When these clients from Flemish Brabant visited the Master showroom, Master interior architect Filip Versmissen couldn’t contain his excitement. “I live in a modernist house from the 1960s myself, and these clients had just purchased a modernist villa from the 1970s. They had fallen in love with the house and wanted to restore it to its former glory. I wouldn’t have approached it any differently myself.”
A tribute to modernism
In this home, Master Meubel was able to show that it is much more than just a furniture store. “The most important thing is the end result. You don’t have to replace all the old furniture with new furniture to make a project successful. Often, giving advice is just as important. For example, in certain places, the radiators and light fixtures were given a different color. It’s the subtle, invisible things that make it complete. We restored the existing meranti wood ceiling in some areas at the client’s request. In many such homes, the entire ceiling is often replaced, which is a shame.”
Perfect in harmony
The floating cabinet in the living room is a perfect example of how we work together with the client to design an interior. “This new cabinet is custom-made to have the same proportions as the previous one,” explains Filip. “At the client’s request, I created a design that also included space for a music system, for example. Such an amplifier needs proper ventilation, so I made sure that was done neatly, not just by drilling holes in the bottom. The cabinet is finished in green marble, which suits the style of the house, and this piece was meant to stand out a bit.”
The homeowners combined a Knoll Saarinen Tulip table and the newly released Knoll Krusin chairs from Master Meubel with a vintage Pastoe cabinet. The round rug is from Kasthall, and the beautiful Lumina DOT lamp provides ample lighting when it’s dark outside. “The warm wood of the ceiling, the cold marble of the tabletop and the hanging dresser, the large steel windows: this living room is in perfect harmony.”
In the sunken seating area of the living room, Filip placed a Togo sofa by Ligne Roset. “A low sofa that fits perfectly with the low fireplace. Sometimes furniture speaks for itself. That’s why they become classics, of course.” The curtains on the large window in the background, made from stazzano fabric, were custom-made in the Master Atelier for this home.
Custom-made beds and desks
For the bedroom and bathroom area, Filip designed several custom-made pieces of furniture for both the residents and the house. “I visited the clients’ home a few times. It was a real exchange of ideas, going back and forth. I created a lot of simple 3D models, of a room or a piece of furniture, so we could quickly adjust. Knowledge of samples and materials is also essential to turn ideas into practice.”
The beds in the children’s rooms both have integrated guest beds, one with a double bed and the other with a single bed. On the back of the double bed, a desk was attached that can slide back and forth so the residents can still easily access the window. “The desk, shelves, and the bed in the other room were all custom-designed and made. For the wardrobes, we combined custom pieces from the Italian brand Porro with our own designs, crafted in the Master Ateliers.” The desk chairs are Vitra Allstars.
Carpet, Corian, and Meranti
The carpet was replaced throughout the entire upper floor. “Everywhere now lies 100% wool, pleasantly feeling Siwa carpet from B.I.C.,” says Filip. “Except in the bathroom near the children’s rooms, where for practical reasons, there is a poured floor.” In that same bathroom, the shower was concealed behind a mirror, and in the bathrooms near the master bedroom, there is a freestanding bath. “It became a minimalist bathroom. Here, the view of nature and the architecture take precedence. The Molteni cabinets with their special doors, finished as if it were a walled-up space, and the floating drawer unit in meranti wood, like the ceiling, are both practical and in harmony with the space.”
Additionally, both in the bathrooms and the bedrooms, extra attention was given to the details that reflect the love for the history and authenticity of the house. “It’s a matter of having an eye for what was, what is, and what can come. In one of the bedrooms, a baseboard made of glazed tiles was restored. In most cases, it would be torn down and replaced with an MDF baseboard. I am very grateful to the clients for not wanting to remove the authenticity by letting these details disappear. That shows a shared respect for such houses. Also, the clients wanted to reuse the valuable ‘mid-century mosaic’ by Roger Capron in their interior. For the size of those tiles, I designed a hanging cabinet in American walnut. The tiles themselves were incorporated into the inside and outside of the bathroom cabinets.”
Interior
Outdoor
Atelier
Sleepstudio
Master Pro
