Spazio Nobile: Glass, Wood and Light

This week, Brussels-based Spazio Nobile opened its doors with a series of vernissages, private viewings, VIP parcours and communal brunches. As visitors ventured to the Ixelles-based venue to discover Vincent Fournier’s Post Natural History exhibition (see previous article) – images and artefacts that address our cybernetic relationship to nature and technology – a new domestic context decked-out in contemporary fittings came to live. Also housing the offices of creative consultancy Pro Materia and TLmag, Spazio Nobile’s many rooms incorporated works by cutting-edge designers, thanks to an interior design by Michel Penneman.

One enters the hôtel de maître (1920s townhouse) by pushing through a gold-plated Maison Vervloet-designed Pebble Portofino handle – alluding to the Italian origins of the gallery’s name. Climbing the marble clad staircase, visitors are greeted by Italian creative Maurizio Galante’s and Plisse Cloud pendant lamp – a refractory chandelier produced by Lasvit that rotates on its own axis. Like walking into a private residence that reflects the personal taste of its owners – in this case gallerists Lise Coirier and Gian Giuseppe Simeone – one is welcomed by a refined yet eclectic assortment of furniture, lighting, and object d’art solutions.

The first of three rooms, features a monumental Glas Italia Mirrored Glass Table by Japanese superstar Tokujin Yoshioka. Left Glass vases by British talent Carlo Brandelli – sculptural objects created using production waste in Murano – are decoratively placed on the mantle of a disused fireplace. ‘Clouds’, Glass Works vase by Belgian designer Lucile Soufflet – produced during Pro Materia’s Glass is Tomorrow Verrerie Saint-Just workshop – continues the glass theme, with other pieces adorn all three spaces. In a sharp contrast, Belgian upstart Kaspar Hamacher’s signature Ausgebrannt stools cluster in convivial formations. Created using forestry techniques, these wood log-appropriated works employ controlled fires to shape their natural legs and reduced masses. Clearly the connection of flame-based production runs through both glass- and wood-based piece in this domestic-like gallery; a playful tension that indicates the gallerists’ craft-led curatorial vision. On the opposite wall, Hamacher’s naturally-milled The Shelves provide extra cabinet-of-curiosity-like display space. Above, Belgian mainstay Nathalie Dewez’s 3 m long special edition Chrome Still Lamp (20 + 2 A.P.) projects across the ceiling. The middle room features additional Lucile Soufflet, Christian Ghion and Matilda Kästel extraordinary vases, Slovakian design maverick Tomáš Libertíny’s Paper Vases, Dutch heavyweight Maarten Baas’ Lasvit-produced Das Pop floor and table lamps. Nendo’s Deep Sea shelves for Glas Italia leeds visitors to a backroom, showcasing Hamacher’s almost-angular unique piece The Desk table. to counteract Belgium’s dark winter days, Dewez’s Moon pendant lamp (a special edition in brushed steel, 8 + 2 A.P.) hangs majestically over the third room. However large windows, on both Western street and Eastern garden facades, provide natural light at different times of day.

A discrete stairwell leads down to a cozy office – Pro Materia and TLmag’s headquarters. With a large Jorre van Ast-designed Table 1060, produced by German heritage brand Thonet, new projects and publications will be realised. Certainly Van Severen-designed Wiii table lamps by Wästberg should help in the process. Other lighting solutions include the Swedish brand’s Inga Sempé-designed W153 Ile clamp lamps and nendo W132 series. A Kitchen – set to serve large meal gatherings – continues the homey vibes and is adorned with Dewez’s Smoke and Mirror backlit installation and Adrien Rovero’s Sweet Products vases, a prototype produced during Glass is Tomorrow workshop in Denizli, Anatolia.

Spazio Nobile: rue Franz Merjay 142, B-1050 Brussels
Wednesday – Friday, 11:00 to 18:00 and by appointment +32 (0)2 768 25 10 – + 32 (0)475 53 19 88