- Interior
Ville Design creates interiors that are simultaneously sober and warm. With her trademark of soft colours, natural materials and organic shapes, Thaïs Niville delivers interiors that feel clean, but never sterile. Residence VPS in Oudenaarde is a perfect example of Niville's style. We are happy to put it in the spotlight here.
The owners of Residence VPS moved from the quiet countryside to the busy city, but also wanted their new home to act as an escape from the hustle and bustle. Trusting in Niville's sense of style, they gave her carte blanche. Over a period of more than two years, she worked intensively with them to realise their dream of a quiet haven in the city. Two flats were merged and given a serene and peaceful design. The final result is a modern oasis of natural quality materials where sober luxury reigns. 
For Niville, her designs are always a mix of Ville Design's style and the customer's wishes. 'That is something I always take into account. Sometimes, the gap between the aesthetic and the practical is big, and we obviously aim to find the perfect balance between the two, together with the customer,' she says. Niville is very satisfied with her agency at the moment. 'We are a small interior design company, so the contact with our clients remains very direct and open,' she continues. 'You sometimes see agencies become less accessible as they grow. That's something we want to avoid at Ville Design.'
A modern oasis of natural quality materials where sober luxury reigns.
As often happens in the digital age, the collaboration for Residence VPS started off online. Clients Angelique and Peter contacted Niville through Instagram. 'We immediately clicked, after which Angelique and I worked together almost daily for three years,' she says. The two women share the same passion for interiors; the client happens to have her own design agency. 'There were no specific requests. Above all, it needed to be timeless.' Therefore, Niville chose products and finishes that were future-proof and would still look beautiful in ten or twenty years' time. This mainly meant sober, soothing colours and natural quality materials. 
'The hardwood floors are oak, and we finished various accents in walnut. This adds a certain cachet to the interior, and above all radiates warmth,' she explains. Another material that was frequently used was tadelakt, a kind of Moroccan plaster that is natural and water-repellent. The material was used on the walls, floor and even the cupboards in the bathroom, together with natural stone. In the rest of the flat, we see the warm-looking material featured again. 'The entire fireplace wall was finished in tadelakt as well, in order to break up the starkness of the plain white walls and ceiling. Furthermore, we opted for natural stone on both floors, both in the kitchen and in the bathroom. The curtains are made of soft linen,' says the designer. 
As far as the interior is concerned, all items were carefully chosen by the customer herself. 'Angelique designed the interior purely according to her own taste, which in the end turned out sublime. Since she is active in the interior design world herself, she naturally wanted to add value to her own interior. She did so by tirelessly hunting for exclusive and timeless items, such as the antique and authentic numbered Pierre Jeanneret chairs. The selection of artworks is hers as well. She had my complete trust in that.' Furthermore, Niville tries to use a new mix of designer classics for every interior she designs. 'Every customer gets a unique interior,' she explains. This also applies to the materials she uses. For example, natural stone is one of her favourite materials to breathe life into an interior. 'We always select a stone with the customer in the depot. That way, they get the one that stands out the most to them. It immediately adds a personal touch to their interior.’ 
If you want to learn more about this project and find out what designer Thais Niville had to say about it, be sure to read the full article in Imagicasa Spring 2021.
Photography by Cafeine