MK House in Antwerp by Nicolas Schuybroek Architects

In this digital age, we’ve all grown accustomed to digesting news, social media and even our daily dose of design with a simple swipe of the finger or a scroll of the mouse. We skim through articles, glaze over images but often, nothing particularly grabs our attention. Well today, it’s my pleasure to present to you MK House by Nicolas Schuybroek, a minimalist masterpiece that is sure to captivate your attention. So I invite you take a moment, scroll slowly and take it all in.

MK house is a recently renovated heritage-listed townhouse located in the historic centre of Antwerp. Brussels-based architect Nicolas Schuybroek and his team were given the enviable task of refurbishing the house for a notable fashion creative who divides his time between Paris and Antwerp. The formerly dark and illogical space has been transformed into a light-filled 12-room residence that re-imagines the circulation, volumes and connections to achieve more natural light.

Inside the experience is almost religious. Monastic whitewashed walls are the backdrop to exposed wooden beams, chevron timber floors, white marble and black fixtures. The restricted but rich material palette is lifted by the raw textures of wood and an impressive collection of curated mid-century furniture pieces. Impressively, the kitchen cabinetry and bench are made from stone and feels as though they were carved from a single block. The bathroom is similarly grounded and luxurious with the bath, shower and walls encased with marble.

If you haven’t come across the absolute gun Nicolas Schuybroek, you can acquaint yourself with him here, here and here. We are clearly fans and for good reason. Not only has he been named as one of the world’s top 100 interior designers by French Architectural Digest (twice!), but his approach to design is admirable and “characterised by an acute sense of detail, craftsmanship and intuition, while retaining a feeling of warmth.”

This sense of warmth radiates through MK House and highlights the expertly balanced palette of white, timber and black. According to Schuybroek, their goal was to “create a timeless, warm, minimalist, elegant house in tune with its past and the client’s needs.” In the process, they’ve reinvented a certain type of minimalism “where the qualities of the light, volumes and proportions [are] as important as the refined interior details and materials.” Truly exceptional.