DATA SHEET
Architecture: TJIP interior architecture/Jakob Vyncke and Thomas Meesschaert
Furnishings and lighting: custom made on design by the architects; Hay, Miniforms
Styling: Aurore Lameyr
Photos: Alice Mesguich
The first Japanese music bars (ongaku kissa) seem to date back to the 1920s: places for music and alcohol connoisseurs, equipped with loudspeakers and music collections of various kinds, which over time adapted to new styles and spread around the world. The design for the C-Bar, recently opened in the Andromeda hotel on the Ostend waterfront, is inspired by this kind of listening café, where the disconnection from the outdoors, the muffled atmosphere, and the comfortable, low, wide seating encourage relaxation, listening, and a cocoon effect.
The “lounge feel” is amplified by the natural materials – such as wood, leather, fabrics – and the warm, enveloping colors, dark browns or oranges, terracotta, and purple, blended in a sophisticated ensemble that accords horizontal and vertical upholstery, bar counter and wooden armchairs, sofas on fixed structures, transparent blown-glass coffee tables, and full-height velvet curtains with soft draperies.
Even more sophisticated is the treatment of lighting points. The lighting design, whose intensity decreases towards the end of the day, alternates between illuminated ‘fields’ and areas of shadow, patches of soft artificial light and natural light framed by a full-height window, the only opening that connects to the outdoors and the terrace, overlooking the beach and the sea.
«Refinement is key in our portfolio. It shows itself, among other things, in the subtle play of light and shadow and the subdued but powerful presence of textiles. Also characteristic is the mathematical approach to space. This not only creates a practical flow, but also a captivating natural and unparalleled sense of harmony».
