During our Yintour Belgium program in September, we welcomed interior architect and materials researcher Cédric Etienne in Antwerp for an Masterclass DL. Dedicated to helping people reconnect with inner stillness amid the fast pace of modern life, Cédric integrates serenity and harmony into spatial design, creating immersive narratives that bring calm and comfort into contemporary living.
The masterclass, titled “Belgian Architecture + Art After the War,” traced a clear cultural lineage: from Art Nouveau, Modernism, and the COBRA movement, to the Concrete era, Postmodern experimentation, Radical Minimalism, and today’s immersive spaces. Cédric outlined eighty years of Belgian post-war architecture and art with clarity and depth. Though small in size, Belgium’s multilingualism, cultural intersections, and openness to outside influences have created fertile ground for diverse and liberated creativity. As Cédric emphasized, “architecture is a mirror of its time,” shaped by the scarcity after the war, the yearning for order, and the contemporary pursuit of sensory and spiritual depth—all of which define the aesthetic character of Belgium today.
Beyond historical context, Cédric also shared his research on “silent spaces.” To him, architecture is not only form or function, but a field that guides people back to the present moment and back to themselves. Using cork as an example, he explained how this once-underestimated natural material is reclaiming relevance in sustainable design, acoustic environments, and spiritually attuned architecture. The session concluded with the unveiling of his studio’s latest project—the Cork Meditation Pavilion, a fully cork-built structure designed as a future-forward response to architecture: a vessel that is natural, circular, mobile, and capable of drawing people inward.
This masterclass offered us a renewed understanding of Belgium: its architecture is not defined by a single style, but is a cultural narrative about restoration, experimentation, and the exploration of spirituality. Cédric’s insights also reminded us that true creativity emerges from context—and from the quiet act of listening to one’s inner world.
