Vincent Van Duysen
Van Duysen creates objects of great purity and simplicity that retain a concrete character and solid form
Vincent Van Duysen is an internationally-renowned Belgian architect and designer. Like Salvatori, he has an enormous respect and appreciation for tradition and craftsmanship and it was this shared approach that gave rise to the Lui&Lei collection which teams the coolness of natural stone with the warmth of leather.
In 2021 he contributed to The Village, a multi-cultural expression of the world we live in today, brought to life through a collection of miniature houses that reinterprets the concept of home as a special haven.
Vincent Van Duysen was born in Lokeren, Belgium, in 1962. After earning a degree from the Sint-Lucas School of Architecture, Ghent, he worked with Aldo Cibic in Milan, followed by a collaboration with Jean De Meulder in Antwerp, Belgium.
In 1989, Vincent Van Duysen Architects was established. Today, the firm has grown into a team of about 40 collaborators with work ranging from product design for numerous international brands, to commercial and large-scale architectural projects, with a focus on high-end residences both in Belgium or spread across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the USA.
From the outset, a definite relationship between architecture, interior and product design has been the driving force behind the conception of projects inspired by subtle transitions between these disciplines and combined with a spatial design attitude, constantly striving for the essence.
The use of pure and tactile materials translates into clean, timeless design. With respect to context and tradition, it’s an approach within which the senses, and the physical experience of space, textures and light place the integrity of the user at its core. Functionality, durability and comfort are the prime components of the work, an architectural language not shy to convey aesthetics, but prone to eschew fashion and trends.
During his career, Van Duysen has received multiple awards among which the Flemish Culture Prize for Design, Belgian Designer of the Year and the Henry van de Velde Lifetime Achievement Award, and an EDIDA for Best Interior Designer of the Year. In 2021, the Winery VV has also been nominated and shortlisted for the Mies Van Der Rohe Award. His name has also been included in the AD100 survey by the Architectural Digest network and Elle Decor A-List multiple times.
In 2016, Van Duysen was appointed as creative director of Italian brands Molteni&C and Dada, reshaping their global image by designing flagship stores, exhibition stands and a series of new products. From 2018 to May 2020, he covered the role of art director at Sahco for Kvadrat, after which he has been collaborating as a senior designer. 2022 marks the beginning of a collaboration with Zara Home.
For many years, Van Duysen’s work has been appearing on a number of prestigious international publications. Starting from 1994, his projects and realizations have also been featured in different monographs among which those edited by renowned publishing house Thames & Hudson. In 2024, “Vincent Van Duysen: Private”, a new personal look into the architect’s residences, has been published by Rizzoli with photography by François Halard.
