CHAPTERS
WH ITE LINES 14
P INK FLOYD 52
GR E EN DAY 80
FA DE TO GREY 118
B R OWN SUGAR 178
PA INT IT BLACK 226
STONED
INTERVIEWS
F R A N CESCO BALZANO 26
KR IS MARTIN 40
MUL LER VAN SEVEREN 72
T IM COPPENS 100
GL E NN SESTIG 132
P IE R RE YOVANOVITCH 154
S O P HIE DRIES 188
BA S SMETS 206
P IE T ER VERMEERSCH 240
CHAPTERS
WH ITE LINES 14
P INK FLOYD 52
GR E EN DAY 80
FA DE TO GREY 118
B R OWN SUGAR 178
PA INT IT BLACK 226
STONED
INTERVIEWS
F R A N CESCO BALZANO 26
KR IS MARTIN 40
MUL LER VAN SEVEREN 72
T IM COPPENS 100
GL E NN SESTIG 132
P IE R RE YOVANOVITCH 154
S O P HIE DRIES 188
BA S SMETS 206
P IE T ER VERMEERSCH 240
S TO N E D
S TO N E D
P I N K F L OY D
Atelier Lachaert fixes different minerals to walls in settings. In this case, a red jasper, a natural stone known since antiquity as ‘the mother of all gemstones.’ Wallscapes Atelier Lachaert d'Hanis Red jasper
Like he would fix gemstones in rings, Atelier Lachaert d’Hanis fixes different minerals to walls in ‘settings’. In this case, a red jasper, a natural stone known since antiquity as ‘the mother of all gemstones’. Wallscapes flirt with both the art of jewellery and the visual arts, the two worlds between which Atelier Lachaert d’Hanis’ work constantly oscillates.
70
71
P I N K F L OY D
Atelier Lachaert fixes different minerals to walls in settings. In this case, a red jasper, a natural stone known since antiquity as ‘the mother of all gemstones.’ Wallscapes Atelier Lachaert d'Hanis Red jasper
Like he would fix gemstones in rings, Atelier Lachaert d’Hanis fixes different minerals to walls in ‘settings’. In this case, a red jasper, a natural stone known since antiquity as ‘the mother of all gemstones’. Wallscapes flirt with both the art of jewellery and the visual arts, the two worlds between which Atelier Lachaert d’Hanis’ work constantly oscillates.
70
71
FA D E TO GREY
119
FA D E TO GREY
119
GLENN SESTIG
A RT I S T S F RO M T H E N E W S TO N E A G E
G LEN N S ES TIG
132
Stylistically your architecture leans towards a kind of monumental minimalism characterised by sophisticated material contrasts. What architects do you yourself admire? People sometimes say they see some Paul DupréLafon, Jean-François Zevaco, Carlo Scarpa, or Adolf Loos in my work, but, to be honest, I’m also fascinated by Art Deco, Bauhaus, Van der Rohe, brutalism, and even neoclassical architecture from the inter-war period. I don't have any specific references in the back of my head when I’m drawing; my designs actually arise very intuitively. Their starting point is the client’s demands, which we then transform into a logical, functional flow. After the spatial study, the monumental forms and luxurious material details appear spontaneously during the design process. Are there any measurements or proportions that characterise your handwriting? Don’t ask me what the golden ratio is, because I don’t know. We do have a set of numbers at the office that we use in all of our projects. Whatever we design—whether it’s an object, interior element, or a house—we always base its proportions on a series of even numbers. There are design elements, however, that clearly determine our style. The sight lines and walking lines, for instance, around which functional spaces are developed. Another element that returns regularly is the sculptural stair, both as a block game and a piece of furniture. So is the rich palette of materials, tactile and mysterious at the same time. No matter the scale of your projects, you always approach them as if they were an exercise in sculpture. Everything you create has that object air about it. Even the Obumex signature kitchen is more furniture than cooking laboratory. The Obumex kitchen is a functional sculpture. Not just a place for cooking, it is also a multifunctional furniture item that can be used as a wine or coffee bar, a china cabinet, and, at the same time, a room divider. Its form is inspired by the Regard lamp I created for Kreon: a rectangular volume with a crossbar inserted into it. The split in the vertical element is reminiscent of Oscar Niemeyer’s National Congress building in Brasilia. Usually, kitchens are compositions of horizontal
workbenches. The eye-catcher in my kitchen is a vertical column clad with natural stone and split in two; one part for the door handle, the other for the tap. The column also houses a cocktail bar with wine cooler on one side, and a coffee or tea cabinet on the other. Like a contemporary sculpture, the cabinets seem to float around the column, even though in reality they rest on a black base. With its massive, vertical size, the column functions as a virtual partition, almost turning the kitchen into a separate room offering you needed privacy. You’re also active as a retail architect. You’ve designed, among others, boutiques and monobrand stores for Verso, Renaissance, Coccodrillo, Rio, and Hieronymus. Doesn't their temporary character bother you? Retail architecture is known for its volatility. The best designs can last for tens of seasons. A shop that stays the same for a long time works like a logo: you create recognisability and familiarity. Take our Verso design: after all these years, its look and style still stand their own. Many fashion brands often change their mono-brand stores because they get new artistic directors. And, of course, they all want to express their views on the shop interiors. Do you approach a boutique in a radically different way from how you would a home? I actually design a boutique exactly the way I would a home. Whether I'm designing a showcase, a checkout point, or a kitchen, there’s no real difference. We just get carte blanche more often for shops. Clients decide faster, the result may be a tad more extreme, for the very reason that they don’t have to live there. A boutique must have homely qualities, in my opinion. You want to be able to look around with ease; the circulation has to remain logical. But the service has to be hotel quality. When our firm is commissioned to do a home, clients often say, ‘We certainly don’t want to live in a shop.’ In reality, it’s the other way around: today’s glamorous shops are inspired by luxury homes from the inter-war period. These boutiques are expressly designed to give you a homely feeling. There’s room to read, to have a drink, even to look at art.
133
GLENN SESTIG
A RT I S T S F RO M T H E N E W S TO N E A G E
G LEN N S ES TIG
132
Stylistically your architecture leans towards a kind of monumental minimalism characterised by sophisticated material contrasts. What architects do you yourself admire? People sometimes say they see some Paul DupréLafon, Jean-François Zevaco, Carlo Scarpa, or Adolf Loos in my work, but, to be honest, I’m also fascinated by Art Deco, Bauhaus, Van der Rohe, brutalism, and even neoclassical architecture from the inter-war period. I don't have any specific references in the back of my head when I’m drawing; my designs actually arise very intuitively. Their starting point is the client’s demands, which we then transform into a logical, functional flow. After the spatial study, the monumental forms and luxurious material details appear spontaneously during the design process. Are there any measurements or proportions that characterise your handwriting? Don’t ask me what the golden ratio is, because I don’t know. We do have a set of numbers at the office that we use in all of our projects. Whatever we design—whether it’s an object, interior element, or a house—we always base its proportions on a series of even numbers. There are design elements, however, that clearly determine our style. The sight lines and walking lines, for instance, around which functional spaces are developed. Another element that returns regularly is the sculptural stair, both as a block game and a piece of furniture. So is the rich palette of materials, tactile and mysterious at the same time. No matter the scale of your projects, you always approach them as if they were an exercise in sculpture. Everything you create has that object air about it. Even the Obumex signature kitchen is more furniture than cooking laboratory. The Obumex kitchen is a functional sculpture. Not just a place for cooking, it is also a multifunctional furniture item that can be used as a wine or coffee bar, a china cabinet, and, at the same time, a room divider. Its form is inspired by the Regard lamp I created for Kreon: a rectangular volume with a crossbar inserted into it. The split in the vertical element is reminiscent of Oscar Niemeyer’s National Congress building in Brasilia. Usually, kitchens are compositions of horizontal
workbenches. The eye-catcher in my kitchen is a vertical column clad with natural stone and split in two; one part for the door handle, the other for the tap. The column also houses a cocktail bar with wine cooler on one side, and a coffee or tea cabinet on the other. Like a contemporary sculpture, the cabinets seem to float around the column, even though in reality they rest on a black base. With its massive, vertical size, the column functions as a virtual partition, almost turning the kitchen into a separate room offering you needed privacy. You’re also active as a retail architect. You’ve designed, among others, boutiques and monobrand stores for Verso, Renaissance, Coccodrillo, Rio, and Hieronymus. Doesn't their temporary character bother you? Retail architecture is known for its volatility. The best designs can last for tens of seasons. A shop that stays the same for a long time works like a logo: you create recognisability and familiarity. Take our Verso design: after all these years, its look and style still stand their own. Many fashion brands often change their mono-brand stores because they get new artistic directors. And, of course, they all want to express their views on the shop interiors. Do you approach a boutique in a radically different way from how you would a home? I actually design a boutique exactly the way I would a home. Whether I'm designing a showcase, a checkout point, or a kitchen, there’s no real difference. We just get carte blanche more often for shops. Clients decide faster, the result may be a tad more extreme, for the very reason that they don’t have to live there. A boutique must have homely qualities, in my opinion. You want to be able to look around with ease; the circulation has to remain logical. But the service has to be hotel quality. When our firm is commissioned to do a home, clients often say, ‘We certainly don’t want to live in a shop.’ In reality, it’s the other way around: today’s glamorous shops are inspired by luxury homes from the inter-war period. These boutiques are expressly designed to give you a homely feeling. There’s room to read, to have a drink, even to look at art.
133
FA D E TO G R E Y
Typically for Sestig, the brute natural stone on the outside contrasts with the polished finishing on the inside.
Pleasuredome Glenn Sestig Van Den Weghe Items Wallpaper* Titanium travertine Mouthblown glass
Eat Me, Drink Me. That was the topic of Wallpaper* magazine’s 2015 Handmade project. Because he couldn't find a nice glass bell anywhere, architect Glenn Sestig decided to reinvent the archetype in his signature. Typically for Sestig, the brute natural stone on the outside contrasts with the polished finishing on the inside. The glass bell rests on an elegantly milled base in travertine. The glass bell, which also serves as a stone serving tray or fruit platter, was developed in collaboration with natural-stone specialist Van Den Weghe. The limited-edition object has been incorporated into Van Den Weghe’s Items collection.
168
169
FA D E TO G R E Y
Typically for Sestig, the brute natural stone on the outside contrasts with the polished finishing on the inside.
Pleasuredome Glenn Sestig Van Den Weghe Items Wallpaper* Titanium travertine Mouthblown glass
Eat Me, Drink Me. That was the topic of Wallpaper* magazine’s 2015 Handmade project. Because he couldn't find a nice glass bell anywhere, architect Glenn Sestig decided to reinvent the archetype in his signature. Typically for Sestig, the brute natural stone on the outside contrasts with the polished finishing on the inside. The glass bell rests on an elegantly milled base in travertine. The glass bell, which also serves as a stone serving tray or fruit platter, was developed in collaboration with natural-stone specialist Van Den Weghe. The limited-edition object has been incorporated into Van Den Weghe’s Items collection.
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169
SOPHIE DRIES
A RT I S T S F RO M T H E N E W S TO N E A G E
S OPHIE DR IES
188
As a Parisian interior architect and product designer, you premiered your work Marble Shades at the Milan furniture fair in April 2017. What is the story behind this marble object in dégradé colours? Fellow architects and artists told me that the natural-stone company, Van Den Weghe, was open to innovative projects. After our meeting with CEO Tanguy Van Quickenborne and Workshop Manager, Alain Van Betsbrugge, fellow architect Marc Lechelier and I came up with the idea of trying out colour gradations, or dégradé, on marble. A couple of days later the people in the workshop were already trying out samples. It was a technical breakthrough that could only be presented to the world in the shape of an iconic object, which was to be Marble Shades: a side table and stool. Making furniture in an immobile and indestructible material like marble, now there’s something exciting. What exactly is innovative about this item of furniture? Colour gradations used to be possible on wood and textiles, and now you can also have them on natural stone. A dream come true for a designer/ architect like me. The extraordinary thing is that the colour does not lie on top of the material as an extra layer but really penetrates into the rock, allowing the veins to remain visible. Thanks to this patented ‘waterproof’ procedure, the objects can also be used outdoors. The colour effect can be applied to different types of stone—from travertine and ceppo to marble—and in any colour. All objects are cut with a CNC machine and then hand-painted by the artisans in the Van Den Weghe workshop. How important is innovation in your field? And how do you implement that in your work? As an interior architect I consider both research and design important. I feel like an alchemist pushing the limits of traditional materials and techniques. Natural materials I work using contemporary techniques and treatments from another field. Ceramics I try to deform or scratch. Marble I want to make less elitist or historically laden, for example, by colouring it. And right now I am working on a rug that is partly burnt. What is the common thread running through your work? Is there a characteristic Sophie Dries touch? I have no universal recipe for success because everything starts with the client and the genius loci: the soul of the place. We deliver custom work to people that entrust us with their homes. A flat for a filmmaker under a vaulted ceiling from the seventeenth century, a loft for a photographer
in a modern apartment building, a penthouse on the Champs-Élysées, or luxury boutiques in the old part of Istanbul: every project is totally different. The important thing is to first evaluate the place well: the light, the views, the valuable architectural elements. I integrate the inhabitants’ contemporary way of life into my brute minimalism. I love clean lines and pure natural materials. But I add special strokes of colour and precious details: furniture, objects, and artworks. You combine interior architecture with design and even scenography. Does that require a different approach every time? I really don’t believe in partitioning. Fifty years ago the grandmasters of modernism—Le Corbusier, Aalto, or Wright—used to draw absolutely everything in a home or project: from the garden to the door handles and the rugs. You don't ask an artist whether he makes videos or photos, do you? Between design and architecture lies only a difference in scale, although in both cases the starting point is the human body. Between architecture and scenography the only difference is the temporary and demountable character. I believe architects have lost touch with craftsmanship, and I try to re-establish that connection in my work. I constantly learn from my dialogues with the artisans that carry out my projects. Consulting them makes me discover possibilities and conceptual solutions that are feasible thanks to their technical skills. In what direction do you see the field of architecture, design, and interior architecture evolving? I don’t think we want mutually exchangeable ‘trendy’ design objects that are produced by the thousands any longer. I sense an evolution happening towards durable objects, objects that you want to keep for a longer time so you can pass them on. Because of this, as a designer you are forced to consider the ageing process of objects. In the future we will not so much be collecting objects as we will ‘moments’, because we are, after all, more mobile than ever. Quality and authenticity are becoming increasingly important. In the field of architecture, I believe craftsmanship is going to be a part of the future. I see a comeback of local materials and craftsmanship, geared towards our contemporary, digital, and cosmopolitan lives. Of course, ecological considerations have to be an integral part of the design process of new objects. That’s why I'm currently working with Van Den Weghe on a project involving marble-waste upcycling.
189
SOPHIE DRIES
A RT I S T S F RO M T H E N E W S TO N E A G E
S OPHIE DR IES
188
As a Parisian interior architect and product designer, you premiered your work Marble Shades at the Milan furniture fair in April 2017. What is the story behind this marble object in dégradé colours? Fellow architects and artists told me that the natural-stone company, Van Den Weghe, was open to innovative projects. After our meeting with CEO Tanguy Van Quickenborne and Workshop Manager, Alain Van Betsbrugge, fellow architect Marc Lechelier and I came up with the idea of trying out colour gradations, or dégradé, on marble. A couple of days later the people in the workshop were already trying out samples. It was a technical breakthrough that could only be presented to the world in the shape of an iconic object, which was to be Marble Shades: a side table and stool. Making furniture in an immobile and indestructible material like marble, now there’s something exciting. What exactly is innovative about this item of furniture? Colour gradations used to be possible on wood and textiles, and now you can also have them on natural stone. A dream come true for a designer/ architect like me. The extraordinary thing is that the colour does not lie on top of the material as an extra layer but really penetrates into the rock, allowing the veins to remain visible. Thanks to this patented ‘waterproof’ procedure, the objects can also be used outdoors. The colour effect can be applied to different types of stone—from travertine and ceppo to marble—and in any colour. All objects are cut with a CNC machine and then hand-painted by the artisans in the Van Den Weghe workshop. How important is innovation in your field? And how do you implement that in your work? As an interior architect I consider both research and design important. I feel like an alchemist pushing the limits of traditional materials and techniques. Natural materials I work using contemporary techniques and treatments from another field. Ceramics I try to deform or scratch. Marble I want to make less elitist or historically laden, for example, by colouring it. And right now I am working on a rug that is partly burnt. What is the common thread running through your work? Is there a characteristic Sophie Dries touch? I have no universal recipe for success because everything starts with the client and the genius loci: the soul of the place. We deliver custom work to people that entrust us with their homes. A flat for a filmmaker under a vaulted ceiling from the seventeenth century, a loft for a photographer
in a modern apartment building, a penthouse on the Champs-Élysées, or luxury boutiques in the old part of Istanbul: every project is totally different. The important thing is to first evaluate the place well: the light, the views, the valuable architectural elements. I integrate the inhabitants’ contemporary way of life into my brute minimalism. I love clean lines and pure natural materials. But I add special strokes of colour and precious details: furniture, objects, and artworks. You combine interior architecture with design and even scenography. Does that require a different approach every time? I really don’t believe in partitioning. Fifty years ago the grandmasters of modernism—Le Corbusier, Aalto, or Wright—used to draw absolutely everything in a home or project: from the garden to the door handles and the rugs. You don't ask an artist whether he makes videos or photos, do you? Between design and architecture lies only a difference in scale, although in both cases the starting point is the human body. Between architecture and scenography the only difference is the temporary and demountable character. I believe architects have lost touch with craftsmanship, and I try to re-establish that connection in my work. I constantly learn from my dialogues with the artisans that carry out my projects. Consulting them makes me discover possibilities and conceptual solutions that are feasible thanks to their technical skills. In what direction do you see the field of architecture, design, and interior architecture evolving? I don’t think we want mutually exchangeable ‘trendy’ design objects that are produced by the thousands any longer. I sense an evolution happening towards durable objects, objects that you want to keep for a longer time so you can pass them on. Because of this, as a designer you are forced to consider the ageing process of objects. In the future we will not so much be collecting objects as we will ‘moments’, because we are, after all, more mobile than ever. Quality and authenticity are becoming increasingly important. In the field of architecture, I believe craftsmanship is going to be a part of the future. I see a comeback of local materials and craftsmanship, geared towards our contemporary, digital, and cosmopolitan lives. Of course, ecological considerations have to be an integral part of the design process of new objects. That’s why I'm currently working with Van Den Weghe on a project involving marble-waste upcycling.
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PA I N T I T B L A C K
This kitchen is no cooking laboratory but a functional ornament. An eye-catcher with artistic ambitions, conceived as a dynamic play of asymmetrical planes and lines. Copper, brushed wood, indirect light, brass and natural stone are the ingredients of this rhythmic composition. Luxurious material contrasts, taut lines ... Look at Jean Dunand or Jean-Michel Frank’s Art Deco room dividers and you will instinctively feel what arts dÊcoratifs tradition Moinard subscribes to.
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PA I N T I T B L A C K
This kitchen is no cooking laboratory but a functional ornament. An eye-catcher with artistic ambitions, conceived as a dynamic play of asymmetrical planes and lines. Copper, brushed wood, indirect light, brass and natural stone are the ingredients of this rhythmic composition. Luxurious material contrasts, taut lines ... Look at Jean Dunand or Jean-Michel Frank’s Art Deco room dividers and you will instinctively feel what arts dÊcoratifs tradition Moinard subscribes to.
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MARKED is an initiative by Lannoo Publishers. www.marked-books.com JOIN THE MARKED COMMUNITY on @booksbymarked Or sign up for our MARKED newsletter with news about new and forthcoming publications on art, interior design, food & travel, photography and fashion as well as exclusive offers and MARKED events on www.marked-books.com Author: Thijs Demeulemeester Translation: Xavier De Jonge Graphic design: Diederik Serlet Photography: Frederik Vercruysse p. 2-3, p. 12-13, p. 31, p. 34-39, p. 192-197 Van Den Weghe p. 4, p. 50-51, p. 71, p. 116-117, p. 176-177, p. 221, p. 224-225, p. 255 Cafeine.be p. 6-11, p. 32-33, p. 44, p. 46-48, p. 110-113, p. 148-149, p. 180-181, p. 222-223, p. 235-239, p. 244-247 Adrien Dirand for Obumex p. 16-21 Piet-Albert Goethals p. 22-25, p. 62-65, p. 76-77, p. 104-107, p. 120-123, p. 150-151, p. 170-175, p. 188-191 Tom De Meester p. 45, p. 114-115, p. 248-249 Annick Vernimmen p. 26, p. 28 (bottom), p. 29 (top right), p. 218-219 Francesco Balzano p. 28 (portrait, top right), p. 29 (middle & bottom), p. 108-109 OFFICE p. 30 Tim Van Heers p. 40-43 Maarten Messiaen p. 42 (top) Jef Jacobs p. 54-59 Fien Muller p. 60-61, p. 72, p. 74 (top & bottom), p. 75, p. 88-89 Diederik Serlet p. 66-67 p. 68-69 Sofie Lachaert p. 70, p. 254 Mirjam Devriendt p. 74 (portrait) Bangkokhappiness/Shutterstock p. 78-79 Tim Van de Velde p. 82-86, p. 90-98, p. 202-205, p. 210-213, p. 214-217 Andy Asseo p. 100, p. 102 (top & bottom), p. 103 FashionStock.com/Shutterstock p. 102 Jean-Pierre Gabriel p. 124-130, p. 132, p. 134-135, p. 136-143, p. 152-153, p. 166-169, p. 182-186 Jeroen Verrecht p. 144-147, p. 162-165, p. 198-201 Jean-François Jaussaud/Luxproductions p. 156-161 Michiel De Cleene p. 206-209 Alexander Popelier p. 208 (top) B.E.S.T bench by Bas Smets & Eliane Leroux, Courtesy Valerie Traan gallery, exhibition 10.05 – 21.06.2018, p. 209 (middle) Michaël Verheyden p. 220 Serge Anton p. 228-233 Claire Dorn p. 242 (portrait) Exhibition view Galerie Perrotin, Paris, France, 2017, Photo: Claire Dorn, p. 242 (top right) Evan Dion p. 250-253 p. 240: Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled, 2016, Oil on marble, 48 x 36,7 x 2 cm, Private collection p. 242 top: Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled, 2016, Oil on marble, 240 x 160 x 2 cm, Private collection; Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled, 2016, Oil on marble, 208,1 x 135,2 x 2 cm, Private collection p. 242 bottom: Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled, 2014, Oil on marble, 76 x 56 cm, Courtesy Galerie Perrotin p. 243 top: Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled, 2015, Oil on marble, 73 x 63 x 2 cm, Private collection p. 243 middle: Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled, 2016, Oil on marble, 48,6 x 43,5 x 2 cm, Private collection p. 243 bottom: Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled, 2017, Oil on marble, 131,5 x 110,2 x 2 cm, Private collection
If you have any questions or comments about the material in this book, please do not hesitate to contact our editorial team: markedteam@lannoo.com. © Lannoo Publishers, 2018 D/2018/45/44 – NUR 450, 454 ISBN: 978 94 014 4999 1 www.lannoo.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. #AREYOUMARKED