The Belgian design aesthetic: forever pleasing and always moreish. In this roundup, we catch up with our favorite Belgian architects and designers and circle in on their low-key luxe vibe.
Above: Belgian design master Vincent Van Duysen likens the Belgian aesthetic to the “art of living”; read more about his design philosophy at 20 Questions: Julianne Moore and Vincent Van Duysen Talk Design. His protégé Nicolas Schuybroek (see below) says of Van Duysen, “Working out a door handle for him is as important as designing a tower. The strength of an architect lies in the fact that he can deliver everything, from construction to interior.” Above: Belgian design impresario Axel Vervoordt, godfather to the rough yet refined Belgian look that has captivated the design world in the past decade, began with the classical before moving into the minimalist world of the wabi-sabi. See his work at the Greenwich Hotel in On Top of the World: A Belgian Antiquarian Designs a Penthouse in NYC. Above: Nicolas Schuybroek worked as a project director in Vincent Van Duysen’s office for five years before striking out on his own several years ago. “Your personality gets shaped when you work for someone else. I owe Vincent for getting me where I am today,” he’s said. Shown here: a guest room in The Robey hotel in Chicago, designed by Nicolas Schuybroek Architects and Marc Merckx Interiors. Above: Stephanie Laperre worked as an interior architect for Vincent Van Duysen for almost a decade before forming Daskal Laperre with Daphne Daskal. Photograph by Carl Vanoverberghe. Above: Karin Draaijer in Belgium is one of our favorite under-the-radar interior designers, with a command of moody Belgian hues. Above: The living room of Walda Pairon, the doyenne of Belgian design, features limewashed walls with a simple vintage wooden trestle table and an antique upholstered armchair. (Pairon also has three books to her name, includingWalda Pairon: Interiors with a Soul.)
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