Hôtel de Brabant

Refurbishment of the ground floor of a Brussels hotel: lobby, reception, restaurant and offices, in a contemporary Belgian spirit with Art Deco accents.

Hotel reception: curved fluted walnut desk, travertine floor, amber glass pendant lights

Location: Brussels
Programme: Ground floor of a hotel: entrance, reception, two offices, restaurant, kitchen, restrooms
Mission: Survey of the existing, fit-out concept, layout plan, palette and materials, furniture, 3D renderings
Style: Contemporary Belgian · Soft Art Deco · Quiet luxury
Year: 2026
Status: Fit-out concept

The starting point

A deep, narrow ground floor, typical of Brussels street buildings, where the entrance, the reception, two offices, the restrooms, a kitchen and a restaurant follow one another. Heights vary a lot: nearly six metres under the ceiling in the entrances, a little over two metres seventy elsewhere.

The survey records all of this precisely: plan at 1:100, three sections, areas and heights room by room. It is on this basis that the new layout is drawn.

Dimensioned plan of the existing ground floor: entrance, reception, offices, restrooms, kitchen and restaurant — Survey of the ground floor, 1:100

Three sections of the ground floor: entrance and lift, reception and restaurant, restaurant and storerooms — Sections AA, BB and CC

A contemporary Belgian concept

The concept brings together three intentions: a sober and warm contemporary Belgian style, softened Art Deco lines, and a quiet luxury that reads in the materials rather than in ornament. Light mineral-plastered walls, honed travertine floor, dark walnut panelling and furniture, brushed bronze lighting, beige, olive and forest green textiles.

Project palette: travertine, white plaster, beige linen, walnut, bronze, olive and forest green velvet — Colour and material palette

Samples: honed travertine, mineral plaster, dark walnut, brushed bronze, beige fabric, olive fabric, forest green velvet, linen sheer — Material selection

Inspiration board: curved staircases, green banquettes, glass pendants, arches and panelling — Inspiration and atmosphere

Furniture and accessories: beige sofa, olive armchair, walnut coffee tables, glass pendant, wall lights, arched mirror, console — Furniture, lighting and decoration

Quiet luxury depends on very little: the right material, a warm light, a curve in the right place.

The layout plan

The main entrance now welcomes two banquettes and leads to a semicircular reception desk in fluted walnut. The two offices remain at the back, sheltered from the passage. The restaurant occupies the full depth on the street side, with tables in the centre and banquettes along the shopfront, while the enlarged kitchen opens through a pass-through.

Interior layout plan of the ground floor with furniture: curved reception, banquettes, restaurant tables, kitchen — Interior layout plan of the ground floor

3D plan view of the furnished ground floor, seen from above: reception, restaurant, kitchen and offices — 3D view of the furnished ground floor

The spaces

Reception: curved fluted walnut desk lit from below, amber glass pendants, panelling — Reception

Lobby: curved beige sofas, walnut coffee tables, large windows onto the street — Lobby

Restaurant: beige banquettes and olive cushions, walnut tables, bronze wall lights — Restaurant

Office: walnut desk, two beige armchairs, panelling and abstract paintings — Office

Long professional stainless steel kitchen with a pass-through — Kitchen

Restrooms: countertop basins on a fluted walnut vanity, backlit arched mirrors — Restrooms

Reception desk seen from the front: fluted walnut front, bronze top, backlit Hôtel de Brabant sign — The reception desk

Technical sheet

Restaurant: 89 m², ceiling height 2.70 m
Reception: 48 m², ceiling height 2.85 m
Entrances: Main entrance 30 m² and secondary entrance 7 m², up to 5.80 m under the ceiling
Offices: Two offices of 9.5 and 11.5 m²
Kitchen: 30 m² with a pass-through to the restaurant
Materials: Honed travertine, mineral plaster, dark walnut, brushed bronze, linen, wool, forest green velvet
Documents: Survey of the existing (plan and three sections), concept, layout plan, palette, materials, furniture, 3D view and renderings