When striving to earn the much-coveted Michelin stars, a chef must be at the top of their game and always willing to offer something different. Sang-Hoon Degeimbre, who has two of the glittering little awards for his restaurant L’Air du Temps, extends that philosophy to the interior design of his place too, as seen in the unusual installation by Quentin de Coster.
It was at a conference in 2013 that the pair gave independent presentations and noted that their respective creative philosophies seemed a perfect match. When Sang-Hoon – a Korean who settled in Belgium – decided to change things up at his countryside restaurant the following year, he already knew de Coster was the man for the job. The result of the commission is Lianes, a ceiling installation that runs across two dining spaces totalling 55 sqm. The work ties in with the chef’s organic, natural approach to ingredients; Lianes reflects this through an abstracted representation of vegetation achieved using a frame of pine slats and a bed of white polyester rope whose tendrils dangle above the heads of diners. As well as looking rather nice, the installation functions as sound insulation to keep conversations from intruding on neighbouring parties.
Photography © Tim Van de Velde
