{"id":2720,"date":"2025-01-12T11:36:13","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T03:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2025\/01\/12\/kitchen-of-the-week-a-colorful-1951-belgian-design-classic-masterfully-updated\/"},"modified":"2025-01-12T11:36:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T03:36:13","slug":"kitchen-of-the-week-a-colorful-1951-belgian-design-classic-masterfully-updated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/nl\/kitchen-of-the-week-a-colorful-1951-belgian-design-classic-masterfully-updated\/","title":{"rendered":"Keuken van de week: Een kleurrijke Belgische designklassieker uit 1951 meesterlijk bijgewerkt"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cIt was a coup de foudre<\/em>, love at first sight,\u201d says Francis Strobbe by way of explaining how he and his wife, Idalie Vandamme, came to own a midcentury Brussels landmark. The couple stumbled upon their place while house hunting, and now live with their two kids in architect Willy Van der Meeren\u2019s 1951 first residential commission.<\/p>\n

Van der Meeren, who is known for his use of bold blocks of color and considered one of Belgium\u2019s greatest modernists, designed most of the furnishings, too. \u201cSo it was a total concept,\u201d adds Francis. Except, of course, changes had been made over the years. Francis and Idalie\u2013he\u2019s a data scientist, she has a leather bag line\u2014are only the third owners and were committed to recapturing their house\u2019s original punch. Not surprisingly, the kitchen was the room most in need. The hitch was that they weren\u2019t able to uncover plans or old photos, and any departures from the original state required permits.<\/p>\n

The couple enlisted architect Arthur Verraes of Atelier Avondzon for the job. They had discovered Verraes\u2019s work on Instagram and are proud of the fact that, like Van der Meeren, this was his first independent project. Is an orderly gridwork of color in the kitchen for you? Come see.<\/p>\n

Photography by Se\u0301verin Malaud, courtesy of Atelier Avondzon.<\/p>\n


Above: Known as the Moreau House, the structure has a fa\u00e7ade of of visible concrete floor slabs and blocks, which also required restoration. The house was initially two stories; Van der Meeren was recruited by his original clients to add the third floor in 1962.
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Above: The kitchen is set in the back overlooking the garden and opens to a terrace with its original black tiles. Verraes found their match (Uni Black Porcelain Stoneware Tiles from Zahna of Germany) and continued the exterior flooring indoors.,

Above: Glass doors lead to a dining room and kitchen divided by a pass-through. The painted plywood overhead cabinets are original but required shoring up.
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Above:  The bones of the kitchen were intact, but the lower cabinets, counters, and floor had been replaced (scroll to the end for a glimpse of what it looked like not very long ago). Atelier Avondzon worked with designer\/furniture makers Atelier Dehaene Seynaeve on the updates\u2014\u201dthey\u2019re architects by training, which made them a great match for this project,\u201d says Verraes. The canted upper cabinets were newly painted to match the shades of yellow, blue, and white found elsewhere in the house.
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Above: \u201cWe strived for a practical but timeless solution that doesn\u2019t outdo the beautiful upper cabinets,\u201d says Verraes of the new lower cabinets\u2014they\u2019re birch plywood in a finish that matches other woodwork in the house. He describes the tiled toe kicks as a modernist detail: \u201cWe deliberately wanted the tile to continue in the plinth of the furniture so as not to make the base cabinets look too recent.\u201d,<\/p>\n

Verraes faced multiple challenges updating the space: \u201cWhat was decomposed had to be restored exactly as it was, and what wasn\u2019t clear had to be submitted for approval. Since the latter is open to interpretation, it\u2019s quite a complex and difficult process with lots of consultation and adjustments.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: The new custom counter is stainless steel that rises to meet the original backsplash of Belgian Marbrite tiles made of a post World War II type of milk glass.
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Above: The lower cabinets are detailed with handles of solid maple.
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Above: An AEG induction range was slotted into the new lineup.
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Above: The new cabinets and sink integrate well with the original kitchen window. The stainless steel basin has a Franke Orbit faucet. The cabinets on either side of the sink conceal the dishwasher and fridge (the latter\u2019s size was a concession Francis says they were happy to make to preserve the kitchen layout\u2014they keep a full-size fridge in a nearby utility room). The sconce is Le Corbusier\u2019s Lampe de Marseille.,

Above: The electrical outlets and switches are from THG. Verraes describes his commission as \u201ctaking care of the kitchen,\u201d and says, \u201cIt was a quest to find something functional that didn\u2019t clash with the original wall units, was practical to use, and harmonious as a whole.\u201d <\/p>\n

Voor<\/h3>\n



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Above: A glimpse at the existing lower cabinets, counter, and floor, all of which were not-so-new additions.
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Above: The sink corner was in particular need of finessing.
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Above: The overhead cabinets had been repainted in shades that slightly departed from the original palette, but the interior shelving was intact. <\/p>\n

Here are three more standout kitchens with midcentury style:<\/p>\n