BASED IN ANTWERP - AM DESIGN

Based in Antwerp, am designs works across a number of different projects – from bespoke houses to fitting out chalets in the French and Swiss Alps. The practice has a number of clients across Europe, as well as in the United States. “You could say that I’ve always been close to creatives. My grandfather had a foundry where he worked with bronze,” says Mark. While his portfolio is now quite extensive, the early days started by simply reworking homes he owned, followed by extended family and friends requesting his services. Sometimes, it was a farmhouse in a rural setting or an apartment fit-out in Antwerp. While some designers can trace their changing ‘signatures’, Mark quickly points out a ‘thread’ that’s been clearly detectable from the time he started to design interiors in his early 20s. “My palette of materials continues to be restrained and I generally prefer using those materials that can be sourced locally. Our designs still focus on the essence of what makes a place work – getting the proportions right and having a respect for the past,” adds Mark, who enjoys seeing paintings by leading Belgian artists and including lights from designers such as Jules Wabbes from the 1950s.

Some properties owned by Mark have been sold, while others remain as either more permanent abodes or places spent over the summer months. His Belgian residence, a 160-square-metre apartment in a village outside Antwerp, overlooks the river Scheldt. Given this idyllic outlook, Mark opted for a pared back interior using minimal materials – Douglas Fir, Venetian plastered walls and moments of Pietra dei Medici, the latter being a natural stone. The kitchen, as with other rooms in the apartment, is clutter free, with a wall of joinery concealing all the appliances. Behind these doors, one can also access the bedrooms. “We literally inherited a shell. But the idea was to curate the spaces so that they didn’t distract from the views,” says Mark. And while there’s a simplicity to am designs’ work, there’s also a high level of detail, such as the careful alignment of the ceiling beams with the built-in joinery. As with many of the practice’s projects, a client’s brief often includes furniture or lighting that is customised to suit the interiors.

The Netherlands House, located at the seaside village of Retranchement (near Knokke) is also still owned by Mark. The simple pitched-roofed house, approximately 220 square metres in area, was renovated after Mark’s return from a trip to Japan. “I was particularly keen to use a lot of timber and the garden also has a strong Japanese influence,” says Mark, who included a separate outdoor pavilion for guests. As with the apartment outside of Antwerp, the materials are used sparingly. The floors, for example, are beton ciré and the island bench in the kitchen appears to have been carved from a singular piece of stone. As sculptural is the staircase with concrete treads that come with a quiet aesthetic. The three-bedroom home, which was completed in 2018, is also in an idyllic location for Mark to enjoy the surf beach nearby (he also loves wind surfing).

In the warmer months, the family heads to their home in Provence, a three-hour ride on a fast train from Paris. Originally built in the 13th century, with other additions in the 14th century, the house at Boulbon spreads across two and three levels. Approximately 500 square metres in area, the six-bedroom house features a new swimming pool surrounded by rocks walls and a landscaped garden. “Originally, there was a steep slope that made the gardens a little challenging to fully use,” says Mark. As well as levelling the terraces and creating new stone walls, Mark gutted the house and rationalised the interior spaces – previously a rabbit warren of rooms. Mindful of the home’s heritage listing, every external detail was restored to the nth degree – from window lintels to window frames.

However, rather than emulating a ‘crusty’ interior from the past, the Provence home features fluid spaces and materials, such as rock walls that speak of the building’s past. And juxtaposed to the past, there’s a combination of more recent classics such as Saarinen’s Tulip dining chairs and oversized comfortable lounges, chalk white like many of the hand-finished walls.

For Mark and his team it’s the process of working with clients as well as handing over the keys when they move in that still gives him the most pleasure. “You’re always conscious of how people live, irrespective of where it is – a place to be enjoyed with family and friends,” adds Mark.

See more of am designs' work on their website and Instagram. Words by Stephen Crafti. Images by Cafeine.