Vincent
VAN DUYSEN

At home with the cult architect.

Vincent Van Duysen is not a man who cares for labels. One, in particular, sparks his ire. “It’s the way the term is used,” he begins. “First of all minimalism is something very radical and I’m not a radical at all in heart and soul. I’m here to create warmth and comfort for my clients and myself.”

We are meeting for the first time at the Belgian architect and designer’s Antwerp home. It’s a line of inquiry Van Duysen has been down before. “Of course, I’m a big fan of American minimalist artists,” he continues. “But the idea of minimalism that is really going to the bone and stripping away everything, where you cannot have an object or an art piece or books around because it might disturb the minimal environment is not the way I ...