Lohi Telegram / A Manifestation of Beauty
The day we arrived at the B&B Verhaegen, the skies over Ghent were grey, and my mind was elsewhere.
The opposite of being mindful and in the moment, I was unfortunately distracted by an upcoming project and so I didn’t really take in my surroundings. To enter, we had to ring a button, and soon we found ourselves standing in the large foyer, next to a desk full of papers, photos, and many other things.
I later learned that this is because it’s not only a B&B but also an interior design agency. In some respects, it might look like a shop, but this is not the case: boutiques are not allowed in this residential part of Ghent, and the owners are careful to abide by these rules, as it allows the neighbourhood to retain its peaceful character.
There were things everywhere, and I became increasingly focused on where I was at and the high quality of everything around me, as well as how it was composed.
In his recent book on aesthetics, psychoanalyst Olle Björkström claims that this is the most striking example of beauty; organic shapes and a variation in the space around us makes us feel relaxed and at ease. The opposite, straight lines, repetition, and symmetry, raise our stress levels.
This is what I was experiencing and what helped calm me down – the seemingly natural ways that things had been curated in this place created a sensation of being at home.
The owners, Jan Rosseel and Marc Vergauwe, are both antique experts and prefer a more “maximalist” style, which the B&B is a clear embodiment of.
If we believe Björkström’s claim, the B&B Verhaeven is an obvious manifestation of beauty, and as such it directly impacts our wellbeing and quality of life. Jan explained how they had come to purchase the mansion:
“We were so daring to ask to visit the mansion on sale. It really looked too big for us, but as interior designers, we were very curious to visit the place anyway. An hour later we were having lunch nearby in town before heading back to our offices, and to my surprise Marc had already decided in the meantime we had to go for it and made financial arrangements to make it possible.
I loved the house at first sight too, having been born in a big palace like this, that my parents unfortunately left. Ever since, as a little boy, but also later as an adult, I missed the beautiful proportions and the unmistakable atmosphere of it. My parents’ property in France is 18th century as well, and so the 18th century houses have always fascinated me.
This house of the period of Louis XV is a little pearl, and really felt like a grandmother’s house, not an empty château of another era without any future.”
During our tour of the first floor, Jan continued his explanation: “When you buy an antique piece of furniture, you have to consider not only the outside but also the inside. Has anything been mended, are the handles original or have they been replaced? Is everything intact? And on the inside, how does it look? It was the same when we bought this house, we inspected both its exterior and interior and were surprised everything was still left untainted for more than 250 years. We have paid homage to its history in many subtle ways. It was one of the first houses in Ghent to be electrified, and you can see traces of the first electric system on the walls, we decided to not cover it up but to honour all aspects of its past.”
The patrician house was built around 1760 as the winter residence of Count and Countess D'hane-Steenhuyse, Lord and Lady of Leeuwergem, which explains the many Rococo details, still well preserved in original and authentic condition. The first owners are still part of the house, as they are depicted on one of the murals on the first floor, painted by Pierre Norbert van Reysschoot.
It’s the smallest aristocratic house in Ghent, and one of the last to still be in private property. The name “Hotel Verhaegen–Lammens” (as it was known until 2004, when the current owners bought it) refers both to its historical description as a “private hotel” or “city palace” and to its former owner baron Arthur Verhaegen’s father-in-law, Jules Lammens.
Today, Jan and Marc not only run their design studio and a B&B in the palace, but also live in it themselves. They chose the most beautiful room as their own, but when visiting that’s difficult to say as all the rooms appear equally beautiful, each with a particular charm.
I ask Jan if the guests have a favourite, and he answers that they’re all equally popular: “There is something for every budget, from the smallest to the most lavish suite of 79 square metres. All of them enjoy custom designed Wilton carpets, luxurious curtains, marble finishes and gilt or silver-plated taps in the bathroom, a minibar stuffed with beautiful champagnes and wines from burgundy, etc… And of course, artworks are everywhere to be found, from the Spalletti, Yves Klein and Adam Fuss in the drawing room till even the paintings, pastels and sculptures in every single room and corridor…”
A challenge for Jan and Marc was to achieve the same quality in the rooms above the stable as in the main building. Here, they created spaces that are at the same time rustic and elegant. All of them received some carefully chosen antiques, thus enlarging the existing collection.
The Atelier d’Arthur apartments, complete with their own state-of-the-art kitchen, allows guests to relax and cook their own meals, not constantly confined to eating out.
The main feature of the estate is the swimming pool area. Jan explains:
“The space where we built the swimming pool was used for storage, like a huge attic. In fact, architect Baron Arthur Verhaegen, the Viollet-le-duc from Flanders famous for his restorations of all gothic architecture of Belgium, installed in the mid 19th century his own workshop of glass in lead with its 30 craftsmen, in these buildings in the back of his courtyard.
The façade is beautiful and is quite famous, but behind it, initially there was nothing. That’s quite typical of places like this, they build a beautiful wall but often there’s nothing behind it, and in 2004 it was just a storage room. That’s how it was when we bought the house. We created the entire interior, creating an inner sanctum in opposition with the noise of the city outside. As you see, it looks like the swimming pool at Hôtel Costes in Paris, but here it’s a lot less noisy..!”
The B&B has eight guestrooms, ranging from the small and cosy to the generously sized family sized family suite, with its two bedrooms. Breakfast is served in the elegant dining-room, with vegetables and produce provided by local farmers.
All rooms are decorated with precious antiques. Throughout the house, you find pieces from the couple’s contemporary art collection, including works by artists such as Pieter Vermeersch, Christian Astuguevieille, Jan Vercruysse, Jean Cocteau, Anselm Reyle, Ken Price, and Alexander Calder.
