Hans De Pelsmacker

During the renovation of the ground floor of two adjoining houses into one shop-property, a glass wall was created across the width of the house on the street side, which serves as one clear shop window. Because the front wall of the house is shored up by pieces of wall at regular distances, the client asked for a design in glass that seamlessly connected to the clear glass shop window and referred to the activity of the company, i.e. the design and realization of exclusive kitchens. The glass design is inspired by the dreary street where the property is situated: a typically banal and empty Flemish village street. The house itself was once designed by the father of the present owner and built with his own hands, using all sorts of pseudo building elements to create a Flemish non-style. It is precisely that which makes the house special, not merely its contrast with the location. So much surrealism demanded a frivolous, but respectful design that combines with the elements in the environment, the newly built house and the style of the company. An accidental discovery in an AVA stationer's shop of a variety of paper place mats (i.e. paper mats bordered like lacework and mainly used for children's parties or barbecues) was the material for this design.

The design consists of ten vertical flat pieces of glass, each with a different composition of cut-up place mats. In each piece the motif was sandblasted on the front side in two different layers. The back of the glass was painted. The motif is deliberately made rather unclear, which gives the glass panel the appearance of an abstract mesh work. The motives are only clearly visible and recognizable when looked at from the right angle with respect to light and position.

Private commission in cooperation with architect Koen Bogaert Realised in 2009