In the Brussels neighborhood of Ixelles, the architecture firms Mamout and AUXAU have updated a traditional townhouse with a bright blue kitchen and a mint-green staircase.

The design team sought to combine old and new by maintaining two front rooms of the townhouse on two separate floors. However, in the rear of the townhouse, the architects have divided the home into three floors, and connected them with a simple, yet striking green staircase.

The two historic front rooms—which are historically and traditionally the more public living rooms in a Brussels townhouse—have been carefully restored, maintaining their original proportions and wall treatments, including the plaster and cornices.

In the middle and rear of the house—the spaces that typically lack natural light—interior walls have been removed to create larger, open spaces that receive direct sunlight from the building’s rear facade.

The material palette throughout the home remains largely neutral, yet the team has infused moments of unexpected color. For instance, the railings of the stairs and landings are painted a bright mint-green, as is a beam that runs through the kitchen.

The cabinets are painted an eye-catching blue with gold hardware in an otherwise all-white kitchen. The project also makes an intensive use of reused materials, saved from either on-site demolition, or purchased from a local salvage and reuse company called ROTOR.

Project Credits:

Architect of RecordCompany/Contact: MAMOUT architectes with AUXAU atelier d'architecture

Builder/General Contractor: G-LINE CONSTRUCT

Structural Engineer: JZH and Partners