VAKlab @ Milan Design Week 2025
In 2024 I was in Milan with Baroness O. and BOLD dualities. A year later I was back, this time for Bokrijk. In April 2025, VAKlab, Bokrijk’s lab for craftsmanship and design, made its international debut at Milan Design Week.
The pavilion
From 7 to 13 April, the garden of Villa Bagatti in Varedo, one of Alcova’s venues, was home to a striking five-metre-high pavilion crowned with thatch. Belgian designer Michaël Verheyden drew it, and Bokrijk’s own craftspeople built it. The shape nods to the thatched timber-frame houses of the open-air museum Bokrijk and to a beehive, a symbol of collaboration, connection and respect for nature. Small openings in the thatch revealed the objects inside bit by bit, so visitors had to discover them rather than simply look at them.
The objects
Inside was a collection of exclusive objects designed by Verheyden and made by makers from the VAKlab community: blacksmith Dirk Van Esser, weaver Martine Geladi, woodworker Jordy Pattar, basket weavers Jeanny Bouwen & Jefke Geysels, ceramics studio Franssens, natural stone studio Il Granito, glass studio RERO Glass and upholsterer Sophie Doore.
Together they combined age-old techniques with contemporary design. The message was clear: local craftsmanship is a strong answer to the growing demand for sustainable, authentic production.
Behind the scenes
I coordinated the project. On the practical side, that meant agreements with Alcova and the designer, procurement of materials, getting the pavilion to Italy by truck (customs papers included), build-up and dismantling scripts, and travel and accommodation for the team.
On the communications side, together with Bokrijk’s marketing team I wrote the communication plan and the press releases for local and international design press. I also organised a press conference in Bokrijk in February. Together with Het Beweegt, I set up a video trajectory that followed the makers at work in the months before Milan.
Once in Milan, I helped give the pavilion its finishing touches (yes, with a paintbrush in hand). I was there for the press opening, welcomed guests and hosted the pavilion throughout the week.
After Milan, the pavilion came home. You can still visit it at Domein Bokrijk.
Colofon
initiated by VAKlab – Bokrijk
design by Michaël Verheyden
built by the craftspeople of Bokrijk
at Alcova, Villa Bagatti, Varedo
video by Het Beweegt
photography by Cafeïne