D-Hotel in Kortrijk, Belgium
![latest design hotel to hit Belgian shores could be little more than a rennovated 19th century windmill and farmhouse](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/StMGVymnzYqw3RPYE2MVnR-415-80.jpg)
From a distance, the latest design hotel to hit Belgian shores could be little more than a rennovated 19th century windmill and farmhouse. Step a little closer however and things come a little clearer. The d-hotel, from Belgian architect Govaert en Vanhoutte, is an immaculate synthesis of traditional culture with contemporary design.
The farmhouse portion of the project has indeed been renovated to contain the ample wellness centre, lounge, bar and breakfast area but it is the guestrooms, set within several unrefined concrete volumes lying-low adjacent to the windmill that caught our eye.
Glass-fronted and achingly industrial, the volumes contain 34 guestrooms and eleven suites, each of which has been given the distinctive mark of a renowned name in Belgian creativity.
The fashion suite, for instance, comes courtesy of Belgian couturier Natan; the diamond suite from Belgian-Italian jeweler Hulchi Belluni; whilst the Movie suite comes from writer, actor and director Jan Verheven.
Despite the various embellishments and additions, the guestrooms all boil down to simple, creamy, clean-lined luxury, dramatically offset by the ascetic exterior – a theme held consistently throughout this weird and wonderful hotel.
ADDRESS
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
D-Hotel
Abdijmolenweg 1
8510 Marke
Kortrijk
Melina Keays is the entertaining director of Wallpaper*. She has been part of the brand since the magazine’s launch in 1996, and is responsible for entertaining content across the print and digital platforms, and for Wallpaper’s creative agency Bespoke. A native Londoner, Melina takes inspiration from the whole spectrum of art and design – including film, literature, and fashion. Her work for the brand involves curating content, writing, and creative direction – conceiving luxury interior landscapes with a focus on food, drinks, and entertaining in all its forms
-
Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays 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
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
By Jennifer Choo Last updated
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
K5 — Tokyo, Japan
By Danielle Demetriou Last updated