Intimately familiar with transmuting raw materials into works of art, acclaimed artist and sculptor Isabelle de Borchgrave quickly recognized the possibilities in an old garage in Brussels’ Flagey neighborhood, an upscale shopping area that’s popular with tourists, families and students.
Enamored with the work of Antwerp-based interior designers Claire Bataille and Paul Ibens, de Borchgrave and her husband, Werner, recruited them to transform the garage into a three-level house, gallery and artist’s studio.
The minimalist makeover is inspired in part by Japanese culture and Renzo Piano’s design of the Fondation Beyeler and has spacious rooms with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that frame verdant views. “It gives the impression of living in the garden,” de Borchgrave describes, noting how light floods the interior. “It’s never gloomy.”
White walls and a mix of concrete and oak floorings create a fitting backdrop for the couple’s extensive collection of artwork, rugs and furnishings, many of which are upholstered in vibrant colors. “I’m obsessed with fabrics and patterns,” de Borchgrave admits.
The artist’s signature color is red – a source of energy and warmth. In the living room, a crystalline-like paper chandelier that she designed floats over a vibrant red sofa and complementary leather, thatched chairs from Hungary atop a black-and-white area rug. A pair of antique, 18th-century columns from a pharmacy in Salzburg and a 1950s-era desk made of wood, brass and screen-printed, lacquered wood add to the eclectic ensemble. “I’m surrounded by souvenirs from my many trips around the world,” she notes. “I love to have snippets of past memories lying around the house.”
Steps away, a long table with a live edge wooden top from Indonesia makes a delightful space to host dinners, her guests surrounded by a heady mix of artwork that includes her pleated paintings, hand-painted paper vases, and life-size paper reproductions of dresses worn by Frida Kahlo – part of a series of 40 for an exhibition in Brussels. “My studio is like a hive of creativity and colors,” de Borchgrave notes; it’s where she feels most at peace.
In addition to a place to call home and create artwork, the gallery, studio and kitchen can be rented – a truly magical setting to host special occasions. De Borchgrave is overjoyed with the result. “It was a lifelong dream to have a space big enough to combine my home, garden and studio, as well as a gallery space,” she states. “It’s a haven of joy, tranquility, creativity and inspiration.”
Photography by Michel Figuet.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.