A timeless backdrop for a design collector, this Antwerp home’s unassuming palette comes alive through crafted, textural finishes.On the verdant outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium, this renovation re-establishes a 1960s two-storey home’s character, where previous works had left a fragmented floorplan and stark, impersonal interiors. Interior designer and co-founder of Æ Studio, Arno Broeckhoven, consulted his client—a collector of art and vintage furnishings—to concept a responsive design with longevity. “It evolved into a truly inspiring collaboration and ongoing dialogue, from which we both learned. Clients—so passionate and informed—are rare,” Broeckhoven reflects.The home comprises a primary suite, en suite, two additional bedrooms and a bathroom that occupy the private second storey. The ground floor bands open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas with an office, which also hosts wine tasting. This reconfiguration “brought a fresh contemporary purpose,” Broeckhoven describes.Achieving warm comfort within strong, shadowing architecture, Broeckhoven references the sightlines of Dom Hans van der Laan-designed monasteries. Translated within the home, internal views, including through walnut timber shelving, “completely transformed the plan, integrating even the hallway,” Broeckhoven says.
