Glenn Sestig Architects is an architecture and interior design studio based in Ghent, Belgium, founded by founder Glenn Sestig in 1999. Founder Glenn Sestig, born in Ghent, Belgium in 1968, graduated from the Henri Van De Velde Academy in Antwerp. From the beginning, his work focused on extreme precision, mastery of architectural line, proportion and perspective, and it was easy to forget the careful considerations that were required in his design and creation.

Glenn Sestig's designs are mostly urban, almost an extension of the outside world. They are as rigid and precise as the urban grid, but their composition is refined. Glenn Sestig can evoke an old-fashioned vision of grandeur and elegance with only a limited amount of quality materials, but it's too easy to call him a minimalist. Modern life and the essence of space and utility give him a touch of luxury. Glenn Sestig has put his stamp on shops, galleries, offices and private homes across Belgium.

In order to create continuity, Glenn Sestig Studio often takes their original approach to creating flexible works with fluid intelligence that blend with local characteristics. Each finished work is considered a secondary work of art. Architecture is no longer a movement of time, but a statement of a global luxury lifestyle.

Yinji：What do you think of contemporary minimalism? 

Glenn Sestig：Minimalism has existing for centuries through different cultures. Minimalist architecture became popular in the West from the 1980s and 1990s, especially through the work of designers such as John Pawson, and it is often associated with the clean, white gallery feel. However, minimalism can be many things. For example, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona pavilion is minimalist, even though many might not immediately see it as such, because of its rich, colourful stone surfaces. But if you look at the shapes and volumes, it is as simple and minimalist as it can get. My work is in that realm too, I like composing clean, pared down, abstracted forms but dressing them with all kinds of beautiful materials, like tactile exposed concrete, and colourful natural stone. 

Yinji：Belgium has born a lot of minimalist masters, including Vincent Van Duysen and Mr. Glenn Sestig. From your perspective, how do you see this result? Social environment and so on? 

Glenn Sestig：Belgium has a huge creative industry, and for a relatively small country, it has birthed so many artists, fashion designers, product designers and architects, especially since the 1990s. It has been an amazing environment that supports and celebrates creativity – take for example Antwerp, it has been the birthplace of some very exciting talent in the 20th century, such as Luc Tuymans, Raf Simons, Martin Margiela, Dries van Noten and many more. 

Yinji：What inspired your interest in architecture and design? What is the mission of becoming a designer? What was the original intention of you and Mr. Bvardk to establish a firm together? 

Glenn Sestig：Ever since I was a boy, 11 or 12 years old, I was interested in architecture. When we travelled as a family, I always liked looking at houses, and then think about designing them. As a child I did my own bedroom, then my parent’s bathroom and my grandparents’ kitchen. I bought magazines and studied them and dreamt that one day, I will be in them too – so my work is really a dream come true for me. I first tried my hand at fashion, then interiors and my parents suggested I do architecture, which I went for and never looked back. After getting my degree, I started doing internships, but I knew I needed something more. Then I met [current partner] Bernard [Tournemenne] in 1993, we designed our own apartment and it got published in Elle Decoration. We got another job because of it, a hair salon in Antwerp, and the business took off from there. Even from my first works I knew that I wanted my designs to be minimalist but with a twist – with richness and colour, a different kind of minimalism. 

Yinji：In your work: How to complete the perfect combination of space and light? 

Glenn Sestig：A lot of it is instinctive and almost difficult to explain! It’s a line that comes alive. Its functional andcontextual but also, hopefully, poetic. It’s a balance that is also influenced by the site and each commission’s circumstances, and the result needs to be powerful but also gentle, serene. 

Yinji：Your favourite material? How to create a calm space atmosphere through materials? 

Glenn Sestig：I love working with natural stone and glass, it’s much about mirrors and different stones. If I had to pick, it would have to be those two. I love the natural feel and texture of the stone, its weight and luxury. And with mirrors, it’s about reflection, there’s always something mysterious about them. In the end, it’s about creating an equilibrium, the volumes need to be perfect, and then we bring in the materials and let them speak. 

Yinji：How do you see the influence of different cultures on design? Do you like oriental culture? What do you think is the difference between Eastern and Western design cultures? 

Glenn Sestig：All cultures are important and valuable. And often, mixing elements from different cultures, when East and West meet for example, can be very interesting in the creative world. I travel a lot and perhaps this comes out in my work, although I don’t do it consciously. At the same time, sometimes creating contrasts can be interesting. Ultimately, it is important to respect all cultures, as they all play an important role in the zeitgeist of the design world.