We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
Brussels Inspiration Bureau
Social Links
Instagram 56K Followers
Facebook 57K Followers
Twitter 10K Followers
  • Our Story
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Contact
56K
57K
10K
We Love Brussels
We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
  • Community news
  • Building the platform
  • Community of city admirers
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Get in Touch
Become our contributor. Join the team!

Sign up for our newsletter

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

  • real estate

A Cubist apartment in the Forest

  • Agnieszka Gansiniec
  • October 28, 2019
  • 4 minute read

New life for an apartament in a block – A Cubist apartament in the Forest

Photos from the living room before

kichen

I think that anyone can be delight with really beautiful and  unique apartments. These most remarkable architectural realizations, which were created with great respect for the everyday functioning of users, but also with a meticulous refinement of every finishing detail are just like a piece of art. Like a specific kind of art with which we can commune on a daily basis. It would seem that the most memorable places like this require not only a huge budget, but also an ideal location and well-known names of designers. Nothing more wrong! A gem of design can be found just everywhere – even in a typical block from the 60s, somewhere on the outskirts of the city. This has just been proved by the designers of the D44 office in its last realization from the city of >>Forest<< in Brussels.

When architects were asked to create a design of the interior for an apartment located on the seventh floor of one of the blocks in the Forest, nothing foretold an extraordinary realization. Oh, just another typical flat, like many others seen before. With a standard layout of rooms – a closed kitchen, a „night” part of the apartment separated by anteroom and a living room with a balcony. But as soon as the designers pulled away the heavy curtains that blocked the passage to the balcony window, they saw a breathtaking view of the whole of Brussels. And they already knew that they would base their ideas on this extraordinary image. This and the interest of the owners in cubist art allowed to create a coherent idea for an unusual interior.

kitchen

The main design assumption was to refer to the idea of Czech cubism and stylistics associated with this trend from the 30s and 60s. One of the main theses of architectural cubism assumes that all lines and surfaces in the building must reflect the natural process of crystallization – that is why the basic body exposed on the elevations and in the ornaments was a pyramid, and the typical shape for cumism – a triangle. The owners also asked for a simple, minimalist and sometimes even harsh design in the interior finish.

living room

Not only stylistic changes, but also serious interference in the layout of the rooms were necessary to maximize the potential of the flat. To emphasize the beauty of the view from the windows you had to open the space – that’s why it was decided to liquidate the walls dividing the living room and kitchen and create a large, open and multifunctional room, whose entire outer wall is virtually one big, oblong window presenting the panorama of Brussels. Kitchen construction was located along the wall separating the new day zone from the hall and the rest of the apartment. Along the same wall, on the other side of the entrance to the living room, a small office was located, which allows for a comfortable work and at the same time gives the possibility of total separation from the living room space. The kitchen and office development reflects the assumptions of Cubism art – divisions with straight lines, and a contrasting combination of white and natural warm wood create shapes of regular, but also less regular triangles. The design of the interior refers to the minimalist design from the 1960s, which is why the rest of the furnishing in the living room also refers to this era.

Living Room

To further emphasize the simplicity, or even the brutal minimalism of the interior, the architects decided on an interesting treatment. The plaster from the ceiling above the kitchen and office area and leading to the hallway, was completely removed, which allowed to expose the beautiful, deep gray concrete slabs. They  were cleaned and preserved, and the electrical installations are clearly visible with white wires on the concrete surface. The severity of this solution beautifully complements the remaining interior space. The contrast of gray, cold concrete with the color of wood gives a beautiful effect.

Living Room

Wood was decided to use not only as finishing material for the furniture. A simple, ascetic, wooden cladding covers all the walls of a small hallway that brings us into the living room. This finishing has nothing to do with paneling from the sixties – simple, wooden surfaces rather create an image of an unusual box that does not saturate our curiosity and directs our attention to the most important point of the apartment – a beautiful view of the city from behind the panoramic windows in the living room .

Hall

On the opposite side of the wooden hallway there is a private, „night”  part of the apartment – with bedrooms and a bathroom. This arrangement means that no uninvited guests will violate the privacy of the residents, which is why the architects decided to keep it. The interior decoration is also characterized by minimalism and simplicity. Walls painted in white do not Focus our attention, they are just a background for images and graphics present in any interior, as well as amazing furniture from the 60s. The owners’ collection is really unusual, that’s why the designers really wanted to expose it properly.

kitchen

This flat  is complete. Consistency in the interior design and equipment makes it impossible to find the element that we would like to replace or remove. It seems to us that this is a good realization not only in terms of style, but also its functionality. Of course, your opinion also counts, so we invite you to look to the photo gallery.

D44 architecture

If you are interested in cooperation with the D44 office, please visit the website: www.d44.be or contact us at: info@d44.be

Author: Agnieszka Gansiniec, Dorota Kozioł

Total
0
Shares
Like 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Like 0
Share 0
Agnieszka Gansiniec

D44 Architecture – is a Brussels-based architectural office offering a range of creative, innovative and cost-efficient architectural services. Created in 2005 and active in many countries. Projects range from individual houses through commercial and public buildings up to specialized laboratories. We also support young designers and organize art exhibitions (http://art-in-the-box.be)

You May Also Like
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • real estate
  • Urban Life

Brussels will build first public open-air swimming pool on Abattoir site

  • Editorial Team
  • December 30, 2022
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • real estate

Final approval of Brussels Government to planning permit for renovation and extension of SNCB buildings on Avenue Fonsny

  • Editorial Team
  • December 1, 2022
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • real estate

New urban projects: The Dome, iconic building on corner of Place de la Bourse and Boulevard Anspach

  • Editorial Team
  • November 8, 2022
Brussels Inspiration Bureau

Exploring the best of Brussels since 2014.

Discover more!
Our columnists & bloggers:
Aleksandra Rowicka
Addicted to cultural life of Brussels, fashion photography and dark…
Aris Setya
Indonesian living in Brussels. Passionate about photography. Love…
Boro Milovic
Boro is the founder and editor-in-chief of WeLoveBrussels. His interests…
Dorka Demeter
Dorka is a Hungarian expat living in Brussels for 10 years. Admirer of…
Emilia Valbum
Expat from Copenhagen living in Brussels. EU + global politics nerd on…
Fadi Dalati
A urologist by profession, and a photographer by passion. I try to…
Julia Zelle
Half-Italian, half-German girl who has just moved to Bruxelles.…
Karolina
Karolina is a blogger sharing stories on European cities, local…
kateinbrussels
I am Kate. I've lived in Brussels for 16 years and am still discovering…
Meredith @ellesbxl
Meredith Geldof is a Flemish girl who moved to Brussels and enjoys…
Tireless_Traveler
Nath is born and raised in Brussels but with a serious case of…
Download our free guide!
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Missed our printed edition?
Press Club Brussels Europe
As seen in
25 most popular instagram accounts in Belgium

Views & opinions expressed across this website are solely that of the authors and contributors themselves and may not reflect the position of WeLoveBrussels. The editorial or publisher of WeLoveBrussels cannot be held responsible for expressed opinions or unintended errors and oversights if any.

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

Instagram 56K Followers
Facebook 57K Followers
Twitter 10K Followers
WeLoveBrussels
  • Our story & more
  • Get in Touch
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal notice
Brussels Inspiration Bureau. Your guide to city life, culture, business, travel, Brussels events agenda & cultural diplomacy.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT