I found these images in a New York Times article. The Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen is know for his clean lines and total designs. I always love a good story and this seems to me a nice one:
“Every day, on his way to his studio not far from the center of Antwerp, the architect Vincent Van Duysen would pass by a stately 19th-century building. Unlike most of the narrow brick structures commonly found in his native Belgium, it had an expansive white facade with large neo-Classical windows. Although it was clear to Van Duysen that the structure had good bones, it was shrouded in graffiti and neglect. One day he noticed that the house seemed to be unoccupied; he made some inquiries and discovered that the house was for sale, and for a surprisingly reasonable price. The ground floor was a rabbit’s warren of small dark offices. The stairs were covered with layers and layers of carpet and linoleum, a palimpsest of previous renovations in the 1940s, ’50s and ’70s.”
But who if not an architect, can see a potential even in an apparently ruined space? My favorite features are here the color palette in the kitchen, the warm and timeless wooden flooring and the overall natural feeling.
