By his own admission, Michaël Verheyden’s work doesn’t fit neatly into one category. Since he found his home accessories company with his wife Saartje Vereecken in Genk, Belgium, his atypical career path has been a combination of design, entrepreneurship and artisanship.
Verheyden’s inclusion in Wallpaper’s Power 200 list is testament to the relevance of the highly distilled forms of their streamlined objects in natural and noble materials, and to the couple’s discrete way of working with interior designers and brands that are highly regarded yet unpretentious.
One such collaboration is their two-year working relationship with Graanmarkt 13, a concept store, gallery and luxury apartment in a white stucco, neo-Classical townhouse in Antwerp. Throughout, the interior bears the signature of architect Vincent Van Duyssen, and Verheyden’s objects can be found on all three floors.
'At different times, our customers shop for the beach house or the chalet. The seasons don’t impact the pieces themselves but can impact our colour palette', Verheyden explains. 'We’re not trend-led, but the way people live is always at the back of our minds, and that changes with the seasons.'
This Christmas period, from 25 of November until 16 of January, Verheyden takes over the first floor of Graanmarkt 13 with a temporary store that will be filled with a selection of new design furniture and interior objects, including larger pieces that were previously shown in Paris during Maison & Objet, but not yet in Belgium.
A Roman bar stool, one of their very first pieces, will be available in an as yet unseen reworked version: 'we’ve substituted the leather with wood and are having it produced in a studio closer to home so as to be able to respond to customers’ needs better', explains Verheyden.
'We’ve added silver and a material based on concrete to our palette', he continues. 'Our objects are growing more and more extreme, which keeps it interesting for us as well'.
A perfect pair: already hailed as one of Belgium's top designers, and recently listed as one of Wallpaper's Power 200, it is fitting that Verheyden would choose Graanmakt 13, a beautiful, concept boutique as home for his pop-up shop
Verheyden is quickly becomming known for his use of elegantly natural shapes created from quality, noble materials
Graanmarkt 13, whose moto is 'stay as long as you want' oozes a relaxed, informal quality in a similar way to Verheyden's designs
Verheyden's discreet and unpretentious forms mirror Graanmarkt 13's philosophy, as a place to search for 'soul objects' and designs with a heart
Using basic geometric and rich minimalist forms, together Graanmarkt 13 and Verheyden have created a soulful display-cum-shopping experience
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Graanmarkt 13’s website (opens in new tab)
ADDRESS
Graanmarkt 13, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium
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