Paradis Apartment offers design-led stays in Belgian seaside town
The founders of design PR agency Club Paradis have transformed an apartment in Ostend, Belgium, into a design-led vacation home where almost everything is for sale.
Available for holiday stays, meetings or photoshoots, Paradis Apartment is filled with furniture, accessories and artworks by the likes of Muller Van Severen, Destroyers Builders and Nathalie Du Pasquier.
Business and life partners Albane Paret and Micha Pycke bought the apartment for their own holiday home, but soon realised it could double as a show space for contemporary design.
Following a complete refurbishment, the couple filled the rooms with works by friends and colleagues, including some by designers, brands and galleries represented by Club Paradis.
"We have always been drawn to beautiful things, craftsmanship and art, but it wasn't until we bought the flat last summer that an idea grew to do something more than just decorating and renting it out," Paret told Dezeen.
"Talking to people in our network, the idea of placing objects and works of art in it, to show them off to best advantage, was born," he said.
"We wanted to create an inspiring place where you see beautiful things and feel inspired."
The couple have a personal connection with Ostend. The seaside town, situated between Bruges and the French border, is where Paret grew up.
They bought an apartment overlooking the sea, with characterful period details including a grand bay window, herringbone parquet flooring, decorative crown mouldings and a marble fireplace.
The renovation opened up parts of the apartment that were previously separate, with a grand open-plan room now serving as a living room, dining space and kitchen.
The space features a custom-designed kitchen by Atelier Ternier, combining a precisely crafted island in brushed stainless steel with an undulating wall unit in lacquered sapele hardwood.
Other standout pieces in this room include Muller Van Severen's squishy Pillow Sofa and gridded Wire C # 1 wall cabinet, and statement carpets by textile artist Christoph Hefti.
Paret and Pycke plan to change the furniture over time, swapping some pieces out to make room for new ones.
They describe the apartment as "a moving, versatile and evolving project".
"It's not a gallery, nor a showroom or a shop, but a curated space where the works and objects are put to everyday use, away from the sacredness of the museum and the white cube," said Paret.
Although many of the works are by Belgian designers and studios, there are a few additions from further afield.
These include a quilted silk blanket by Georgian design duo Rooms Studio, which is presented as an artwork, plus accessories and textiles from Danish brands Hay and Tekla.
Belgian design gallery Maniera, a Club Paradis client, is one of the main contributors. Other partners include up-and-coming studio Coseincorso and Ghent-based Lerry Ceramics.
"It's a very personal project," said Paret. "We chose objects and furniture from artists, designers, craftspeople and galleries that we know, which is why a lot of pieces are from Belgian designers."
"Every choice we made was based on a feeling, an attraction to a certain object or designer."
The apartment sleeps five across two bedrooms, including a main room with a double bed and a second room featuring bunk beds.
Paret and Pycke plan to use the space throughout the year, depending on when it is booked out.
Throughout the house, styled shelves feature books and magazines from their personal collection.
"If we come for a weekend, it has to be well thought out for us too," Paret added.
The photography is by Frederik Vercruysse.
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