The austere gray door, surmounted by a half-moon glass, only opens after you have duly identified yourself on the intercom… An unusual welcome from a city center hotel and which takes on its full meaning once the threshold has been crossed. “We made this choice for more discretion and for our guests to have the feeling of coming home”, explains Angelo de Coen, director of operations at Hotel Julien, located in Antwerp, Belgium.
The establishment is a perfect example of this sober Belgian style, made up of monochrome decorations, traces of the past and comfortable details. It flourishes in this vast high-rise residence built in 1520, often modified over the centuries but which retains its 1810 appearance. After the reception, the historic living room is decorated with a marble fireplace, painted ceilings and chinoiseries on the double doors of the living room.
It’s time to take possession of the place in one of the armchairs signed Eames or Jacobsen, or to go and drink a cocktail at the bar which is always open. You can also look at the photos and works on paper exhibited by Gallery Fifty One in the common areas and in the rooms, enjoy the view from the rooftop or treat yourself to a massage at the spa.
To reach bedroom 7, the former attic transformed into a luminous refuge under the roof, you have to climb two flights of fairly steep stairs. The sandblasted oak beams brighten up a large white room, from the color of the walls to the duvet cover, when a mid-height partition separates the sleeping area from the bathroom area. The French window opens onto the terrace overlooking one of the hotel’s two courtyards, like a private rooftop. On the bathroom side, the skylight looks towards the spire of the cathedral and invites you to leave this cocoon of happy sobriety to explore the city.
160 meters away: dinner in a former stock exchange
Antwerp has preserved a rich heritage testifying to its port history. Like its stock exchange, built in 1531, which was joined by the Schippersbeurs in the 19e century, a space devoted to negotiations between boatmen from all over the world. This neo-Gothic building, with many stained glass windows, decorated with palm trees, now houses the Fiera restaurant. A timeless place where, in the evening, by candlelight, you can taste the impeccable fusion cuisine, the establishment’s signature.
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