Photo © Verne
MARKED BY…
a passion for intellectual rigor and genuine sensitivity to the less tangible details of warmth, comfort and sensuality, Hans Verstuyft is recognized as one of Belgium’s elite masters in the realm of architecture and design. When asked about his beginnings, Verstuyft is a man of few words but he does take care to mention Stephane Beel Architects, Willem-Jan Neutelings, and Vincent Van Duysen Architects as a few of the renowned offices that gave him his start. Today, a little over a quarter century after his eponymous firm’s founding, Verstuyft boasts a celebrated body of work that ranges from police stations to high end historical home renovations. More recently, the architect has applied his meticulous eye to industrial design with the launch of the elegant Austere lighting collection made in collaboration with Belgian lighting manufacturer Trizo21. The line of chandeliers, floor, wall, table, and ceiling lamps reflect the architect’s ethos of aesthetic strength born of sober reduction while its luminous bells give a timeless nod to classic Chinese lanterns. With such elegant design on display, the collection quickly made a splash in its native Belgium where it’s been honored with a spot in the Grand Hornue’s permanent collection. Most recently, the Austere’s gorgeous design has hopped the pond and we couldn’t be more thrilled to give it a home in our own DSHOP. In honor its debut, we’ve tapped the man behind the lighting for insight into his design journey and lessons learned along the way.
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INCEPTION OF HANS VERSTUYFT ARCHITECTEN…HV: Typical Belgian, we started to build our first house for family / friends, this house got published and I got more than 100 phone calls. This was in the internetless era, [prior to] cell phones! In the end it started with four new projects, and we started to grow.
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BIRTH OF THE AUSTERE LIGHTING LINE…HV: I made a desk lamp for myself, being very Austere, not too dominant on my desk. I took this prototype to my client for whom I was refurbishing a historical house. These people were the owners of [the Begian architectural lighting brand] Trizo21, and so we decided to give it a go on Frankfurt Light + Building fair.
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SOURCES OF DESIGN INSPIRATION…HV: Inspiration is found in Art, design, but even daily life… in cultures like Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Morocco, [or] other architects [and] designers like Peter Zumthor, Nendo, Sanaa, Studio Mumbai.
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE…HV: Brains, reflection, inspiration, conversations with other inspiring minds.
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THE BEST ADVICE…HV: Try again. Every time we got [a] critique or comments, a design becomes better, and in the end you’re thankful. Without critique things become too obvious, which is never true for quality.
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We invite you to discover the Austere Lighting line today at DSHOP.
Photography courtesy of
Hans Verstuyft Architecten & Trizo21
