Sofie Pellens and Gunther D’Hondt have more than just a soft spot for design. Sofie works at Dols C & P, a specialist in quality project furniture while Gunther is the pivotal figure behind the trendy and innovative Limburg chocolate brand Barú. In their house in Bilzen, a design by MASSarchitects, their passion for beautiful things surfaces. It includes a surprising mix of new and vintage design, always with a story to tell.

Custom-made cupboard
Our own design that was produced by Interieuratelier Noben Alex in oak.

Painting
I had this painting made in Hong Kong and is based on a design from 1961 by graphic designer Don Ervin. It portrays the iconic Herman Miller advertising with silhouettes of furniture by Eames and George Nelson.

Erubo on-track, ceiling lighting, Kristof Pycke for Kreon
The architectural ceiling spots on rail are by Kreon, the Limburg top lighting manufacturer. Art-Director Kristof Pycke drew a simple, geometric and stylized form where electronically dimmable LED light is incorporated. The round ceiling spotlights are also by Kreon from their Aplis series.

Lounge Chair
We bought the Eames lounger 6 years ago. In walnut and with the original dimensions, because Vitra decided not that long ago to adjust the design because the users of today are simply larger than before. While the original design of 1965 is so perfectly dimensioned they now have stretched the back resulting in a different shape than the perfectly dimensioned cube. Really too bad.

Alanda table, Paolo Piva for B&B Italia
This coffee table was designed by architect Paolo Piva. The table is characterized by its geometric shape and has a base of black enamelled steel on which the glass top rests. Piva designed this coffee table andput it into production with B & B Italia from1981 onwards. I have been able to buy this table from a couple in Leuven.

Monolith, outdoor furniture Studio Segers for Tribù
This monolithic bank with its refined form was designed by Studio Segers in 2003. It was put into production with Tribù in 2004 as part of a Monolith collection and formed a bridge between nature and architecture. In addition to this sofa – made of solid teak – the collection also included a backless variant and a table.

Plaid, Missoni Home
The Italian fashion house was founded in 1953 and has always beeen focussing on distinct prints and colors. Only in the early 80’s Missoni Home was launched under the artistic direction of founder Rosita Missoni. She passed the torch 20 years ago to her daughter Angela to lead the Missoni empire. A remarkable fact: Rosita’s greatest passion was not fashion- but interiordesign and therefor she retook the lead in Missoni Home back in 2004. As mater familias, meanwhile in the late 80s, she continues to determine the course for their interior textiles. We bought these at Donum.

Groundpiece, sofa, Antonio Citterio for Flexform
The Groundpiece by Antiono Citterio was launched at Flexform in 2001 and was an important product introduction. It redefined the classic sofa by opting for a lower but also much deeper seat. For the seat cushions he opted for a soft filling of goose down, looking straight, but cozy. In the seat is a cushion with a print by Walter van Beirendonck from the Glölande series. This collection was launched in 2016 as a limited edition.

Living grid, Toy Bag for  Ferm Living
A storage basket made of 100% organic cotton with leather handles. Ideal for storing the children’s toys.

Sideboard cabinet, Alfred Hendrickx for Belform
This vintage cabinet is a design by Alfred Hendrickx, one of the most prominent Belgian designers from the 1950s. Hendrick is, just like architect Lucien Engels and the even better-known designer Jules Wabbes, from Mechelen. He designed models and furniture for the 1st and 2nd National Salon for Modern Social Furniture in Ghent in 1955 and 1956. Afterwards he also worked for the Interior Design department of Expo 58. Here he introduced a living room and reception salon under the name Belform, a new line in furnituredesign. I bought this cabinet from an Amsterdam.

Vaza, vase, Anna Torfs
Anna Torfs is known worldwide for her unique glass collections. The designer from Herentals left for the Czech Republic after studying interior architecture at the Sint-Lukas Hogeschool. There she learned the art of glass blowing and collaborated with experienced glass masters. In 2002 she released her first collection, called ‘Basics’. This Vaza, Sofie got as a farewell present from her colleagues at Tribù.

dish Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche
Bitossi Ceramiche is an important name in the world of ceramics. The Italian company is known for its Persian blue glaze on a wide range of vases, lamps, bowls, candlesticks and animal figures. In 1946, Aldo Londi was contracted as Artistic Director of the company and he himself signed for one of the most famous collections, ‘Rimini Blu’. Londi also often collaborated with other designers, including Ettore Sottsass and Piero Fornasetti.

Birds, wooden birds, Kristian Vedel for Architecmade
In 1959 the Danish industrial designer Kristian Vedel designed a Bird series. A series of wooden birds in which the head and torso are moveable enables the creation of different expressions. The Architectmade label picked up the design and produces the Bird family in all its variants. I bought these birds when I was in Copenhagen.

PK31, Poul Kjaerholm for Kold Christensen
The Danish designer Poul Kjaerholm is still hot today. He is unmistakably inspired by the modern functionalist movement with pioneers such as Bauhaus, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Eames … Unlike Danish colleagues who mainly focussed on the possibilities of wood, Kjaerholm works with metal constructions in combination with leather, wicker or even canvas. In contrast to his great examples Charles and Ray Eames, who resolutely opted for machine mass production, Kjaerholm stuck to the small-scale manufacturing in which a piece of industrial production was possible, but at least half of the craftsmanship and manual finishings. This PK31 is still one of the rarer first series produced by E. Kold Christensen, shortly after 1958, and therefore not published by Fritz Hansen.

Eames Elephant, Eames for Vitra
A reissue of the Eames elephant in plastic, and not in plywood, which was a present for the birth of our son Luka.

Child’s chair
A vintage wooden chair from an old school in Ghent.

Sunburst Clock, Irving Harper for George Nelson Associates
The Sunburst Clock is a design by Irving Harper, the right hand of George Nelson and, perhaps best known for his Marshmallow Sofa. He also designed the iconic Herman Miller logo. We bought this clock at Donum.

Matruschka
Hand-painted copy and a souvenir of a city trip in Moscow.

Eames house blocks, House Industries
This block box contains 36 wooden blocks with which you can build the Eames house and studio but it also contain letters and numbers that refer to the Eames Century Modern collection. We bought it on the day we visited the Eames House – or Case Study House No.8 – in Los Angeles. Special detail: when we were there, we started talking to grandson Eames Demetrios and sister Lisa who happened to have a family outing. Those blocks will always remind us of that.

Toothpick pinch
Found at an antique dealer in Berlin.

Hippo Bookend, Classic Series, Zuny
This leather bookend is by home deco label Zuny. We bought it during our visit to the Vitra House.

Tutsi stock baskets
Vintage Tutsi stock baskets from Rwanda.

Owls, copper
I bought these copper figurines from a lady who had a huge collection of them. Owls from different materials, ranging from ceramics, glass, wood …

Parrot
This wooden parrot i bought in a shop called Darwin Room, a specialty shop in Shimokitazawa, a young, hip bohemian neighborhood in Tokyo.

Ceramic object with woorden sphere
I bought the jar from an antique dealer in Antwerp. The wooden globe is a souvenir from Shanghai.