Art deco pur sang
Bruges is far from the only city to have seen so many of its art deco interiors vanish over time. But as luck would have it, the four-star Hotel De Castillion is home to one of the amazing remaining gems of the period: the Golden Salon!
A little bit of history
Working from a design by the renowned Bruges architects Antoine Dugardyn and Maurice Vermeersch, and commissioned by the then owners, the Caestecker family, the highly regarded firm De Kortrijkse Kunstwerkstede Gebroeders De Coene carried out the decoration of the interbellum salon in 1934.
While designing the lounge, they took into account the structure of the 16th century corner house by giving the bearers, applied beams and little consoles a gold-plated finish and by integrating the black marble Louis-Philippe empire-style chimneypiece in this new decoration. The lighting fixtures and wall furniture are utterly art deco and great care was lavished on the imposing cornice, which was decorated with a draped motif. Another out-and-out art deco feature is the mirrored wall, which is embellished with gilded carton-pierre representing a stylized motif of two roe deer in a setting of exotic plants.
In 1987, the Marc and Leen Christiaens-Stevens family converted the corner building into a hotel and the Golden Art Deco Salon becomes a sort of state-room, where gourmets can enjoy a tasty aperitif before settling down at their table in restaurant Le Manoir Quatre Saisons.
During the thorough renovation of Hotel De Castillion in 2016, their son, chef Olivier Christiaens, makes the long-considered decision of calling it curtains for his brainchild, Le Manoir Quatre Saisons. Olivier wants to focus completely on the hotel and, together with his sister Delphine, turn it into a premium destination. Once the renovation is finished and Hotel De Castillion rises from its ashes like a phoenix with a zest for life, Delphine and Olivier will repurpose their Golden Salon into a seventh heaven, a temple for epicureans and hedonists to revel in mouth-watering, excellent High Tea sessions.
In two words: feel free to rush along to Hotel De Castillion’s Golden Art Deco Salon and miraculously submerge yourself in the eclectic and global atmosphere of the interbellum!
PS: Do no, by any means, forget to book your Afternoon Tea session.
