Charlotte 丨 Victoria-Maria Interior Design

Charlotte sets a richly atmospheric tone inside a historic maison de maître near a central Brussels lake, transformed by Victoria-Maria Interior Design into a generous family apartment. Across approximately 600 square meters, the project leans into a warm, global-inflected interior style, where rust and golden hues fold into layered textiles, collected objects, and crafted details. Every room feels composed for daily life yet tuned to the character of the building.

Morning light slips past tall windows and falls across generous sofas, worn timber, and patterned textiles. A quiet glow settles on plaster, stone, and soft carpets.

This is Charlotte, a 600 square meter (6,458 square foot) apartment in a historic Brussels maison de maître, reimagined by Victoria-Maria Interior Design for a family of five. The project leans into interior palette and furnishing as its primary tool, using color, pattern, and craft to temper the grandeur of the architecture. Rooms read as collected and lived-in, with global references woven through a calm, cohesive rhythm.

Once a formal townhouse, the residence now unfolds as a layered family home where rust and golden yellow anchor the mood. Victoria-Maria develops a palette that supports daily routines yet keeps a sense of narrative, drawing on textiles, wallpapers, and furniture from multiple cultures. That restrained but expressive approach threads through salons, library, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, and baths.

Living Rooms With Memory

In the main salon, a sculptural cream sofa curves toward a low center table, set against high windows dressed in soft green drapery. A carved fireplace in pale stone and a dark timber chair underline the building’s age, while patterned upholstery and Moroccan ottomans bring in that “colonial with a twist” atmosphere mentioned by the designer. Artwork and a border of ornamental wall tile give the room depth without crowding it. On the floor, a large neutral rug quiets the composition so conversation and family life can stretch out comfortably.

A nearby library turns more inward, wrapped in deep color on the ceiling and walls. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in warm wood frame a modular leather sofa, generous enough for reading, lounging, or movie nights. Patterned curtains and a sculptural chandelier add a sense of travel and discovery, echoing the Egyptian wallpaper and scarab-detailed staircase runner elsewhere in the home. Each object feels chosen to carry a story rather than to match a set.

Kitchen And Daily Gathering

The kitchen shifts to a brighter register, grounded by a black-and-white geometric floor that guides movement around a central oak island. Cabinet fronts in light wood, a pale countertop, and a crisp black-framed opening toward the back counter create clear lines amid the pattern. Rattan panels and simple stools introduce texture and a relaxed, almost holiday rhythm to this everyday room. Tulips on the island and small objects on the shelves reinforce the idea of an actively used, constantly refreshed hub.

At the dining area, a long stone-topped table pairs with chairs that mix fabric and timber, their proportions sturdy but refined. A gallery wall of framed maps or drawings brings historic reference to eye level, while a large rug in rust and blue tones sets a warm base. Beyond an arched opening, a brick-lined bar niche glows in rich red, turning the background into a social focal point during dinners. Softly patterned curtains filter daylight, so meals can stretch from afternoon into evening without a harsh shift.

Textile-Rich Private Rooms

Upstairs, the master bedroom builds its identity through fabric more than furniture. A Venetian-style canopy bed anchors the room, with the same botanical pattern coursing across headboard, drapery, and overhead textile canopy. Walls in muted yellow hold the warmth, while simple bedside blocks and a slender rattan chair keep the ensemble from feeling heavy. The result is immersive yet calm, ideal for restful nights and slow mornings.

Other bedrooms and corridors carry the spirit of travel in subtler ways, from Etro textiles to small crafted pieces collected over time. Each setting feels specific to its occupant, but the shared palette of rust, ochre, and softened neutrals keeps the apartment reading as one continuous home. That balance of difference and connection gives the interior its relaxed coherence.

Baths In Stone And Light

Bathrooms return to material calm, with travertine cladding the tub surround and walls in gentle horizontal bands. A terrazzo floor introduces quiet movement underfoot, catching light from a generous window dressed with a simple shade. Brass fixtures add warmth without shouting, while a bold green ceramic piece and a small artwork bring color back into the room. It feels composed, but not precious, ready for the rhythm of family mornings.

By the time one reaches the upper levels, the apartment feels both expansive and intimate, its sequence measured by shifts in texture and hue. Daylight, textile, and crafted objects work together to give this historic maison de maître an interior life tuned to present-day living. Charlotte holds history close, yet it gives the family room to keep writing their own scenes.