Technical sheet
Read moreRead less- Location
- Brussels
- Date
- 2018 - 2019
- Client
- Private
- Budget
- Middle budget
- Executors
- VDB design (built-in furniture), Motief Atelier (fabric)
- Photos
- Johnny Umans
- Status
- Executed
Situaties I (Gegrepen)
Advising on loose furniture and interior design, and realising calm, versatile and quietly playful built-in furniture in an apartment.
The apartment is an apartment in the sense that it’s not a loft: it has walls that define rooms. And the rooms need built-in furniture to work. Some even offer suggestive alcoves, hinting where such furniture might belong. The functions vary, but the language must stay clear: light, bright, warm, with the occasional joke, a gesture, something unexpected. An ergonomic instrument of thought-through lines and calibrated heights keeps the variety feeling calm and unified.
The furniture is mostly white, like the walls. But they’re clearly not walls: they have handles, because they’re cupboards. Very big handles. Very long handles. A ladder is fixed into one of them. In another, a towel is left to dry.
The handles are staggered so they don’t get in each other’s way. They’re made of pale wood. There’s also a touch of moss green, in the upholstery. Sometimes you sit on the fabric, or lean against it. Sometimes you pin things to it. Sometimes you sit down and stay seated and drip until you’re dry.
Turning a space into a place
A couple bought an apartment in the newly renovated Cosmopolitan tower in Brussels. The apartment had been completed, but wasn’t ready to live in yet. The clients wanted to make the most of the compact rooms, using every bit of wall and floor. We were asked to design the entire interior. A series of custom pieces would provide every room with storage but also with an additional function. There would be: a desk unit, a hallway unit, seating furniture, a bathroom piece, a bed system, …
Screen corner
The panels fold out in every direction, revealing a screen or concealing it. A workspace or a gaming space, depending on the user. Elsewhere, there are soft cubes with thick cushions. Someone has pushed them into a playful shape. The magnets suppress chaos and nudge things into order. Last week, the cubes were joined together and someone slept on them. Today, they’re arranged in a circle around a second screen.
Hallway
A bench to tuck your shoes under. Shelves for keys. Alcoves for gloves. The cabinet handles above are oversized. Big enough to hang your coat on. Everything has its place. The umbrella drips into its designated slot.
Children’s room
The alcove is filled. Clothes disappear behind panels of white. There’s an open compartment; the fabric serves as a pinboard. A personal exhibition of cards, carefully arranged.
Master bedroom
A bedside table exploded. Got completely out of hand. It actually starts with the bed; custom-made, with drawers underneath. Which becomes a nightstand. Which becomes a dressing. Again: cavities. One with a sink. One with clothes. Right in plain sight. They’re allowed to be seen. One to sit in, after a shower. The man drips into the compartment made just for that.
