Period details worth keeping

How we protect mouldings, chimneypieces, and floor transitions in Brussels heritage apartments while updating daily rooms for modern living.

Skirtings and door casings

Ixelles flats often carry tall skirtings that clash with contemporary baseboard heaters. We measure reveal heights and propose furniture plinths that sit clear of the profile so painters can still cut in cleanly after soft furnishings arrive.

Where casings are painted multiple times over, we sample colour in shadow and daylight before matching new frames in secondary rooms.

Chimneypieces as anchors

Marble surrounds in Saint-Gilles salons become the room’s quiet centre. Sofas sit off-axis so the hearth remains readable; mirrors rise only as high as the cornice allows without clipping ceiling roses.

Floor transitions

Parquet to tile thresholds in kitchens and baths need rug and runner plans that hide wear without trapping doors. We mark swing arcs on the plan before ordering runners cut to hallway widths typical of Brussels townhouses.

Hardware and switches

Brass and porcelain fittings stay when they still work. Replacement plates follow the same screw centres so plaster stays intact — a small discipline that protects walls older than a century.

When to simplify

Not every cornice needs restoration before styling begins. If cracks are stable and paint is sound, we style around them and leave structural repair to your building contractor.