1 | What does your house represent to you?

My house is my creative box where I can make my compositions of graphic design, logos, and websites but it's also the place where I live with my family. I have my wife and two children and it all comes together for me here. There are no separate rooms. It's always about combining all these elements into one box for me. I also have a garden here so it can also serve as inspiration for my work such as photography.

3 | Any works of art at home?

The art work in my house would actually be my furniture. To me, that's art. I don't' really have the budget for buying other art and I prefer to invest in furniture and new objects. Of course, we are thinking about buying some prints but still debating about what kind to have. So for now, we have a mix of old photographs and portraits here at home and that's okay for us.

4 | Where do you get your best ideas?

Don't laugh, but I would say when I'm in my bath I can think, with a coffee or two and feed my mind about the problems I'm having at work or the solutions I have to find for my clients. I don't know why but I get my best ideas while I'm in the bath.

5 | Open Space or separate rooms?

The house was built as an open space, that's what we asked from the architect. But I feel that as we continue to live here, we need more separate rooms because it could feel more comfortable to have designated places, if you're able to cut one area to have as the living room separate from the kitchen. I would say that it's something in between.

7 | Design and fashion, similarities and differences

I'm not really into fashion. I'm always wearing black, simple clothes…I'm not sure what the combination can be, that's a bit of a difficult question for me.

8 | Bath tub or shower?

I prefer the bath. As I said before, it is the place that gives me the best ideas with a cup of coffee in hand to just switch off my head.

9 | Home cooking or restaurant?

I'm not really a good cook so I prefer to go out to restaurants, especially ones with nice interior, ambiance, music and of course good food. It inspires me to take photos, seeing details which I can reflect back onto my other architectural stores when I'm photographing.

10 | Where would you like to live?

Definitely, I would like to live in Paris for several reasons. I like the ambience, the people, the stores…I like even the dirty part of Paris, the bourgeois. I like everything in Paris.

Ghent city guide

Copyright Bookshop | Bookshop
Jakobijnenstraat 8 9000 Gent

I like this bookshop for their specific collection in architecture, art, interior design and photography. For me, it's the best bookshop you can find in Belgium.
The owner of the shop is actually a close girlfriend of mine and she's always fighting against the larger book shops by offering her specific collection. This is the reason why I go here. Her bookshop selection is different from the mainstream stores and I think it's really nice to see her be able to do her own thing for her own bookshop.

Moor&Moor | Coffee shop
Jakobijnenstraat 7, Gent

The Coffee shop is also run by a friend of mine who was previously an architect. He created a new concept of this of kind coffee shop and wanted to open more of them in the whole country. He's made specific selections with his wife for his shop including the coffee. It's known for its coffee but also offers groceries if you're looking for something healthy.

Thomas De Bruyne

With over a decade experience in advertising, Thomas De Bruyne trained as a graphic designer and he has spent 12 years working in advertising before making the switch to architectural photography. Now, under the name of cafeine.be, Bruyne continues to conquer the industry with his graphic gaze and communicative ingenuity. While he works in close collaboration with architects and design firms, he regularly exhibits free work of his photography and offers special art prints for purchase.

Credits

Creative director Silvia Mella
Photographer David Hatters