Growing up in the Belgian countryside, architect Benoît Viaene always dreamed of living and working in the heart of the city. This dream came true when he transformed a historic mansion in the middle of Ghent, turning the ground floor into his atelier while keeping the upper two floors as his home.
Viaene didn’t have a clear vision when he began working on the atelier. Instead, he sought to create a space that could easily evolve alongside him and his practice, which came to fruition by setting up a dedicated workshop in his garden to craft bespoke pieces when his business’s furniture design and millwork increased last year.
Tragically, this section of the atelier was destroyed by fire in November of this year—a challenging event that also provided an opportunity to reassess the direction of the practice. “I like to find silver linings in everything—opportunities in times of challenge,” Viaene reflects. “It taught me to relinquish some of my control and place more trust in those around me.”
Even in the aftermath of the fire, Viaene has found ways to turn adversity into creativity. “I’m coming up with ideas for what to do with the burnt wood. I’m not sure yet, but I’ll find a way to reuse it. In all that ugliness, I’ll find some beauty.”
This feature originally appeared inside est magazine issue 55: ‘The Faces of Design‘.
Viaene in his former workshop in his back garden, where he crafted tables and other bespoke pieces for the furniture-making part of his business.
Benoît Viaene’s Ghent atelier houses a number of handmade timber and stone pieces including coffee tables from his Floating Islands collection, and a table made from African Sipo wood.
Some of the original features of the historic mansion are still visible, including the mantlepiece and parquetry flooring.
"I'm coming up with ideas for what to do with the burnt wood [...] In all that ugliness, I'll find some beauty."
– Benoît Viaene
