A modernist villa in Antwerp
A sprawling modernist villa in Antwerp is both a quiet family home and secluded fortress, defined by shifting volumes, clean lines and creeping shadows. The upper floors follow the strict architectural edicts of the mid-century movement: large, light-filled rooms with space to move, made warmer with the dusty tones of Decor; natural materials like strong wood, stone or glass; and spare, functional furnishing.
In the main living room a pure white staircase in Wallpaper KK 117 curls between floors, framing a monumental window in Microresina KK 11 looking out onto a forest thick with trees. Below, the contemporary creeps in. A moody, ground floor kitchen is enlivened by speckled terrazzo and pink-toned cabinetry, a colourful respite from the purity above.
Clean lines paired with a neutral palette of travertine stone and colours KK 117 and KK 91, create an atmosphere that directs one’s attention to objects and furniture, like this vintage mid-century sofa in chestnut-coloured leather.
The bright, speckled terrazzo in grey, pink and black lends a playful air to the otherwise muted kitchen design with anthracite floor in Cementoresina KK 11. Custom cabinetry featuring fluted wood in powder pink Microresina KK 113 nods to the building’s all brick facade, creating a visual connection between the interior and exterior.
The sophisticated texture of Cementoresina and Patina, used for floors, bathtub and shower coverings, extends the continuity of the neutral palette in nearby rooms. In the primary bathroom, the continuous surfaces in KK 53 and KK 91 are offset by multi-tonal yellow micro tiles, which lend themselves to a sunnier atmosphere.
The home’s darker elements on the ground floor — the warm grey surfaces of the Cementoresina floor and the Patina Living ceiling, both in the KK 70 colour — act as a weighty foil to the sun-drenched rooms above. A cast-in-place concrete sink with an industrial-style brass tap in the lower level bathroom perfectly matches the Wallcrete walls, creating a compelling visual rhythm throughout the house.
