Mövenpick Brussels Airport: A Dreamlike Escape by WeWantMore

At Design Insider, we love seeing boundary-pushing design making an impact in the commercial sector, and WeWantMore is certainly delivering just that! Their latest project, Mövenpick Brussels Airport, is Belgium’s first Mövenpick hotel and a flagship destination for Accor!

Just a short drive from Zaventem Airport, this stunning new hotel, designed by architect David Vancanneyt, boasts 103 beautifully designed rooms, indulgent wellness facilities, and the showstopping rooftop restaurant, Magritte.

WeWantMore has just completed its latest hospitality project, the very first Mövenpick Hotel in Belgium

WeWantMore was commissioned to design the hotel’s rooms and public spaces, taking cues from the striking and surrealist concrete ‘curtains’ that feature on the building’s exterior. 

A sense of purposeful whimsy characterises the hotel’s interior, which taps into Belgium’s long and storied tradition of surrealist art. Spaces are designed to surprise guests with thought-provoking elements and unusual details, building an experience that’s equal parts theatrical and dreamlike. In doing so, connecting with the Mövenpick brand philosophy of ‘Doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way’. 

Owner Fjörd RED / Operator BCCH

The interiors emphasise a feeling of being up in the clouds, with a palette of warm whites and light blues.

Sheer curtains, cloud-shaped carpets and blue banquette upholstery all come together to evoke the essence of the sky, cocooning guests in a light, airy atmosphere. This extends to the guest room showers positioned under an illuminated textured ceiling resembling clouds. 

Monika  Jedrzejczyk from WeWantMore comments:

“Our ambition was for the hotel interiors to unite dreams and reality, and find beauty in things both unexpected and uncanny. WeWantMore has partnered with Mövenpick to redefine the airport hotel experience, transcending the traditional boundaries of functionality and business travel. By thoughtfully addressing the long-standing perception of guests as merely ‘in-transit’ and focusing on meticulous details, we crafted an extraordinary and timeless aesthetic that unites dreams and reality.”

This sense of airiness and levitation is encountered throughout the hotel, with furniture and joinery constructed so it appears to be floating above the ground and emphasised by the use of rounded edges and curves, which create a softness and gentle flow.

There’s also a distinct sense of playfulness in the communal areas and restaurant, with objects designed to subvert expectations.

Shelves are supported by books, spheres and vases, and foot rails and lighting features are held up by ‘hands’. In the bar area, a counter lifts its stone skirt to reveal polished metal beneath, while a solid block of granite hovers, apparently precariously, above.

Mirrors add to the dream-like experience, warping the perspective or appearing to be frozen in the act of melting. Even when they tuck themselves in for the night, guests can expect the unexpected with cane-shaped wall lights, and an over-the-bed lamp that casts a bird-shaped shadow – referring to both René Magritte’s bird motif and Mövenpick’s logo. 

The interior of the restaurant evokes a real sense of warmth and relaxation through the use of wood, copper, bronze, light camel leather and soft plaster. The booths in the back offer something out of the ordinary, made using 3D-printed panels that could have been scooped from a pot of stracciatella ice cream (a reference to Mövenpick’s own ice cream line).

In the hotel restaurant, Magritte, a copper veil seems to float through the space, as if carried away by a gentle wind – emphasising the area its elevated position and the views out into the sky beyond.