette that was designed to evoke a sense of calm.
      The dental clinic was designed to defy traditional medical interiorsThe private dental clinic’s basement is made up of a set of dusty grey corridors, which Copenhagen-based Norm Architects designed to make it look as if the rooms were carved from a block of concrete.
      These concrete volumes are interrupted only by carefully selected minimal design elements such as geometric alcoves, pared-back black pendant lights and an earthy-hued circular artwork by Sara Martinsen.
      A cavernous basement area defines half the surgeryA low-slung sofa finished in a light-coloured textile also features in the basement, which was designed by Norm Architects’ longtime collaborator Keiji Ashizawa for Japanese brand Ariake.

      “The need to dwell and retreat to intimate nooks is a basic human requirement that we cannot dismiss when shaping living spaces,” Norm Architects co-founder Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen told Dezeen.
      Circular artwork by Sara Martinsen hangs above a low-slung sofaDentology+’s upper level was designed to be brighter and airier than its basement, while maintaining the clinic’s overall neutral theme.
      Cubes of light oak create walls and doors that are interspersed with objects including a pebble-like vase on a plinth, in a design that takes cues from the interiors of an art gallery.
      Translucent curtains line the windows of the operating rooms.

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      The choice to design Dentology+’s interior using materials that might be considered unusual for medical spaces was made in an attempt to enhance patients’ wellbeing, according to architect Sofie Thorning.
      “In many ways, we looked more to beautiful spa resorts than classic white dental clinics for inspiration,” she told Dezeen.
      Operating rooms exist within light oak walls”Material translucency and soft, warm light paired with carefully considered, crafted materials work to reshape the patient experience and perception,” she added. “The space is nothing like an ordinary dental clinic.”
      “What we surround ourselves with simply has a great impact on our mood and behaviour, which is why working with natural materials in architecture and design is a simple way to enrich our surroundings and enhance our quality of life,” added Bjerre-Poulsen.
      Afteroom chairs by Menuspace feature on the upper levelFounded in 2008, Norm Architects is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Copenhagen. Other projects by the practice that celebrate neutral and calming interiors include a minimal Chinese tea parlour and a jewellery store in Copenhagen informed by modernist artists’ studios.
      The photography is by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen.
      Project credits:
      Architect & Partner: Sofie ThorningArchitect: Qing YeClient: Dentology+

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      Studio Okami Architecten exposes brutalist skeleton of Antwerp apartment

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      Belgian studio Studio Okami Architecten has renovated a duplex apartment in the brutalist Riverside Tower in Antwerp, allowing its original concrete structure to take centre stage.

      The project was led by and designed for Bram Van Cauter, founding partner of Studio Okami Architecten, who lives there with his partner, art collector Doris Vanistendael.
      Studio Okami Architecten has renovated a duplex apartment in AntwerpRiverside Tower is a 20-storey apartment building positioned in the bend of the river Scheldt, completed by architects Leon Stynen & Paul De Meyer in the 1970s.
      The 230-square-metre apartment is on the thirteenth and fourteenth floors of the building, three storeys above the Studio Okami Architecten office. The couple also owns a duplex in the same building, which contains a guest suite and Vanistendael’s art gallery named Soon.
      The apartment is located in the brutalist Riverside TowerStudio Okami Architecten’s first step of the renovation was to tear down the walls of the apartment and strip away all the surface coverings.

      While revealing the concrete structure of the apartment, this transformed its layout from a five-bedroom dwelling to a lofty open-plan space with a single bedroom.
      All of its concrete surfaces were exposed”With the Riverside Tower being a brutalist building, it seemed logical to strip the apartment to the bare concrete, showing the space in its most honest and raw form,” Van Cauter told Dezeen.
      “Removing the walls allows for unobstructed views over the city,” the architect added. “Being childfree, an open-plan space was a logical choice.”
      A sculptural kitchen island was added. Photo is by Matthijs van der BurgtA few brick walls in the dwelling were retained but covered with cement mixed with small stones, creating a finish that matches the original concrete structure.
      To counterbalance the rough concrete surfaces, a peach-hued resin floor has been added alongside plants and artworks hung from existing holes in the concrete.
      A pastel blue staircase links the two floors of the duplex”The aim was to balance out the rough concrete by adding colourful elements to the space,” Van Cauter explained. “The artworks, furniture and plants all combine to create a homey atmosphere.”
      Double-height pivoting windows also brighten the space by providing natural light and views out over the river and a neighbouring forest.
      Pops of colour contrast with the concreteOn the lower floor of the apartment is an open-plan kitchen and dining area. Above it is the living room, bedroom and home office.
      The apartment’s upper level, which is intended to feel more secluded than the floor below, is arranged around a technical block containing the bathroom, storage and utility facilities.
      The upper level contains more private spaces”The duplex setup creates a special division between the downstairs entertainment area and the more private upstairs functions like a home office, living and bedroom,” Van Cauter explained.
      Linking the two levels is a pastel blue spiral staircase, chosen to stand out against the concrete. It was welded and painted in place due to the limited size of the tower’s circulation areas.

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      The pastel colour palette continues in the bathroom, which is lined with smooth peach pink surfaces.
      These surfaces ensure the bathroom is watertight, but they also create a sharp contrast with the rough concrete beams overhead.
      Rietveld Crate Chairs are among the furnishingsStudio Okami Architecten chose a mixture of contemporary vintage furnishings to complete the apartment. Among the classic furniture are the patchwork De Sede DS88 sofa and Rietveld Crate Chairs, while contemporary pieces include a Long Table by Muller Van Severen and a red Bold chair by Big-Game.
      There are also a series of bespoke elements, including the kitchen island, designed by Studio Okami Architecten to resemble “a sculpture in the room when out of use”. This is teamed with cabinetry that references the work of American artist Donald Judd.
      A pastel pink bathroom features upstairsOther apartment renovations featured on Dezeen that are located in brutalist buildings include a New York residence by General Assembly in a 1970s tower block and a flat at the Barbican estate in London that Takero Shimazaki Architects infused with Japanese details.
      Alongside the Riverside Tower apartment renovation, Studio Okami Architecten also recently completed a brick and concrete home that is embedded into a sloping hillside in Belgium.
      The photography is by Olmo Peeters unless stated.

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      Moody interiors of Le Pristine restaurant by Space Copenhagen take cues from the Old Masters

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      Danish design studio Space Copenhagen has used subdued shades of green and grey to deck out the dining room of Le Pristine restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium. Le Pristine, which is headed up by three-Michelin-star chef Sergio Herman, occupies a 1960s modernist building. Years of unfinished renovation works meant that the building’s interior had several patchy
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      Atelier Dialect places mirrored tub in minty green bathroom of Apartment A

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      Green walls offset a shiny steel tub in the bathroom of this Antwerp apartment, which has been updated by Belgian design studio Atelier Dialect. The green bathroom is one of a handful of aesthetic changes that Atelier Dialect made to Apartment A. Before the studio’s intervention, the home had already undergone an extensive renovation by […] More