Warm design for Brooklyn's office space

Location: Stasegem, Belgium
Sector: Workspace
Design: Laurence Buyle
Company: Brooklyn Brands and Pants
Photographer: Winter Van Rafelghem

For Belgium-based multi-brand fashion retailer Brooklyn, quality is built into the fabric of its DNA. The 50-year-old company has stayed current since 1972, offering its customers fashion as non-conformist and nonchalant as its original founder, Lieven Descamps. Now run by his son, Ubbe, and his wife, Chloé, the company has grown into a trusted European brand.

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Ubbe and Chloé aimed to design a workspace as stylish as Brooklyn’s clothes. For their new headquarters in West Flanders, they employed design firm Sfeer+Co, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., U.S., and Belgium-native Laurence Buyle, owner of Sfeer+Co, designed the space.

With craftsmanship, enduring design and personal service at the core of her business, Laurence believed Ethnicraft was the perfect match to furnish Brooklyn’s office.

Ubbe and Chloé aimed to make the new headquarters match the same warm, urban atmosphere their customers experience in their stores. “The working space for the 15 employees had to bring warmth and comfort to the business environment,” Laurence explained.

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To achieve a relaxed and fashionable aesthetic, Laurence chose functional and timeless oak pieces, such as the Bok dining table, Casale dining chairs, Torsion tables, Osso stools, Mikado dining table and Bok coworking desks. The warmth and durability of solid wood is the ideal choice to withstand use and contributes to the stylish, yet timeless atmosphere. To complement the oak pieces, Laurence layered the Pentagon console, N701 one-seater in Blue and DC dining chairs. “The combination of steel, woolen upholstery and wood brings a unique combination ... Also being a Belgian brand with high-quality standards worked as a plus.”

“The combination of steel, woolen upholstery and wood brings a unique combination.”

Laurence Buyle

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The office is made up of a mixture of open desks, meeting spaces, casual break areas and relaxed lounge spots, providing Brooklyn employees with plenty of variety to complete their daily tasks. The environment allows for collaboration as well as individual work with the design – the best of both worlds.

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When asked why Laurence chose Ethnicraft for this project, she explained, “The warm, friendly and modern identity in the Brooklyn DNA match perfectly with the natural feel and contemporary design of the collection. We were looking for good-looking furniture that is ready to be heavily used. Ethnicraft proves to be a good match!”