Zware Jongens’ Fresh Vision for Belgian Eyewear Specialist Hons.

Zware Jongens imagined a new experience for going to the optician, creating a sanctuary for the clients of collaborator, owner, and craftsman, Michel Hons – founder of Belgian eyewear specialist Hons. Discovering many unexplored potentials of the field’s relation to space and its use along the way, the new Optiek Hons store contemplates the questions of how we see ourselves, and how others see us.

Conceived from the notion of “to see and be seen”, clever use of mirrors allows customers to view their eyewear from all angles. Mirrored panels line the side length of the store, simultaneously allowing guests to view themselves from multiple vantage points, while opening up the narrow site to the outside, delivering an open, light and serene feel to the store. By simply changing the angles of the mirror panels, the vibe of the shop is immediately transformed.

The mirrored doors reference eyesight itself (a nod to how vision narrows to a focal point), while housing a multitude of secrets and innovations; from a central atelier for Hons’ repairs/adjustments/quality checks, to an office for vision and hearing tests, out-of-sight storage, a periodical ‘in the closet’ miniature feature display, as well as a cocktail bar for the optician’s renowned special brand of customer care.

The front and back glass facades dissolve the barrier between inside and outside, fully opening out to a rear garden as an extension of the store. The brick floor, which extends up the side wall, pays homage to the street Optiek Hons has called home for the past ten years. The mirrors “suck the outside in, and the inside out”, blurring any remaining boundaries to maximum effect.

The result is a total transformation of a formerly narrow building into an open, airy, light, bright and dynamic sanctuary that feels immediately inviting upon entry.

“I was ready for something really ground-breaking and knew I could give them 100% trust from the get-go. That’s the only way to get results that are truly standout,” says Michel Hons, owner and optician at Optiek Hons.

“Michel trusted us blindly and gave us total carte blanche. It really was the best type of collaboration… Where the client hands you the brief and says – Alright, go! I think you can see that open attitude here, towards committing to a direction and taking it as far as it can go,” says Filip Janssen, co-founder of Zware Jongens.

The collaboration between Hons and ZJ was the kind of creative venture any designer can usually only dream of.

Related: Endpiece is a Super Cool Optical Store in Seoul, designed by WGNB.

[Images courtesy of Zware Jongens. Photography by Tibods.]