As the founder of eponymous studio Victoria Maria, Geyer is known for her daring style, and this project required every ounce of her flair. Created for a couple with three children of university age, it unfolded over five years; the previous owner was a hoarder who had left the five-storey property in a neglected condition. “When I first saw the house, it was in a state that could almost be described as something from a Kubrick movie,” remembers Geyer. “Every room had been filled with an overwhelming amount of collected items, making it almost impossible to navigate. We had to strip everything down and completely rework the layout to create a more open, functional flow. However, we preserved the original mouldings in the living room, because they were registered historical features and I wanted to maintain a sense of heritage.”
Located in the historic centre of Brussels, with beautiful views and bordered by a pond, the house had lured its new owners with its elegant, early-20th-century façade. “It’s a perfect example of a maison de maître from that period,” says Geyer. “The clients were returning to the city after spending years raising their family in the quieter suburbs. To reflect this, they wanted a home that felt both cosy and elegant, avoiding cold tones like grey, which is so common in Brussels, as our skies are grey most days of the year.”