„It’s a cliché but at first, clients are always afraid that we can not handle the technical facet of the renovation process.  Every time we have to change their perception of an interior architect”, says Stefanie. We meet the duo for coffee at the home of Caroline, a passive house in Deurle (Belgium).

Energy-efficient construction methods are very relevant these days.

CAROLINE: The trend is slowly growing, but there’s still the idea that energy-efficiency can not merge with high-quality architecture. This home has to set a good example. We had a clear program in mind when we drew the house. We wanted to play with contrasts: open, bright spaces with more compact rooms. The upstairs bedrooms and the bathrooms occupy only a small part of the story. This way we were able to create extra space, a mezzanine, which is now part of the living space.

STEFANIE: The home reflects our vision, but it is not finished yet.

CAROLINE: It is a collaboration between Doorzon, my brother and architect Louis Lateur and my friend Johan Stroobandt who built the house. There are some elements that still need to be completed: the kitchen, the piano room,…

STEFANIE: That doesn’t matter. The house is super cool and secondhand furniture fit in perfectly because it’s is not the decoration that counts, it’s the structure.

Is structure important when creating a home?

STEFANIE: Light is an element you start to consider when a room is too dark. But people do not think about the functioning of space.

CAROLINE: Moreover, not every client can articulate what he or she wants.

STEFANIE: It’s nice when someone can specify how they want to live.

What type of projects do you prefer?

STEFANIE: A total project, such as the home of Caroline.

CAROLINE: I love a challenge and the spatial aspect. As soon as space generates opportunities, I’m in.

STEFANIE: Our clients play a fundamental role in the process. We need their trust and understanding to be able to draw and think about the project.

CAROLINE: This doesn’t mean we do whatever we like. People often think ‘carte blanche’ is an opportunity, but it’s not. It’s great when there’s synergy between the client and us, and we can start imagining what they want.

We are two women running an interior architecture office, who have to earn their credibility time and time again.

Your designs always play- and cheerful. It seems like you two have a lot of fun at work.

STEFANIE: We do.

CAROLINE: But it gets oversimplified when people say: your stuff is nice.

STEFANIE: Especially when we are asked to ‘Doorzon’ a house by drawing just a few quick sketches.

CAROLINE: It doesn’t work this way.

STEFANIE: Creativity is elusive for those who do not practice a creative profession. The only way to generate inspiration is by drawing, communicating and thinking.

 

CAROLINE: The floor plan of this house, for example, did not arise from one single drawing. The design has evolved and grown, although the contours remained the same. A long process always precedes the result.

STEFANIE: The finesse, the spatial and the inviting character of our work is paired with structural interventions. We work on the light and perspectives, we connect spaces and observe the circulation. We think in termes of scenarios. When you wake up, what is it you see? When you get home, where is the sun? Behind our designs, many layers are hidden layers.

STEFANIE: Some interior designers work like decorators. They are good at finding and bringing together beautiful furniture, fabrics, and colors, and they book great results. But we operate in a different way. With our designs, we move more towards the field of architecture.

Is there still a clear distinction between architecture and interior architecture?

STEFANIE: Yes, there is. It’s a cliché, but many clients are afraid that we can not handle the technical process of a renovation. We are two women running an interior architecture office, who have to earn their credibility time and time again.

CAROLINE: Sometimes we are referred to as ‘girls’. Not women, but ‘girls’.

STEFANIE: Although we are almost 40 years old. [laughing] It’s not a way of disregard; it’s a way of caring. The architecture world is a man’s world. Every time we enter a construction site wearing regular clothing, we have to prove ourselves before anyone is willing to listen to us. We have become used to it, though.

Is there a sense of belonging amongst women in the industry?

CAROLINE: We are currently cooperating in a new administrative headquarters in Sint Niklaas and both architects Els Claessens and Tania Vandenbussche, as the engineer and project manager are women. The collaboration is different and very pleasant.

STEFANIE: Working with women is efficient. You can not say this out loud, but women can organize themselves so much better than men. They often run a family and a household and in meetings; they operate accurately and methodically.

You two met at the workshop of Belgian designer Maarten Van Severen. Did you expect you would work and eventually start up a business together?

STEFANIE: Not at all. At Van Severen, we did not work together that frequently. We knew little about each other.

CAROLINE: We didn’t run a business, we were collaborating on a project.

STEFANIE: We weren’t even friends.

CAROLINE: We didn’t know each other at all. [laughing]

STEFANIE: Gradually we have become friends.

What will you be showing at Belgian design fair Biennale Interior ?

STEFANIE: Along with Emily, Galerie Tatjana Pieters, Rewind BLCK, and Van Den Weghe we will present our new work, which is a new set of furniture.

CAROLINE: It’s a family of furniture.

STEFANIE: It’s fun because designing furniture is luxurious and a little surreal. It’s very different from our other projects. We do like working with clients, but it is also very enjoyable to be able to come up with something and produce it. We have always made solid pieces of furniture. And even though we said we were going to create free-standing elements, our new pieces need a surface to lean on.

CAROLINE: We didn’t want to design chairs. There are already so many fantastic chairs on the market.

STEFANIE: But it is exciting to design an object with spatial impact. Our platform at the Biennale is covered with wallpaper of our making, which is a kind of prototype exercise. Interieur Biennale is an opportunity for us, and we will join forces to do the best we can.