Best of est | Belgian Coastal Apartments

DH Apartment by Vincent Van Duysen Architects | Photography by Piet-Albert Goethals

We step inside six apartments set along Belgium’s North Sea, that draw from their coastal surroundings through natural materials, soft hues and an inherent sense of simplicity.

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DH Apartment by Vincent Van Duysen Architects

Knokke, Belgium

Vincent Van Duysen Architects were tasked with distilling their signature ‘art of living’ inside the DH Apartment, a coastal retreat in Knokke, Belgium. Positioned on the fourth floor, the apartment frames an uninterrupted, floor-to-ceiling view of the North Sea, designed as a contemplative and relaxed space for the clients to spend quality time as a family.

The studio’s approach centred on refining the interiors to their most essential elements, ensuring a seamless dialogue with the surrounding seascape. The materials draw on the texture and lightness of the coastal environment below. Limestone floors line the entire apartment, just as the plastered walls and ceiling wrap the space in a subdued, sand-like texture.

Vintage Lina Bo Bardi armchairs soften the apartment’s geometric language. At the same time, a Jean Prouvé desk and chair sit poised before the horizon, inviting quiet moments of reflection—nodding to Vincent Van Duysen Architects’ ability to cultivate openness, warmth, and an enduring sense of stillness in this coastal reprieve.

DH Apartment by Vincent Van Duysen Architects | Photography by Piet-Albert Goethals

Ostend Seaside Apartment by Arjaan de Feyter

Ostend, Belgium

This seaside apartment by architect Arjaan De Feyter has been reimagined for a mother and daughter duo who sought to revive the grandeur of their beloved holiday home. The redesign celebrates the coastal outlook, and subtle references to the beachside setting in materiality and thoughtful motifs. “By redoing the whole apartment, we had the opportunity to rethink a classic holiday home,” Arjaan De Feyter says. “In losing the typical layout, we found something more important—multifunctionality,” he adds.

The material palette throughout establishes a sophisticated yet cosy dialogue with the coastal landscape. Light tones dominate the floors, walls, and ceilings, creating an airy atmosphere that echo that of the wide stretches of sand and beach outside. These softer elements are thoughtfully contrasted with café au lait marble in the kitchen and dark wood panelling throughout, lending the space an ambience akin to a luxury hotel.

Ostend Seaside Apartment by Arjaan de Feyter | Photography by Tijs Vervecken

Infinitum Residence by Jessy Van Gorp

Zeebrugge, Belgium

Bordering the coastal sands of Belgium’s Zeebrugge village, a second-floor apartment reflects Jessy Van Gorp’s dedication to custom design. Capturing the essence of the North Sea was central to the design, as “one should always be able to see it,” Van Gorp says. The semi-open kitchen, living and dining area, unified by a shared palette of natural stone flooring and rough-grain paint-finished walls, is in direct conversation with the surrounding coastline.

The design prioritises durable materials such as brushed stainless steel, Hullebusch natural stone, bespoke lime terrazzo and wire-brushed oak. The terrazzo cladding evokes the coast’s pebbled landscape, while the stainless steel mimics sunlight on seawater. In the kitchen, a solid stainless steel island is complemented by bespoke oak barstools that seamlessly fit into the island’s curved frame — an embodiment of Van Gorp’s focus on hidden, tailored functionality.

Infinitum Residence by Jessy Van Gorp | Photography by Thomas De Bruyne

Port Royal by Decancq Vercruysse

Duinbergen, Belgium

Port Royal has been distilled to its purest form, creating a serene and soothing family retreat. The open-plan layout is designed to embrace the sea views, nurturing a sense of tranquillity. Vercruysse notes that the spaces were crafted to feel both welcoming for the entire family and intimate for just two. A minimalist design language and thoughtful materiality bring this vision to life. “The flooring mimics the sand, and the light wood references the beach cabins, forming a soothing palette,” Vercruysse explains.

Belgian natural and bleached oak play a central role throughout. The flooring, treated with a lime finish and embedded with small stones, echoes the sandy texture of the nearby shore. Transforming this Ostend apartment through thoughtful spatial reconfiguration and a material palette that references its coastal setting, the design creates a contemporary retreat that feels both elevated and practical.

Port Royal by Decancq Vercruysse | Photography by Eric Petschek

Paradis Apartment by Club Paradis

Ostend, Belgium

A collaboration between Club Paradis co-founders Albane Paret and Micha Pycke, Paradis Apartment is a design-forward holiday retreat that blends contemporary art, collectable design and a deep sense of place. Overlooking the North Sea, the 97-square-metre apartment draws inspiration from the ever-shifting grey, blue and seafoam green hues of its coastal surrounds.

The Paradis Apartment is both a contemporary home and showroom gallery. The interiors evolve annually, spotlighting both emerging and established makers through carefully curated Belgian furniture, lighting and art—including Maarten Van Severen‘s iconic Blue Bench, sculptural pieces by Linde Freya Tangelder for Destroyers/Builders and Ana Kraš for Teget, and Muller Van Severen x cc-tapis.

Balancing warmth and restraint, the space also mixes raw textures with refined details, reflecting the moodiness of the North Sea while offering a sense of calm. Paradis Apartment reimagines the holiday rental as a hybrid space—part gallery, part home—where guests can live in harmony with design.

Paradis Apartment by Club Paradis | Photography by Micha Pycke

Knokke by Vanessa Schorreels

Knokke, Belgium

In an idyllic corner of the Belgian coast where the North Sea meets the horizon, designer Vanessa Schorreels has created a retreat that embraces the essence of its surroundings—notably the expansive sea view, which served as a main source of inspiration. Reflections, delicate textures, and colours underpin the home, inspired by organic forms and the rugged beauty of nature. The essential is emphasised, leaving room for interpretation and imagination.

Always choosing to work with beautiful materials, Schorreels’ designs have an innate yet deliberate tactility. “I enjoy working with lots of contrast in textures. My end result is sensorial, where smooth, coarse, reflective, hard, hot and cold materials co-exist,” she says. The apartment is an oasis on the Belgian coast where the everchanging colour palette of the sea works in perfect harmony with the interiors. It pays tribute to living well, gently extending an invitation to savour the timeless beauty of its surroundings.