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Château de Vignée

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Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Hotel
5.77
6.54
6.46
5.46
6.06
Howard Duffy
Howard Duffy Founder at HTDSTUDIO Arkitekter AB
Rich, pastiche (I mean this as a co...
6
6
7
5
6
Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson Architect at Mark Anderson Design
Rich and theatrical....
6
7
7
5
6.25
Vivian van Schagen
Vivian van Schagen Founder at The Invisible Party
Strong narrative driven design. A c...
6
7
7
7
6.75
Tracey Wiles
Tracey Wiles Principal at woods bagot
A rich narrative expressed through...
7
6
8
5
6.5
Puri Lighting Design
Puri Lighting Design Design Director at Beijing Puri Lighting Design
6
7
6
6
6.25
Sam McMorran
Sam McMorran Strategy and Design Director at IDEO
Intriguing introduction video setti...
6
8
8
6
7
Hana Ahriz
Hana Ahriz Co-founder at Space & Pepper
5
6
6
5
5.5
Bhavin Taylor
Bhavin Taylor Founder / Interior Designer at Bhavin Taylor Design
This hotel is an awesome mix of cha...
7
8
9
6
7.5
Nic Lee
Nic Lee Design Director at Waterfrom Design Co., Ltd
5
5
5
5
5
Franziska Heuschkel
Franziska Heuschkel Founder at Space & Pepper
5
6
5
5
5.25
Lauren Touhey-Otto
Lauren Touhey-Otto Head of Design at Kinzo Architekten GmbH
6
7
5
5
5.75
Agnes Kwek
Agnes Kwek Design Ambassador at DesignSingapore Council
5
6
6
7
6
John Allsopp
John Allsopp Architect at John Allsopp Studio
5
6
5
4
5
Designer
Client
Christian Teunissen
Floor area
3000 ㎡
Completion
2020
Architects
Taxidermy artists
Luxury Linen partner
Bespoke carpets
Furniture partner
Fineer partner
Skirting and wall mouldings partner
Bespoke lighting partner
Movie production
Movie Director
Photographer

Brief & challenges Château de Vignée was a classic hunter’s hotel strategically located between Brussels and Luxembourg. The brief was to transform it into a top destination for travellers in the luxury segment in the Belgian Ardennes region, offering an all-encompassing high-end hospitality experience. The project brief included the interior design of a boutique hotel with 25 bespoke rooms, a bar area, a Gault & Millau listed restaurant, a private dining, two event venues and an in- and outdoor wellness area. It was key to appeal to both the modern-day traveller with high-end design needs in the luxury segment as the more conventional existing hunting clientele of the estate. Furthermore, the requirements set by Relais & Chateaux needed to be met within the context of the 17th century chateau building. The old chateau building and the courtyard were completely restored, while a new-build element was added to the estate to host part of the rooms and the entire wellness area. Design concept Chateau de Vignée was set on becoming a luxury retreat for its guests to escape a fast-paced society. Unwinding there means surrendering to nature, because the strong-willed landscape of the Ardennes is truly undeniable. So, we positioned Chateau de Vignée as an entity in sync with its natural surroundings. The design concept sprouted from the hotel’s history and impressive surroundings. Intrigued by the chateau’s century-long link with hunting, we imagined the sensorial experience of a hunter exploring the Ardennes. How it must feel to wander the woods at 5AM in the morning. The visual perception of sunlight breaking through the leaf canopy. A ray of light strikes one spot, but leaves its surroundings in the dark. Like a natural claire obscure effect. The sounds of the misty forest awaking. The lingering suspense of an unexpected encounter. We aimed to capture this feeling in the design of the interior and branding, because it’s a sensation hotel guests will resonate with during their stay in the Ardennes region. We expressed the hunter’s journey throughout the interior. Entering the main chateau building immediately sets the tone. A seasonal faux flower installation descends from the sky in the lobby. Rays of sunlight seem to pierce through the greenery. In the bar section, a custom designed bas-relief in the backbar catches the eye. The hunting scene is made up out of Ardennes sourced Blue Stone. We opted for native marbles and natural stones like Rouge Belge and Gris d’Ardenne throughout the entire project to add to the main design concept. The tailor-made terrazzo flooring in the lobby is entirely composed out of marble fragments of the former hotel rooms. The hunter’s journey continues in the lounge, where the custom designed lighting branches out across the ceiling conjuring the same early morning, gloomy forest atmosphere. The interior design of the rooms echoes the fluid beauty of the Ardennes region. Expressive and flamboyant on occasion, but equally pure and tranquil at other points in time. Since it was key to appeal to both the modern-day traveller as the more conventional existing clientele of the estate, we searched for the right balance between heritage and marvel. We wanted to make it genuinely fun for guests to be there, but still respect the history of the building and site. So, we interpreted classic hunting and nature elements in a novel way. Traditional taxidermy pieces made room for morbid, yet humoristic art objects created by Dutch design duo Les Deux Garçons. The magpie’s fascination for all things shiny resulted in an unusual wall unit, while a beaver is nibbling his way through the curiosity closet in the restaurant. The visual identity draws from the same hunting narrative. Just like Chateau de Vignée’s surroundings, all branding elements as well as the installations are updated every season to align with the overall guest experience. While some hotels offer a sense of escapism by keeping out the outside world, we consciously pulled it indoors to enhance the connection with nature. The interior design and visual identity combined, reduce the boundaries between out- and indoors to a minimum adding to the unwinding experience of Chateau de Vignée.