- Interior
Austerity and warmth do not have to show each other the door, but together they can just strengthen each other. Interior design studio Ville Design proves this flawlessly with Residence UM, an impressive private home that has been refined down to the smallest detail. This project leaves no doubt: indeed, less is more. Here, every day unfolds in a personal cocoon where each space is connected to the next.
Belgian Thäis Niville is not on her trial run. This April, her studio will welcome its tenth birthday; a milestone worth celebrating. With her portfolio, she has already made many a resident happy, as she elaborates her style ever more clearly. Although she starts from the importance of simplicity every time, she gives each design a characterising look. As a recognisable factor, you can discern her preference for soft colours, among other things. In addition, in her projects she explores the grey zone between clean and sterile. While avoiding the latter, she nevertheless creates a purity that could already charm many. Moreover, she strives for designs that amaze not only at the moment of completion, but also ten years later.
Variety is the glue that holds her scheme together
Timelessness and a contemporary vision are thus effortlessly combined here. Having run her own business for a decade now, the interior designer knows better than anyone how important a personal approach is. That is why she guides her clients through every step of the collaboration with care and attention. Her knowledge and enthusiasm make her an ideal party to turn an idea into a concrete concept. She also complements this basis with her keen eye for only the best of the best in terms of materials and workmanship. Variety is the glue that holds Niville's scheme together. Each commission differs from the previous one and each collaboration consists of a sequence of steps, all vouching for something different. An initial conversation is the start of everything, after which the design is fine-tuned from rough idea to polished image. Then there are the stages where everything is executed and finalised. That whole sequence of events can sometimes happen in just one year, but equally, some commissions take three years. The interior designer has no problem with that because it gives her a lot of variety. The fascination for her profession is far from waning, on the contrary. Every day brings something different and allows her to nuance and strengthen her skills and style more and more over time. She continues to set the bar highly for herself; coming up with surprises and out-of-the-box reasoning are indeed on the list of ways in which she wants to distinguish herself more in the future. For example, the designer wants to cultivate an even stronger understanding of art and how the right works can really complete an interior.
At the same time, the basis of her creativity is invariably the simplicity that typifies her portfolio. Here in this home, she chose walls, partitions, and ceilings in a light shade, which immediately set the tone for the softness she often returns to. On the ground floor, attention rightly goes to the airy kitchen. By deliberately keeping this area uncomplicated in terms of lines, the design thus emphasises the scale of the space. At the same time, the designer incorporated several curtains that extend from the floor to the ceiling, ensuring that the spaces can also be separated. Adjacent is the living room, where the same calm atmosphere continues and there is a fireplace to light up the evenings. A striking consistency in colours and materials ensures that the entire house has a strong coherence.
Want to read more about this impressive talent? You can read about it in the Spring issue 2024 of Imagicasa Magazine.
Photography by Cafeine
Text by Cara Jacobs