In order to increase international support, the Balthazar Awards has been renamed the Brussels Balthazar Award. There are still four jury members, including two newcomers. This has introduced a good generational mix. The jury members, Veerle Windels, Hans Le Compte, Lennart Van Uffelen and Dieter Van Den Storm, have been selected on the basis of their expertise and reputation in the interior design world. The jury chose the following winners and laureates of the Brussels Balthazar Awards 2023:
Best of Belgium: Saunaco - Ron
Ron is 100% Belgium made by Saunaco and designed by Studio Segers. The collection is modular, so can be personalised in numerous ways for modern interiors in both small and large spaces. The design is characterised by a consistent interplay of lines. This extends through from the fronts, across the rounded corners, and into the structured glass. Only the practised eye could discern that the fronts are not veneered. The ribbed profiles are milled in MDF and finished with a powder coating. Ron represents Saunaco’s DNA.
Laureates:
Robu – Taku
Passe Partout – Bahia
Innovation: Theuns - Sento
This is innovation reflects back to the past, to furniture craftsmanship par excellence, and distances itself from the high-tech race. Sento upholds the value of craftsmanship in an innovative design with a strong focus on details. Where do the limits of carpentry lie? With the Sento cabinets, the answer lies in a budding flower in the solid wood fronts. And with the tables, in the masterful extension mechanism, because these too are crafted from 100% solid wood. The only technical concessions are the metal reinforcement profile and the screws. Solid wood? It is surprisingly easy for one person to expand, or rather widen, the table. A wider table ensures a more intimate, cosy experience than a longer table.
Laureates:
Herleven – Wave
Ecolife – Eco Agave
Love at first sight: Max Divani - Abbracci
The design triggers your curiosity: what’s going on here? Here the ‘opposites attract’ dynamic applies. A symbiosis of symmetry and asymmetry. Will you sit separately, or together? Together they form a stylish sofa or a communicative tête-à-tête whole. The solitaire arrangement exerts a magnetic pull. What is the other half – the mirror image – doing? Abbracci invites playfulness. How would you like to sit in your element? In which configuration would you like to sit together? Nothing is fixed; anything is possible.
Laureates:
Dienne – Petra
De Toekomst – Kelp
Best international: Innovation Living - Nolis
It makes no secret of its multifunctionality; on the contrary. The day bed is a strong stand-alone presence in the room, serving as an autonomous piece on which to sit, relax, chill, and lounge. The sleep function is not in-your-face, but is there. The mechanism is aesthetically designed and visibly integrated into the sofa. This speaks for itself. Both day and night configurations offer equally harmonious comfort. Nolis has all the hallmarks of a design classic.
Laureates:
Himolla – Modell 1462
Poldem – Dixon
Young Designer: Caroline van Hoeck - Vlak
The name alludes to geometric shapes and furniture panels. But also to the colour-blocking. Every block is different. The chair is a balanced mix-and-match of a diamond, a hexagon and a rectangle. This configuration invites more playful sitting positions, ranging from slightly right to left-oriented. The shape of the table is equally liberating. This too invites playfulness. All the shapes come from a single, flat panel. Vlak is a statement: this is just the beginning. Vlak and its planes will be continued….
Source: blog.furniturefairbrussels.be