Le Paquebot

In 1936, architect Louis-Herman De Koninck went all in. He presented a boldly modernist design to the town of Knokke-Le-Zoute — a place far more fond of thatched-roof cottages than flat roofs and geometric lines. The villa’s name came naturally: Le Paquebot. With sweeping curves reminiscent of ocean liners, panoramic windows like a ship’s bridge, and concrete walls up to two meters thick, it was built to weather time like a steel hull.

Originally commissioned by Maurice Nice, the son of a Brussels lawyer, the house later passed through the hands of the Emsens and Steyaert families before being brought back to life in 2022. Hubert Bonnet — businessman, art collector, and Knokke native — acquired the villa and restored it with a precise blend of architectural integrity and design flair.

There’s no doubt about it — nothing here is left to chance. Every piece of furniture, every light fixture, every work of art feels deliberately chosen and thoughtfully placed. With architect Alain Delogne and researchers from Ghent University, Hubert Bonnet pays tribute to De Koninck’s original vision — even down to the exact colors of the window frames: orange for the fixed panes, white for the ones that open.

Furniture by Alvar Aalto — the Finnish master of modern design — enters into dialogue with the architecture itself. His chairs, armchairs, and wall lamps become traveling companions to works by Jenny Holzer, André Cadere, and Donald Judd. In the living room, a striking wall piece by Sol LeWitt (Double Asymmetrical Pyramids) immediately catches the eye as you step into the space.