Belgium

Vincent Van Duysen’s former Antwerp home reveals his enduring architectural sensibility and Captures the essence Of Belgian design.

Embodying the hallmarks of Belgian interior design—warmth, authenticity, and a restrained, muted palette, architect Vincent Van Duysen’s 1988 Antwerp living room set the tone for his entire career. “This room became the backbone of the ambiance I created at the end of the 80s, when my original design DNA was born, which is still current and up to date,” says Van Duysen. “It’s a warm, minimal style, with the use of desaturated colors and materials, as well as little furniture with basic forms, mixed with vintage pieces.”

Rather than altering the room’s architectural integrity, Van Duysen enhanced it by preserving raw wood floors and steel-framed windows, while painting the walls a warm white and using screens to create soft, filtered light. Belgian design’s preference for neutrals is echoed here, evoking the country’s subdued grey skies and reserved, quiet culture. Honest materials like whitewashed brick, linen, and reclaimed oak foster a sense of soul and authenticity. The overall effect is pure yet rich in texture, emphasizing atmosphere over decoration. More than just a style, this space illustrates Belgian design’s commitment to timelessness, restraint, and a serene expression that remains as vital today as it was thirty years ago.

Japan

Designer Tobias Petri Of Holzrausch Studio creates a meditative alpine retreat rooted in Japanese ideals.

In a 1960s house in Germany’s Tegernsee Valley, an apartment renovation by Holzrausch Studio draws deeply from the essence of Japanese design to create a calm, contemplative retreat. Seeking to counterbalance the dark, over-decorated façades typical of the region, the design was inspired by the minimalist, high-functioning atmosphere of Japanese hotels like the Aman in Kyoto. “Modern Japanese interior design is timeless and avoids decorative or eclectic elements,” says designer Tobias Petri of Holzrausch Studio. “Spaces are serene and strong in their presence.” With a minimalist aesthetic and restrained earthy palette of untreated larch wood and Maggia Gneis stone, the apartment achieves what Petri calls “lasting relevance and elegance” through high-quality, natural materials and exquisite craftsmanship.

Light plays a a subtle-but-vital role in the space’s mood. With only one façade open to large windows, natural light is introduced in a very deliberate way, while indirect lighting schemes are integrated into custom built-in furniture. No artificial ceiling lights were used, enhancing the meditative atmosphere. “There are only a few loose pieces of furniture, which can be changed over time, but the core materials and the custom-built elements are extremely timeless and will remain of high quality even 50 years from now,” says Petri.

The space proves how the principles of Japanese aesthetics serenity and simplicity translate seamlessly into other cultures and contexts far beyond their place of origin.

Peru

Marina Vella achieves a quiet architecture that honors the Peruvian landscape and local craft.

Casa Chontay, conceived by architect Marina Vella, embraces its rural Peruvian setting through a deliberate dialogue between architecture and nature. Sited above the Lurín River on a scenic plot overlooking the valley, its two volumes “high” and “low” are separated by an open garden, ensuring constant contact with the outdoors.

Thick locally sourced adobe walls, dry-stone curving walls, and cane harvested on-site create textural continuity with the land. Eucalyptus wood from the riverbanks supports a reed-thatched roof over the terrace, while recycled wood makes up floors, windows, shutters, and doors. Large boulders unearthed during construction are arranged as sculptural elements across the property. Climbing vines such as bougainvillea, bignonia, and jasmine add vibrant color, while vetiver grass stabilizes the slope. In Casa Chontay, traditional building techniques and native materials dissolve the house into its environment, encouraging immersion in nature.

“I think this house, built nearly a decade ago, was a pioneer here in Peru, because it showed that our landscape is beautiful, our materials are beautiful,” says Vella. “There are people who like the very modern with concrete and steel and there are people who realize there is beauty in simple things. I think there are both. That is what I want to show.”