A Former Print Shop Becomes a Brussels Hybrid
Designer Xavier Lust has transformed a former printing press in Ixelles into a multi-use hybrid space that serves as an office, film set, and family home, The Time reported. Located on a street in the Brussels municipality, the modernist building features a stark facade punctuated by unusual windows finished in a deep red tint.
The Hunt for the Elusive ‘Sky-Gray’
The property’s most striking exterior feature is its wall color, a difficult-to-pinpoint shade sitting between gray and blue that shifts with changing light conditions. Lust rejected sky-blue for the shade, referring to it instead as "sky-gray," according to The Time.
Before settling on the final hue, the designer painted numerous test patches directly onto the facade. The process caused minor panic within the local municipal administration, which feared the building would end up looking like a patchwork quilt. Lust eventually discovered the correct nuance by scraping away old layers of paint to uncover an earlier tone matching his vision. The resulting color regularly draws curious passersby who knock on the door to ask for the paint code.
Inside the Expansive Studio
Inside the building, the floor plan opens into a bright, expansive studio space where Lust and his team work surrounded by collection pieces and recent prototypes. The room is versatile, doubling as a film or photo set as well as an event venue.
Lust blends rigid geometry with natural curves
Lust noted that the rigid geometry of the former print shop initially attracted him to the property, offering a direct contrast to his own design work, which relies heavily on curved lines. To bridge the gap, the designer applies his signature technique of placing metal plates under physical tension, allowing natural curves to emerge organically within the material.
Where is Xavier Lust's hybrid building located?
Where is Xavier Lust’s hybrid building located?
The property is situated inside a former printing press in Ixelles, a municipality located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.
Why did the municipal administration panic during the renovation?
Local officials worried the building would resemble a patchwork quilt because Lust painted numerous test swatches directly onto the street-facing exterior wall to find the correct shade of paint.
What is Xavier Lust’s signature design technique?
Lust creates his distinct curved furniture and objects by placing metal plates under physical tension, causing the curves to form naturally rather than through rigid molding.