Architects of Atmosphere: Peter Ivens & Bea Mombaers and the Art of Quiet Spaces

Belgium has long punched above its weight in design, producing a new wave of spatial minimalists who understand the power of understatement. Two such figures, interior architect Peter Ivens and stylist-curator Bea Mombaers, have carved out a distinctive place within that world, crafting interiors that whisper rather than shout and making a deeper kind of impact.

Peter Ivens has spent more than two decades refining his language of architectural silence: a calm that unfolds through proportion, flow and natural light. Based in Antwerp, his interiors feel more like carefully tuned instruments than staged backdrops. His recent monograph Houses distils this worldview: tailored spaces, high on tactility, where every detail is intentional but never over-designed.

Bea Mombaers, meanwhile, works from the coastal town of Knokke. She is a stylist, gallerist, and designer with a poetic sensibility rooted in touch, tone and found objects. From her cult design store Items to her furniture line with Serax and her own B&B by the sea, her spaces lean into emotional depth. Wabi-sabi, vintage, elemental: her palette is quiet, raw, and memorably real.

Together, Ivens and Mombaers form a complementary creative force – architecture meets instinct; structure meets soul. For over 15 years, they have partnered on a stream of private residences, concept homes and retreats across Belgium and beyond, always guided by a shared commitment to authenticity, atmosphere and the elegance of restraint.

Their first hotel collaboration, the newly renovated Hotel Julien in Antwerp, serves as the ultimate case study in this ethos: a space that does not just look good, but feels right.

A New Chapter for a Belgian Classic

When Hotel Julien first opened its doors in 2004, it helped define the boutique movement in Antwerp: small-scale, design-focused, rich in personality. Housed in two conjoined 16th-century townhouses just steps from the city’s cathedral, the 21-room hideaway became a favourite of both in-the-know travellers and locals seeking quiet luxury with soul.

In 2025, owner Mouche Van Hool initiated a full-scale renovation, not to overwrite the past, but to deepen it. “I started Hotel Julien over twenty years ago with the idea of creating a small-scale luxury hotel that feels like visiting close friends,” says Van Hool. “I’ve known Bea for a long time; I’m a big fan of her understated luxury. And I’ve come to know Peter as someone with a rare gift for reading spaces and creating atmosphere. I couldn’t have wished for a better duo.”

Ivens and Mombaers did not reinvent the hotel: they reread it. The original flow was preserved, but everything else was reconsidered: material choices, tone, light, intimacy. Custom furniture pieces now define the ground floor; in the reception, lounge; breakfast room and bar – each designed to echo the building’s history in solid, tactile forms. Think aged oak, patinated metal, soft stone, timeworn textures. It is honest. It is quiet. And it feels like it belongs.

“This place has so much soul and charm,” the designers said. “It was an honour to work on this project and to contribute to the rich history of Hotel Julien. We wanted to strike a balance between a sense of coming home and a space that continues to inspire.”

Lighting was developed in collaboration with Beirut-based PS Lab, another design name known for creating emotion through light. The result is soft contrast and cinematic warmth; illumination that does not impose but enhances.

Upstairs, the guestrooms carry that same layered serenity – muted palettes, curated vintage details, and textures that unfold slowly. Each room is its own quiet dialogue between space and guest.

Beyond aesthetics, Julien's spirit remains. It has a rooftop terrace with cathedral views, a private wellness suite for spa treatments and steam sessions, a cocktail bar that attracts both locals and guests, a meeting room for hire, and, now more than ever, a renewed identity that holds fast to its roots while evolving forward.

For Ivens and Mombaers, this project is emblematic of their shared trajectory: making spaces that do not dazzle for the sake of it, but instead linger in the memory for their calm, clarity and sense of place.

Hotel Julien is not a reinvention. It is a refinement, a deepening of mood and a perfect reflection of two designers at the top of their quiet game.