Vincent Van Duysen transforms cloister into zen hotspot

02/10/2020
Category: Travel

The world-renowned architect and furniture designer Vincent Van Duysen completed his first hotel project in 2019 with this 19th-century cloister transformation. Hotel August, located in Antwerp, has become the new hotspot for the region thanks to the exquisite interiors, dining, and hospitality.

The convent is part of a more extensive redevelopment of the area centered around an old military hospital that was left abandoned for the past 20 years. The nuns used to care for the wounded soldiers, and as such, the cloisters are part of this complex.

Van Duysen approached the project with the utmost respect to the neoclassical building, which lets you sense the austere and minimal lifestyle of the original occupants of the complex. Only the entrance and chapel, which houses the bar, are designed slightly more elaborate. The winter garden houses the highly-rated restaurant, which features a minimal glass roof in black aluminum. This new addition merely adds light and lets the original architectural elements shine in their full glory.

In perfect harmony with the building is the furniture, which is almost all custom design by Vincent Van Duysen and manufactured by Molteni&C. Flos lighting complements the custom furnishings in an ultra-elegant fashion.

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Talk Carpet Magazine Issue 15: Peru

It is no secret that Paris has been the capital of fashion since the seventeenth century. The city has been the playground for prestigious designers and couture brands like Chanel, Dior, and Saint Laurent. Today the Parisian style is not only an aesthetic choice but a philosophy. It embraces elegance, timelessness, and slow responsible fashion. The focus is on the cut and the quality of the materials. No fluff or excessiveness with a less is more approach. And what better way to understand Parisian fashion than to visit a museum dedicated to it.

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