20 Questions: Julianne Moore and Vincent Van Duysen Talk Design - Remodelista
Actress Julianne Moore recently sat down with Belgian architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen for a chat in her NYC kitchen. What do you think about that?Vincent Van Duysen: When it comes to Belgian architecture and design, there is one person I need to mention: Axel Vervoordt. I love Axel Vervoordt, but he is much more of a classicist than you are. I’m not one who says, “I want to predict a new way of living.” I’m not the visionary who wants to tackle large-scale urban enclaves. “Even if I’m designing an interior or a product, it’s still architecture-related,” says Van Duysen. Photograph of Van Duysen’s kitchen with La Cornue range and his Pottery Bowls via Suite NY (prices start at $280), available with oak or walnut tops. Over the years, I’ve traveled to Mediterranean countries and Morocco and to destinations where people live with primary forms and habitats–you’d have an adobe here, mud architecture in Morocco, and the simplicity of the Greek Islands. Photograph by David Spero for the New York Times. Van Duysen’s celebrated living room in Antwerp is minimal but not monastic. A pair of Atelier Tables that he designed for St.-Paul Home anchors one side of the space. I wish I could live without my iPhone, but I don’t think I can. JM: So you’re in a house, you have nothing. And an iPhone, which is modern. How are you going to eat?VVD: With my hands? The walls in Van Duysen’s Antwerp home are painted a chalky bone shade. Photograph by Juan Rodriguez. Van Duysen recently designed the apartment at Graanmarkt 13, in Antwerp, which is available to rent. JM: What’s your favorite shop in Antwerp?VVD: Graanmarkt 13, an amazing shop. A bathroom at the Graanmarkt 13 apartment. JM: What are some of the hardest design lessons you’ve learned?VVD: I don’t like the word “lesson,” but, in general, what really bothers me the most is the lack of integrity in design. I wanted to go back to my roots; I was fascinated by pure, essential forms. JM: What’s your design process like? The hearth at the Graanmarkt 13 apartment. JM: What would people be surprised to learn about you?VVD: I want to surprise people with my work and even surprise myself. See Julianne Moore’s introduction to the Remodelista book and have a look at her own Vincent Van Duysen-inspired kitchen remodel in Behind the Scenes: 5 Design Lessons from Julianne Moore.