Hotel Pilar — Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp has never received the recognition it deserves. Home to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, ModeNatie and, of course, the Antwerp Six, Flanders’ capital of cool has long flown under the radar as a destination city.
That may well change with the opening of Hotel Pilar, which presents itself as a concept more than a hotel. Set amongst the scenic squares of Het Zuid, the historic 17-room corner building was transformed by the hotel’s owners, interior architect Sam Peeters and hotel manager Christophe Ysewyn, who, together with Peeters’ firm, Contekst Interior Architects, extensively renovated the three-storey structure.
The result is a series of light-filled, high-ceilinged rooms outfitted with bespoke artwork, design objects and colourful bedspreads and cushions – the latter created by the owners. Smitten guests may purchase these, as well as the hotel’s ceramic tableware and custom furniture by Contekst, directly off the walls or from the in-house boutique, ensuring that the hotel has a consistently evolving aesthetic and identity, and giving substance to the owners’ oft-repeated mantra that Pilar is a ‘home away from home’.
Guests – and locals – seeking more immediate gratification will find the answer in the Pilar’s ground floor Foodbar. Between hearty breakfasts, a seasonal lunch and dinner menu, and coffee from Antwerp-based roasting house Caffenation, all tastes are catered for – impressive, in a city of tastemakers.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Leopold de Waelplaats 34
-
Inside Ingo Maurer’s poetically whimsical world
We tour the late lighting pioneer Ingo Maurer’s Munich studio, and talk to his team about how his poetically whimsical designs are given a new lease of life, thanks to a recent acquisition
By Laura May Todd Published
-
A deep dive into the new Audi Q6 e-tron, revealed at Milan Design Week 2024
The Audi Q6 e-tron is the brand's latest all-electric car, a stylish powerhouse launched at Audi’s House of Progress in Milan
By Shawn Adams Published
-
Toiletpaper apartment debuts in Milan
Toiletpaper present 'ToiletAlex PaperPrager' their new unsettling projects on the occasion of Milan Design Week 2024
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Bar Magritte in Brussels is the world’s only bar dedicated to the Belgian Surrealist artist
Bar Magritte, located inside Hotel Amigo in Brussels, offers expert mixology and René Magritte’s inimitable quirkiness
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Fine dining and environmentally friendly shelters define La Roseraie Modave
Chef Marie Trignon’s La Roseraie Modave adds these cabin-style shelters to its acclaimed dining offering, on the edge of the Ardennes in Belgium
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Hotel August offers a modern-day sanctuary in Antwerp's Green District
Hotel August is a former Augustinian convent quirkily reimagined by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
La Réserve, Knokke’s grand dame of hospitality, is back with a bang
La Réserve in Knokke launches its luxurious redesign by Glenn Sestig, bringing the iconic Belgian hotel icon into the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Brussels' Mix Hotel opens in the former headquarters of La Royale Belge
For the new Mix Hotel, Lionel Jadot completed the interior overhaul of the former headquarters of La Royale Belge in Brussels
By Emma O'Kelly Published
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro Published
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
By Dimity Noble Last updated