- Interior
We are proud to introduce Sofie Buelens, an interior designer who immediately caught our attention with in impressive project. As a new emerging talent, we contacted her for more information, which resulted in a very pleasant conversation about passions, what real life is like for her and so much more.
Sofie Buelens' designs are always a combination of her interior design philosophy and the client's wishes. "That's something I always try to take into account a lot. Many of my clients don't yet know exactly what they want or haven't had experiences with interior designers. Therefore, I often adopt a flexible attitude so that they discover exactly what I could do for them. I start by designing plans and then ask them if they would like me to also carry out the follow-up from A to Z (measuring, drawing, contacting the contractors, monitoring the overall budget, site follow-up until handing over the key)." Thus, she often finds that giving this choice is a relief so that the client does not have to take the full package right away. 
The interior designer prefers to work with unexpected materials. While she is not against colour, she is not a fan of accent walls. She is of the motto 'the crazier, the better' but this translates more into objects. In terms of interior design and lines that go into an interior, she stays fairly simplistic. In turn, she uses fun furniture pieces and objects to dress up the space a bit more. "That gives more options towards the future. Changing an object or piece of furniture is much easier than changing a kitchen, walls or layout. As a designer, it's always nice if you have control over every detail and can deliver a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk, but that doesn't seem viable to me." According to her, a space should be able to live with its occupants and evolve over the years, even long after she is out of the picture as an interior designer. 
We would like to take you to one of her most recent projects in Duinbergen, Knokke. It concerns the renovation of a two-bedroom flat on the fourth floor in the newly built Cap Horn project. The living areas of the flat enjoy impressive views of the port of Zeebrugge and the Anemos surf club. However, the completed flat had a strange layout and soulless finish. The new owners turned to Sofie Buelens with the request to create atmospheric spaces that exude tranquillity. "I always try to start from the client's wishes. I try to make the most of every square centimetre. I don't like overly designed spaces and rather see interior architecture as a canvas to present beautiful objects and furniture. This way, the client can still put his personality into it and the space remains versatile." The client's biggest wish was to create a boutique hotel feel. The flat had to exude cosiness and tranquillity.
‘I see interior architecture as a canvas to present beautiful objects and furniture’
For this, the interior designer chose to work mainly with soft, warm materials. For the walls and ceilings, she used a sand stucco technique; she also included the radiators to achieve a serene base. The bespoke cabinets were all done in walnut, combined with natural stone breccia capraia marble for the kitchen and living space, and marble and titanium travertine for the bathrooms. The chosen walnut, walnut, is very soft and complements the sand-stucco technique perfectly. Materials like innox, stainless steel for the tap work, black accents and bronze touches here and there were also used, which matched very well with the brownish colour of the walnut. Complemented by airy woven fabrics of linen and wool blends for the sofa and curtains, making the whole look very cosy. In short, the rooms invite you to cozy up, have a drink and enjoy company surrounded by well-balanced materials.
We are convinced that Sofie Buelens' style will also be appreciated internationally and that she will undoubtedly realise many more beautiful projects at home and abroad.
Photography by Tijs Vervecken