The leading biannual design event with a unique hybrid mix of commerce and culture.
The 23rd Biennale Interieur inspired
84.000 visitors
with more than
300 selected design brands
mixed with a broad
cultural programme
concentrated in
2 locations
Interieur broke through the walls of the Kortrijk Xpo fairground and ventured also into the city of Kortrijk (BE), turning the Biennale into a true DesignCity with a mix of commerce and culture.
Culture in the form of
multiple exhibitions
7 Project rooms
A 9-day adventure spread over
2 destinations
Custom designed places of encounter
5 Bars
1 Lounge & 1 Bistro
Audi delivered 6324 rides with
55 Shuttle cars
The selected exhibitors form the core of Interieur, they are the event's protagonists who show the sector's latest developments.
By definition, design extends over economic, technological, cultural questions and more. That is precisely the varied mix that the Biennale Interieur wishes to reach with its exhibitors.
300 selected brands from
15 countries
A fresh perspective
40% exhibiting for the first time
The Biennale Interieur treats design as a tool to create a unique visitor experience. This allows to create the ideal context in which exhibitors can present their brands and values. A coherent overall identity throughout the Biennale and an innovative scenography ( designed by Granstudio ) where clear expressions of this.
To create a synergy with the new city location, the 40,000m2 layout of Kortrijk Xpo had an urban scenography with lanes, diagonals, piazzas and unexpected places, where installations, actions and encounters did unfold. Together they created 1 temporary DesignCity.
A DesignCity criss-crossed by boulevards, corsos and avenues can’t be without eye-catching bars on its squares.
5 custom-made bars
at the piazzas in Kortrijk Xpo welcomed visitors in a pleasant design environment.
A DesignCity criss-crossed by boulevards, corsos and avenues can’t be without eye-catching bars on its squares.
5 custom-made bars
at the piazzas in Kortrijk Xpo welcomed visitors in a pleasant design environment.
A DesignCity criss-crossed by boulevards, corsos and avenues can’t be without eye-catching bars on its squares.
5 custom-made bars
at the piazzas in Kortrijk Xpo welcomed visitors in a pleasant design environment.
7 International guests
With a fresh curatorial direction, instead of 1 guest of honour, a mix of groundbreaking designers, artists and architects were invited to create a Future Primitives project room: David Bowen (US), Ross Lovegrove (UK), Greg Lynn (US), Makkink & Bey (NL), Muller Van Severen (BE), Nendo (JP) and Troika (UK).
1 Theme
The Future Primitives project rooms investigated which essential elements will play a role in the design of our future environments.
7 project rooms, 7 investigations
Nendo (JP)
Japanese design studio Nendo presented essential poetry with 6 sophisticated Fishline chairs in 6 wooden houses.
Ross Lovegrove (UK)
British top designer Ross Lovegrove amazed the audience with his futuristic concept car, shaped according to instinct rather than science.
Muller Van Severen (BE)
Belgian visual artists Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen showed the results of their 'furniture project' in an intimate room that was a copy of their studio.
Troika (UK)
London-based multidisciplinary studio Troika offered with 'Arcades' a room for reflection and contemplation.
David Bowen (US)
American artist David Bowen made the local river Leie flow through the Biennale with his mesmerizing installation that merged the natural with the mechanical.
Makkink & Bey (NL)
The Dutch studio Makkink & Bey confronted visitors with an installation around the concept of housing as a form of permanent nomadism.
Greg Lynn (US)
American architect Greg Lynn presented his 'Room Vehicle Prototype', bringing intelligent movement and compact comfort to the living space.
3 diagonals sliced the layout of the halls of Kortrijk Xpo with 3 exhibitions: Corso Blu, Déjà-Vu and Flanders Avenue.
Corso Blu
A collection of familiar, new and avant-garde design objects presented along a blue diagonal lane, which cut across the Kortrijk Xpo halls and created several 'windows' evoking imaginary living spaces.
Déjà-Vu
An exhibition about design affiliations, curated by Chris Meplon. It challenged our attitudes to concepts like originality and innovation by deliberately juxtaposing objects that trigger a déjà-vu.
Flanders Avenue
Design Platform Flanders created a meeting place in which 4 established Belgian designers: Michaël Verheyden, Nedda El Asmar, Geoffrey Brussato and Maarten De Ceulaer, created a dialogue with 4 young wolves: Jill Reykaert, Celina Gram, Tom Lambeens and Charlotte Dumoncel D'Argence.
A selection of design galleries at Kortrijk Xpo put the spotlight on the growing relationship between design and art, the phenomenon of small, signed series and commissions.
Ampersand House (Brussels,BE), Antoine Van Loocke (BE), Art & Advice (Hasselt, BE), Carpenters Workshop Gallery (London, UK & Paris, FR), Galerie Judy Straten (Horst, NL), Galerie Gosserez (Paris, FR), Galerie Greta Meert (Brussels, BE), Galerie Sofie Lachaert (Tielrode, BE), Valerie Traan Gallery (Antwerp, BE) and Victor Hunt (Brussels, BE).
The Biennale Interieur created in partnership with Audi a successful free shuttle service that allowed visitors fluently move between the 2 locations without interrupting their visiting experience.
The Biennale Interieur created in partnership with Audi a successful free shuttle service that allowed visitors fluently move between the 2 locations without interrupting their visiting experience.
The Biennale Interieur created in partnership with Audi a successful free shuttle service that allowed visitors fluently move between the 2 locations without interrupting their visiting experience.
Interieur co-created with Organisation in Design (NL) an independent exhibition platform for emerging talents and the avant-garde, committed to create interactions between cultural and commercial fields.
70 designers, collectives, brands, academies and institutions
presented their work over two distinct settings at Kortrijk Xpo and the Buda Island in the cultural heart of the city of Kortrijk.
Exhibitions at the Buda Island included 'In the Clouds' by the award-winning architect Sou Fujimoto, cutting-edge technology with 'Future Form Lab' and young design talent in 'The Battle'.
In the Clouds
Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto presented his 'In the Clouds' project, sponsored by the American Hardwood Export Council. This bar, made from ten solid blocks form Tulip wood float in the air on transparent plinths, floating in space like clouds.
Future Form Lab
Future Form Lab presented Flemish research, experimentation, prototypes, DIY installations and produced objects exploring the design possibilities based on the principles of generative design and cutting-edge technologies.
The Battle
De Invasie, a Belgian platform for young designers, presented 'The Battle' during the last weekend of the Biennale. With over 40 young designers and 20 open workspaces, the Battle was a great moment to meet designers, discover new products and witness how they were made.
The Interieur Bistro located in the Buda Factory was a hot ticket in town, day and night! The Biennale Interieur collaborated with London-based DesignMarketo to create this hybrid between a restaurant and a design exhibition, between a garden and a living room.
The Interieur Bistro located in the Buda Factory was a hot ticket in town, day and night! The Biennale Interieur collaborated with London-based DesignMarketo to create this hybrid between a restaurant and a design exhibition, between a garden and a living room.
With participants from 33 countries, the Interieur Design Awards continue to fulfil their role as an international launch pad for young talent.
Winner Space category
'Deformable Wall' by SANDWICH (JP) / blue architects (CH)
Winner Object category
'Purist' wooden chair by Elisa Honkanen (FI)
Jury: Felix Burrichter, Journalist (DE), Jan Dd Cock, artist (BE), Majed Al-Sabah, visionary retailer, art & design collector (KW), Oskar Zieta, designer (PL), Sara De Bondt, graphic designer (BE), Tomás Alonso, designer (ES), Torafu Aarchitects, architects (JP)
The Biennale Interieur organised an open call and invited 3rd parties to submit a creative project to take place in the city of Kortrijk during the Biennale Interieur.
The Interieur Extra city trail brough together
+ 30 selected individuals & organisations
The Interieur Extra activities and events reinforced the role of Interieur as a
cultural landmark for the region.
It's a rare occasion when the design Universe catches me completely unaware. Just when I thought I knew it all or at least more than enough Belgium surprised me with a Biennale that was so well curated and so flawlessly organised.
Interieur design biennale set a new standard for the design fair experience during its 23rd outing in Kortrijk this week, thanks to forward thinking new curator Lowie Vermeersch.
This biennial is so exciting simply because they’ve got the mix just right.
