Bernadette and Charlotte de Geyter, co-founders of the cult brand Bernadette Antwerp, open the doors to their charming family home in Belgium …
Fizzy florals, playful hemlines, silk kimonos and dramatic taffeta bows are some of the design signatures of Bernadette Antwerp. Co-founded by the mum-and-daughter duo of Bernadette and Charlotte de Geyter in 2018, the brand’s cult status is due to its cross-generation appeal. In a short space of time, it has evolved to include capsule bridal and homeware collections reflecting the prints in the collection – and the de Getyer’s combined talents.
Bernadette, a former fashion buyer for Ralph Lauren, has an intuitive sense of what women want to wear – something comfortable and colourful. Charlotte, who hand-draws the signature floral motifs for each collection, studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts before working with Simone Rocha. “It was beautiful to see how the Rocha family were so close and really lived and breathed the DNA of the brand,” says Charlotte of this formative stint in London.
Integral to the brand’s inspiration is their two-storey, five-bedroomed home which looks like a Provençal manor house, located in the village of Braaschaat, not far from Antwerp. One of their neighbours is Dries van Noten.
“I think my designs reflect being raised in a colourful home,” says Charlotte. The rooms on the open-plan ground floor are painted in shades of pink – Bernadette’s favourite colour – while table lamps are used to counteract the grey Belgian light, suffusing surfaces with a soft, warm glow. In the living room, the sofa is piled with custom-made cushions, commissioned from a local craftswoman; their Australian Labradoodle puppy Maurice is never far away. The decor chimes with their aesthetic, described by Charlotte as “creative, colourful, optimistic, outspoke, hyper-feminine and relaxed”.
Charlotte de Geyter in the drawing room.
While she works on her sketches in the drawing room, overlooking the mature garden, Bernadette is likely to be found in the kitchen which is filled with cookbooks and lined with shelves of antique dishes and platters. Celebrating life is at the heart of their AW21 collection, whether that’s having breakfast in a silk robe, spending the day in luxurious knitwear or throwing a dinner party wearing a taffeta dress.
Jodie square-neck dress, €775, at Brown Thomas.
“We’re very optimistic people. We want to spread this feeling and try to always look at life as a glass half full. To unwind after a day in the studio, we love having dinner at home [the gathering might include Charlotte’s brother Sébastien, and her boyfriend, the artist Ben Sledsens] or going to one of the many great restaurants in Antwerp. If there’s something Belgians are good at, it’s having long dinners and eating great food.”
Bernadette Antwerp is available at Brown Thomas.
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