- Interior
Change comes in waves, luckily. At the Belgian coast, the swells and colours of the sea dictate the rhythm of your day, so Vanessa Schorreels decided that she would utilise that quality with both hands. Reness is a monolithic apartment that controls its eclectic undertone from beginning to end. In an ongoing search for perfect proportions and a pure harmony, the interior architect finishes each project with an extraordinarily high standard. Step by step, we unravel her vision for you.
Even though she has a background in accounting, you would ascribe more than a decade of experience to Schorreels. The path of this Belgian is filled with all kinds of influences and passions, which today converge in her interior architecture. With this luxury apartment, she is clear about her style. A hint of brutalism finds shelter at a controlled eclectic yet monolithic concept. It may be winter, but the sea does not loosen its grip on us, because the natural factors in the surrounding proved to be a central premise. A transformation is never fully complete, not when it concerns the irregular character of the coast. This multitude of nuances and accents was redirected to a filtered essence. According to the designer herself, she is constantly looking for the pure. Refining details, perfectioning shapes, and presenting the bigger picture with an abstraction of inspiratio: it is given to her. Next to this, she knows how to catch the light like no other, also in this residence. With the proximity of the North Sea, the dunes and the beach, the project offered the perfect chance to unite every facet of local nature inside these four walls, even on the bleakest moments of the year. 
A hint of brutalism finds shelter at a controlled eclectic yet monolithic concept
Being obsessed with something must not happen overnight. In the case of Schorreels, the love of interior needed time to ripe. This process was more than worth it, seeing that her style has grown into a layered and substantial vision because of it. Her gratitude to nature is never far away in her designs. Furthermore, she has an overarching fascination for beauty, ranging from inspiring art and decoration to old statues and the tenderness of a child’s face – or the snout of her golden retriever. By seeing the emotion in the small things in everyday life, she has in the meantime developed a sensitivity for influences that she wants to canalise with her work. 
She demonstrates a similar attention in her way of working. For instance, a continuous dialogue with the client is indispensable. A clear idea of people’s use of her spaces and how she can optimalise their experience are constant concerns as well. When it comes to materials, every time she purposefully opts for a neutral palette. For her, this means a lot of textures, however she, at the same time, states that the kind of commission always remains a decisive factor. On top of this, the designer values innovation highly and gains much satisfaction from creating the materials herself with her artisans. ‘I would like to use inox again in my next project, in combination with old, warm materials,’ she says. 
Wil je meer lezen over dit indrukwekkende talent Vanessa Schorreels? Dat kan je lezen in the December 2023 edition of Imagicasa Magazine.
Photography by Cafeine
Text by Cara Jacobs