Architecture & Design: Stone as a tribute to Art Decò

Photo: ALBERT GOETHALS, THOMAS DE BRUYNE
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House MM is situated in Brasschaat (a small green suburb near Antwerp in Belgium). It is a single-family house with all the necessary accommodations in a quiet street and a beautiful garden with some ancient full-grown trees.

The town where it is situated has an “architectural history” with a considerable concentration of Art Deco houses. Therefore, the architects wanted to create a home that used references of this style without being a copy and, at the same time, tried to design pure and timeless architecture. Natural stone is timeless, as this style is, with the continuity given by the significant usage of natural stone in the interwar period when it succeeded. Hence, there was no better material to enhance the style of the building and its needs.

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Photo: ALBERT GOETHALS, THOMAS DE BRUYNE

The plan has a good balance between open spaces and closed volumes brought together by an asymmetric circulation “cross .”The particular curved-corner double-high entrance space with the curved staircase sets the tone for the rest of the interior.

Everywhere the designers tried to achieve the same quality of space with beautiful detailing and precious materials. Many areas have nice wood and very specific marble finishings, referring to classical architecture and the use of ancient materials in a modern and timeless setting. Also, “the spirit” of Art Deco and the roaring twenties is evoked by these materials and how the plan and architectural experience throughout the house unfold.

Photo: ALBERT GOETHALS, THOMAS DE BRUYNE

The facades are made of white painted hand-made brick, bronze anodized aluminum windows, and the wooden beams are afrormosia. The architects used a lot of massive oak and nut wood in the interior. The entrance and kitchen used calacatta marble combined with the guest toilet in Nero dorato. The whole bathroom is covered in slightly sanded didyma marble. Lastly, the fireplace volume design between the living and dining area was made of travertine titanium.

Fonte: www.marmomac.com