
The designers respected the existing structures of the building while creating rich, sumptuous interiors and injecting light humour into the spaces with carefully selected taxidermy pieces.
AHEAD Awards judging panelThe designers respected the existing structures of the building while creating rich, sumptuous interiors and injecting light humour into the spaces with carefully selected taxidermy pieces.
AHEAD Awards judging panelChâteau de Vignée was a classic hunters’ hotel in the Belgian Ardennes with a clear goal in mind. To become an all-encompassing luxury retreat for its guests to escape a fast-paced society. Those guests being the more conventional existing clientele of the estate on one hand and modern-day traveller with high-end design needs on the other.
Intrigued by de estate’s century-long link with hunting, our initial inspiration came from dramatic 18th century ‘nature morte’ paintings portraying the art of hunting in a claire-obscure manner. But along the way, it naturally evolved into a design concept drawing from the sensorial experience of a hunter exploring the Ardennes. We imagined how it must feel for a hunter to wander the woods at 5 o’clock in the morning. The textures, the sounds, the first sunlight shimmering through the leaf canopy. A recognizable experience for hotel guests. At the same time, we respected the building and site and searched for the right balance between heritage and marvel. We wanted to make it genuinely fun for guests to be there.
The visual identity draws from the same hunting narrative, but focusses on the signature beauty of the Ardennes from up close. Every season trees grow, rivers swell and dry out, animals arrive and migrate, ... and with them the textures, graphical patterns and colour palette evolve. So we created an evolutive branding following nature’s rhythm. It changes every season to align with the guest experience.