THE ART OF DOING EMPTY: JEAN-PHILIPPE DEMEYER
OCTOBER 26, 2019 by THE MOODIST
Jean-Philippe Demeyer likes fresh air. Doors and windows are to be kept open at all times, giving whatever breeze there is free play to dance through rooms and corridors. It makes the slightly enchanted world he created come alive, as if his collection of rare artefacts and artworks might awaken and break into some infernal ballet anytime.
I’m meeting the acclaimed interior designer in the greenhouse of the century-old castle farm he’s inhabited for the past 15 years. Today’s wind is a lukewarm autumn one and blows in dry leaves through the huge glass doors. The walls are painted bright yellow, what’s supposed to be a dining table is set with huge ornamental vases and a collection of ceramic dogs proudly gazes at me from across the room. Demeyer’s love for all things “interesting” -he doesn’t do ugly and pretty- has earned him the reputation of eclectic, sometimes even eccentric, artist and he is known for his colorful and imaginative style. “I can’t stand empty spaces, places without a theme. It’s important for objects to tell a story and to breath life into a room. It is one of my never-ending obsessions: the search for a good theme. Take this one for instance,” he gestures at a yellow lion sculpture resting at his feet,” I can perfectly imagine it in an all-yellow bathroom, with an amazing green carpet and a bright white bath tub. I don’t really care where an object comes from, who designed it or how much it costs. Its worth for me is its power to communicate something, to create an entire universe all by itself. Mind you, the latter only happens when you install it the right way: just stack all sorts of stuff together in a room and it becomes a soulless depot. You can only give meaning to something by displaying it well, compare it to what a chef does with ingredients; you need to pair them well and give each and every one its moment to shine. That’s why I in fact dò like emptiness: I prefer a few strong eye-catchers in a room to an overload of redundant stuff. I don’t really consider myself a decorator in that way, I don’t even like that word, rather someone who structures things. I’m one for structure, and clutter harms structure. A table may remain empty, a bookshelf doesn’t need to be crammed. I set down a theme, and after that it is up to the people to stuff their homes with pots and pans, not me.”