Multidisciplinary design studio Weinbenami has completed a thoughtful renovation of a modernist apartment in Antwerp, Belgium, carefully balancing preservation of original 1960s features with contemporary updates. The apartment, located in a residential building constructed in 1969, previously belonged to the current owner's grandparents and required significant updates while maintaining its historic character.
The original apartment presented both challenges and opportunities for the design team. Rooms were covered in aged wallpaper, cramped with furniture, and felt generally confined. However, Weinbenami identified numerous charming original details worth preserving, including parquet flooring, marble windowsills, brass doorknobs, and built-in wardrobes that reflected the building's late-modernist heritage.
"Together with the client, we could sense its late-modernist potential, and noticed the beautifully preserved elements we wanted to give new life to," explained studio founders Charles Weinberg and Shai Ben-Ami. "Preserving the original elements allowed us to maintain the soul of the apartment, rather than erase it. The renovation was approached like a precise operation, safeguarding these elements while introducing new interventions that bring clarity, light and spatial generosity."
The most significant structural change involved removing a wall that separated the kitchen and living area, creating a more open-plan layout. The redesigned space now features a dining area centered around a wooden table on one side, while an L-shaped grey sofa defines the sitting area on the other. The kitchen area is distinguished by aubergine-colored terrazzo flooring and features sleek stainless steel cabinetry with a slender steel shelf above a green-tile backsplash, providing space for displaying small artworks or cooking utensils.
A clever wooden volume installed in the corner serves multiple functions, housing the refrigerator and freezer while providing storage space for appliances like the vacuum cleaner. The volume also incorporates an innovative hatch that can be pulled up to reveal the coffee machine, kettle, and toaster, maximizing both functionality and aesthetics in the compact space.
The apartment's three bathrooms received colorful updates that reflect the designers' consideration of Antwerp's climate. One bathroom features saffron-yellow tiles, another showcases dusky pink, and the third displays sage green. "Knowing the climate in Antwerp, we wanted tones that feel warm and embracing, especially on the darker grey winter days when natural light is scarce," the studio explained. "The goal was to create a comforting atmosphere even in low light, when it's cold and dark outside." Fluted glass shower screens and spherical wall lights complete the bathroom renovations.
Throughout the apartment, clean white walls provide a neutral backdrop, while the studio created moments of "quiet tactility" in the bedrooms through the installation of tatami headboards. The guest bedroom features an innovative solution with floor-to-ceiling fluted glass doors that allow light to filter in from the hallway while maintaining privacy through an optional curtain.
Weinbenami, founded in 2016, joins the ranks of design studios creating striking residential projects in Antwerp. The city has become home to notable architectural works including a woodland villa with a mirrored facade by Studio Okami Architecten and an art deco-style residence filled with curved details by Atelier Fréderic Louis. The photography of the completed apartment renovation was captured by Michael Shvadron, showcasing the successful blend of preserved modernist elements with contemporary design interventions.
