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    Lionel Jadot assembles 52 designers to create custom interior for Mix Brussels hotel

    An iconic 1960s office block in Brussels has become a hotel, featuring an interior designed by architect Lionel Jadot using only custom-made furniture and objects.

    Set to open today, Mix Brussels takes over the listed former headquarters of La Royale Belge, the insurance company now known as AXA.
    Lionel Jadot designed a sculptural fireplace for the lobby of Mix BrusselsThe conversion of the 25,000-square-metre building was overseen by a team of architects made up of London-based Caruso St John, Antwerp-based Bovenbouw Architectuur and Brussels studios DDS+ and MA2.
    Brussels-based Jadot assembled a team of 52 designers and makers (including himself) to kit out the interior with furniture, installations and sculptures that were all designed specifically.
    The hotel has 180 rooms, all filled with custom-made objectsAlmost everything, from the chairs to the doorknobs, is the work of an independent artist or designer.

    “We wanted to create something different so that when you enter, nothing is normal,” Jadot told Dezeen.
    “Nothing is from a catalogue, nothing is seen on Instagram,” he said. “Everything is custom-made in Belgium specifically for this project, by a big family of designers working together.”
    The hotel is located in the listed former headquarters of La Royale Belge. Photo is by Serge BrisonThe four-star hotel includes 180 rooms and suites, three restaurants, a food market, a co-working space, an auditorium and a health club.
    To win such a large commission, Jadot enlisted all of the designers from Zaventem Ateliers, a creative hub he founded in 2018 in a former paper factory on the outskirts of the city.
    Maison Armand Jonckers created a brass reception desk, which is topped by Lionel Jadot’s Disco Fan Light. Photo is by Mireille RoobaertZaventem Ateliers brings together 25 creatives in a collaborative environment that supports the creation of limited-edition and collectable art and design.
    When a design competition for the project was announced, Jadot convinced them that the hotel could become a celebration of the city’s craft culture.
    Arthur Vandergucht’s aluminium RB Tables furnish the hotel lobby. Photo is by Louis Vielle”This building is really iconic for Brussels and I have been in love with it since the age of 10,” he said.
    “Every Friday, my mum would drive us past it on the way to my grandmother’s house. I thought there was something about it that was really special,” he recalled.

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    “I told the team that we needed to be the ones to do this project,” Jadot added.
    As well as the existing members of Zaventem Ateliers, he also enlisted 27 other creatives to collaborate with them on the fit-out.
    The hotel includes a health club. Photo is by Louis VielleThe overriding concept, Jadot explained, was to create interiors that complemented the sculptural qualities of the building’s distinctive concrete-framed interior.
    “The idea was always to have a horizontality in the creation,” he said. “It was not for me to tell them how to work; the point was for them to feel free to pitch something.”
    Bedrooms feature curtains by KRJST Studio and tables by Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte. Photo is by Amber VanbosselThe contributing designers from Zaventem Ateliers include Maison Armand Jonckers, which produced the engraved brass reception desk, and Arno Declercq, who built a monumental blackened-wood sculpture.
    Artist Thomas Serruys created wooden stools that can be found throughout, while designer Adeline Halot produced lampshades for the hotel lobby and sculptural mirrors for the bedrooms.
    Other additions include mirrors by Jonas Moënne, nightlights by Studio Elementaires and a lamp by a lamp by Pascale Risbourg and Atelier Haute Cuisine. Photo is by Amber VanbosselAmong the lighting designs, eco-materials specialist Roxane Lahidji produced pendant lamps from salt, while Studio Elementaires created stylish nightlights.
    Textile works include printed curtains and weavings by KRJST Studio, who teamed up with designer Emma Cognée, and tapestries by La Gadoue Atelier.
    Jadot’s own contributions include a fireplace installation and various chairs, while other notable additions include a papier-mâché artwork by Papier Boulette, tables by designer Pierre Coddens and foam seats by artist duo Touche-Touche.
    Roxane Lahidji produced pendant lamps from salt. Photo is by Mireille RoobaertThe opening of MIX Brussels aims to help cement the city’s reputation as a hotspot for collectable art and design.
    As well as hosting annual fair Collectible, the city recently saw design gallery Maniera and contemporary art gallery Xavier Hufkens both expand their presences.
    Lionel Jadot and Woit Foundry created the custom knobs in the bathrooms. Photo is by Mireille RoobaertJadot hopes the project will defy expectations of hospitality design, showing that it is possible for this industry to support local creative talent on a large scale.
    “A lot of hotels opening today just order poor quality furniture from other countries, then after a few years, everything is destroyed,” he said. “It’s not a good way to do it.”
    Key to the alternative approach, Jadot said, was that the investors trusted him to project-manage the process.
    A papier-mâché artwork by Papier Boulette covers a wall in one of the meeting rooms. Photo is by Mireille RoobaertHe is proud that, unlike most new hotels, the completed interior is difficult to put a date on. He sees this as a sign that it will last a long time.
    “You don’t know really if this project was born today or yesterday,” he said.
    “We have created this combination, even though we totally avoided vintage. We only have collectable contemporary design, but it’s a really special mix.”
    The photography is courtesy of Lionel Jadot.

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

    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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    Beer-filled baths and straw beds feature in Brussels' Bath & Barley spa

    Set in a vaulted cellar in the old city centre of Brussels, Bath & Barley is an updated take on a traditional Czech beer spa from design studio WeWantMore.

    Beer spas offer beer-infused spa treatments, most notably beer baths where guests soak in water mixed with hops, malt and medicinal herbs.
    WeWantMore has designed the Bath & Barley spa in BrusselsBath & Barley is the “very first” beer spa in Belgium, according to local practice WeWantMore, offering a modern take on the traditional day spas.
    “Beer spas are a tradition in the Czech Republic but not in Belgium, despite our nation’s rich beer culture,” the studio explained.
    Privacy screens were designed to look like stained glass”We noticed that most Czech beer spas are more beer than spa – dark, lots of neon and an overall pub vibe,” the practice added. “This wasn’t our idea of a soothing wellness experience.”

    “Instead, we decided to create a sense of relaxation and intimacy, but with a link to what distinguishes Bath & Barley: beer, bathing and Belgium’s beer.”
    The spa’s reception is located on the ground floorTo realise this vision, the studio drew on a palette of raw natural materials such as lime stucco, wood and straw, alongside copper and stained glass to evoke Belgium’s medieval beer brewing culture.
    The spa is split across two floors, with the oak bathtubs nestled into the vaulted basement and framed by draft beer machines, where guests can pour themselves a pint.
    A stone tasting counter defines the entrance spaceAfter the bathing ritual, guests can use the spa’s sauna or rest on a staw-upholstered lounge that allows them to “connect with nature”, according to WeWantMore.
    “The design supports social wellbeing and creates a unique escape from the daily rush,” WeWantMore said.

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    The spa’s reception is located one level up on the ground floor and is wrapped in curved copper sheets to resemble the kettles used in traditional Belgian breweries.
    Dried barley hangs from the ceiling above a stone tasting counter, where guests can taste a variety of beers and select the hops they want to add to their bath. 
    Steel balustrades depict the different stages of brewing beer”The natural scent of the dried barley branches dangling from the ceiling adds to the sensory experience and sets the mood,” said the studio.
    Ecclesial illustrations from Bath & Barley’s visual identity are integrated throughout the interior in the form of privacy screens, which resemble stained-glass church windows, and steel balustrades that depict the different steps of the brewing process.
    Copper accents feature throughout the interiorBath & Barley has been shortlisted in the leisure and wellness interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
    Other projects in the running include a hotel spa in the Maldives designed by Marcio Kogan of Studio MK27 and a Shenzhen cinema with a copper-lined lobby.
    All images are courtesy of WeWantMore.

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    Enter Projects Asia enlivens Belgian office with “fluid” rattan sculptures

    A rattan sculpture winds its way across the ceilings of this office and factory building in Waregem, Belgium, which has been overhauled by Thai architecture studio Enter Projects Asia.

    Named A Factory Facelift, the installation was commissioned by the owners of an ice-making factory to bring “balance and calm” to the interior of their small concrete office block in West Flanders.
    Enter Projects Asia has overhauled an office interior in BelgiumEnter Projects Asia’s (EPA) design includes sculptures, planters, light fittings and seating across two storeys, which are constructed from rattan – a flexible plant with a woody stem.
    Beginning with an eight-metre-high sculpture in the glazed lobby, many of these elements take the form of curved sections that are suspended from the ceilings by metal wires and appear to flow through the building.
    Curved rattan sculptures have been introduced into different rooms”[We] were given what felt like a ‘wellness’ brief for the space, inviting nature and creativity into an industrial setting,” said EPA.

    “The site was an ice-making factory, so the design was to be fluid and liquid, like the properties of pure spring water crystallising, incorporating raw and sustainable materials wherever possible,” it continued.
    Some elements are suspended from the ceilingsBeneath the ceiling sculptures and continuing the same design language, EPA has also designed rattan seating areas that help to divide the office spaces.
    Planters have been built into these curved seating structures, complemented by trailing plants that hang from the rattan ceiling sculptures.

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    The project was commissioned early on during the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning the relationship between the studio and the client was entirely remote.
    This led to the rattan works being digitally designed and then split into segments that could be built and transported as efficiently as possible to the site, and assembled “like a 3D jigsaw”.
    There is also rattan furniture including office chairsEPA believes that it is important to give the craft of working with rattan new applications, as many rattan factories became threatened with closure during the pandemic.
    “As a byproduct of this project, rattan factories were able to stay afloat during the darkest days,” said EPA Director Patrick Keane.
    “This project became a lifeline for many craftsmen who otherwise would have been without work. Maintaining these factories ensure local, sustainable arts & crafts production could continue,” he added.
    Some seating incoporates plantersEPA has made extensive use of rattan in its previous projects, including another large-scale rattan sculpture for the interiors of the Spice & Barley restaurant in Bangkok.
    Elsewhere in Thailand’s capital, it used the material to create a series of rattan pods with dynamic forms for the yoga brand Vikasa.
    The photography is by Edmund Sumner.

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

    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

    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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