de Velde
Zaventem Ateliers
The maverick designer Lionel Jadot grew up in an environment of makers, with the smell of wood shavings and the sound of tools shaping wood; his ancestors — the Brussels-based Vanhamme family — had owned and managed a chair and sofa making business for five generations. “My playground was one huge workshop where more than thirty artisans would be working at one time,” he said. “I would pick up scraps from the floor and think about what I could make with them. If I needed something I would go to the workshop and make it.” In fact, his parent's rule “If you want something, build it yourself” would prove to be life defining.
About Zaventem Ateliers
- 2018: The 6,000-square meter space opens with 25 workshops in which two dozen diverse designers and makers, as well as Lionel Jadot himself, work individually and together.
- 2020: Zaventem Ateliers exhibits for the first time as a collective at the Collectible design fair in Brussels.
- 2021: 15 of the artists with workspaces at Zaventem Ateliers collaborate to design a one-of-a-kind ping pong table which was exhibited at Salon Art + Design in New York City.
- 2022: Zaventem Ateliers took over a 3,000-square meter industrial space, the former Necci factories, in the Milan district of Baranzate during Milan Design Week.
- 2024: Zaventem Ateliers 2.0 will be launched near Alcácer do Sal in a historic agricultural village called Herdade da Barrosinha, an hour south of Lisbon.
“Curating the right mix of people created good energy from the beginning.”
Thee jury on Zaventem Ateliers
The jury presents the Company Gold Award to Zaventem Ateliers because of its connecting character and impact on the design world. The company, run by Lionel Jadot, acts as a collective, bringing together the design community and creating opportunities for designers. In other words, Zaventem Ateliers goes far beyond renting out studios. It establishes an ecosystem and does 'business' in a different way, by collaborating and sharing.
Would you like to read an in-depth interview with Lionel Jadot? Then order a copy of our latest publication! You will find an overview of all this year's winners, but we also dive into the past of 30 years of awards. The richly illustrated publication (224 pages) is bilingual (NL-EN) and was designed by Geoffrey Brusatto. You can order it onlinen at 10 euros.
