A year ago, interior architects Jakob Vyncke & Thomas Meesschaert, TJIP, received a proposal to redevelop a small apartment in Knokke, Belgium. Turning a 36 sqm studio into an Ibiza-inspired holiday apartment? In a place that can be rented all year round? It was necessary to implement both. And in record time. The plan was like a piece of cake: in a tiny apartment, no wall was parallel to another. In addition, the risers are in the most inconvenient place.
The atmosphere of Ibiza with a lot of white is counterintuitive to the Belgian coast. But the designers managed to convince the owners of this small apartment to still give preference to shades of white, sand, and cream: there are many of them in the North Sea, in its sand and shells.
Thomas and Jacob used local materials, keeping them to a minimum: they took lime plaster, sandstone, and paint. In such a “spiky” apartment, tiles or parquet would create a disturbing noise, so they chose the Pastellone floor: seamless plaster makes the room look bigger. For the same reason, the shower wall is made round: a straight wall starts and ends somewhere, but a curved one does not. “This compact space now feels softer and bigger,” Vyncke says. “We even managed to separate the shower and toilet into a separate room.”
Simplicity and consistency are the keys to success. According to the architects, it all starts with organizing and cutting off the excess. This creates a sense of space. Finding the right balance between “enough” and “too little” is an exercise. “There’s nothing wrong with homes where every room feels different, but we strive for simplicity and unity.” The kitchen island attracts attention: it is a kind of sandstone altar in the center of the room. The work surface is polished, while the vertical parts are left rough, like a partially worn boulder on the beach.
The bedroom is behind a curtain, increasing the living space. Even when the bed is unfolded, you can pass freely. The key point is the closet: it starts already in the hallway and defines the path to the center of the apartment. Six equal doors hide an impressive number of amenities: a dressing room with space for a travel suitcase, a pantry, a refrigerator, a dishwasher, a microwave, a coffee maker, a technical room, and a kitchen. The hob is located behind revolving sliding doors that slide neatly into the wall. The kitchen is not designed for preparing a large feast. But those who stay in such an apartment usually go out for lunch or have a ready-made dinner delivered to them at home.
Architects Thomas Meesschaert and Jakob Vyncke met each other when they worked part-time assembling stands. They quickly learned to design a compact architecture that is commercial. They founded their studio Tjip in 2012 in Ghent. In addition to private homes, they deal with the interiors of shops, spas, and hotels. The duet has proved by many reference projects that they are masterfully able to cut off everything unnecessary and impractical. The soft, minimalist aesthetic is their forte.
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