Star restaurant Maison Colette moves to new location, with interior designed by Grain Designoffice

On Wednesday 8 January, restaurant Maison Colette opened its doors at a brand-new location. Chef Thijs Vervloet is thus moving his Michelin-starred kitchen from De Vijvers in Averbode to a grand doctor’s house in Westerlo, further expanding with a private dining room and boutique hotel. When it came to renovating the interior, Vervloet turned to Grain Designoffice. This project served as the interior designers’ first foray into hotel interiors, tasked with radiating the traditional heart of the kitchen through the restaurant, translating classic grandeur into the language of today and supporting the chef in his dream of taking the gastronomic experience to the next level.

Restaurant Maison Colette’s move to Westerlo sees Michelin chef Thijs Vervloet return to his roots. Just a stone’s throw away from his own private residence, he came across a plot featuring an old doctor's house. From Wednesday 8 January, this will play host to a restaurant featuring a chef’s table, a private dining room and an on-site boutique hotel. With the property having been renovated and given a new extension, the design of the interior fell to Grain Designoffice. The Knokke interior design firm drew inspiration from the chef’s old-school sensibilities and classic approach, as well as their own references and love of mid-century design, complemented with vintage touches and refined details. ‘For me, working on such a classic interior feels like coming home. It’s a real breath of fresh air to be able to bring such a sense of grandeur to a contemporary interior’, explains Nick De Moor of Grain Designoffice.

The Grain Collection with vintage lighting design
The result is as elegant as it is enigmatic. Think lush carpets, intimate colours, high-gloss accents, classic fittings and wall moulding, iconic vintage lighting and custom-engraved switches that blend harmoniously with Grain’s preferred choice of bringing together both clean and organic lines, as well as rough and soft materials, into a captivating, modern and timeless ensemble. Through this project, the Knokke interior designers have showcased their particular affinity for lighting. A year ago, in-keeping with their motto ‘light is everything’, they even launched their own in-house ‘Grain Collection’, offering a curated selection of classic vintage lighting designs. Some have gone on to find a new home at Maison Colette, where they come into their own as exceptional creators of atmosphere.

First hotel interior
Restaurant Maison Colette can seat up to 35 guests, while the chef’s table can accommodate small parties of six. In the private dining room, both the name ‘Salon Anna’ and interior retro touches serve as a homage to Vervloet’s grandmother – a great source of inspiration. The space can accommodate up to 20 guests, offering an overall eclectic feel. Finally, Grain Designoffice embraced the challenge of shaping the hotel’s interior design which, with its five bedrooms, heralds a bright new future for vintage chic. ‘We are very happy with the result, and we owe that in part to the freedom given to us by Chef Vervloet to develop our own ideas, right down to the very last detail’, explains Sander Bullynck of Grain Designoffice.

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Photography: Cafeine and Lieven Dirckx.