Like the renowned Belgian designer Gert Voorjans whose design DNA is defined by the colour, character and craftsmanship of the toits bourguignon.

Near Dijon, Voorjans was commissioned to design two libraries in a castle belonging to an ardent book-loving client. The castle is nestled on sprawling grounds with adjacent grassy fields that were untouched, the knotty willows left as is for centuries. The result is fascinating, like a photograph that jumps out of a history book.

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The two libraries the designer created lure guests to read and explore the owner’s impressive book collection. Like the tomes they hold, the libraries are an ode to erudition, radiating with unparalleled finesse. Read between their architectural lines to see the detailed craftsmanship in their design. Clearly, the designer managed to brilliantly infuse his own visual vocabulary here.

There was no library in the original castle. What Voorjans did was to integrate two completely different rooms to house the book collection. In the master wing library on the ground floor, the ceiling became the starting point. The designer decided not to revamp the original wooden ceiling panels that were painted in trompe-l’oeil, and no additional panels were added to match the existing panels that did not cover the entire surface. He attached the whole ceiling, charming with its original patina, onto the current authentic ceiling beams, achieving a sculpture-like feel of an antique book. Uniquely eclectic, this ground floor library looks richer and more interesting than what one would expect in an old castle.

Ironically, the architecture of this reading nook is very Italian with no trace of French at all. The flattened columns are of Palladian proportions. An exceptional feature are the pilasters arranged according to thickness, creating an illusion of rarefied elegance. Renaissance and classical architects drew on classical Greek architecture as inspiration for that concave architectural technique. Several other illusory elements were used in this library: several columns conceal additional bookshelves, a desk in a sunken writing nook, a bookcase that swivels open as a secret door leading to the owner’s private apartment. A stunning, historically inspired latticework faces the bibliophile’s prized editions. Country-style bookcases are decorated with gauze, a wire net used in food storage cabinets, for ventilation.

The second library, located in the attic, has a totally different architecture. “This room deliberately eschews ornamentation. The emphasis is on structure and architecture. The shape of the library is purely functional and mechanical, set up as a wooden scaffold. It reminds me of the machine aesthetics of Gustave Eiffel. Or Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches of his inventions,” Voorjans tells lifestyle journalist Thijs Demeulemeester. The original wooden trusses of the ceiling define the shape of the room. There is an interplay of curved pilasters and bookshelves, a composition that resembles a bare art studio. “The library is constructivist—not in an art history sense, but in the literal sense of the word,” he adds.

With this project, Voorjans proved that no matter how timeworn a property or structure is, one can breathe a new life into it while respecting and preserving its rich history. In the end, he was able to put together colour, character and craftsmanship—elements that he is known for—while giving his book-loving client the libraries of his dreams.

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