In Antwerp’s lively Het Zuid district, the Lit d’Art is an elegant boutique hotel created in an Art Nouveau building that is probably the city’s most original structure. Known as the House of the Five Continents and nicknamed ‘the little boat’ due to the loggia with the form of a ship’s bow that emerges from the corner on the second floor, it was designed by the Belgian architect Frans Smet-Verhas as a residential complex for a wealthy shipping mogul.
Today it is the perfect setting, because the beautiful spaces match it hotel’s ideals; the facility is organized as a true art gallery, featuring design-oriented furnishings and the works of four highly acclaimed artists selected by the owner, Aida Heerman, and one temporary artist. Everything is available for purchase: the owner supplies information on the objects, and then orders them by request.
For her guests, Aida Heerman has also selected furnishings by Désirée, the upholstered furniture brand of Gruppo Euromobil, which she saw during her last trip to the Salone del Mobile. The lobby, the wellness area and the four suites of the boutique hotel are enhanced by a series of bestsellers from the Italian brand, created by famous designers.
The central Lovely Day sofa, with its contemporary linear form, and the Koster chair, which interprets the modern tastes of the 1950s, both bear the signature of Marc Sadler. The Canadian designer Jai Jalan has created Eli Fly, a light, dynamic chaise, while the Japanese duo residing in Milan, Setsu & Shinobu Ito, add three versions of the Sabi low tables and the Yori triple table, a delicate citation of bonsai plants and the Japanese tradition.
