As part of ‘Brussels Design September 2024′
If you are not familiar with this name yet and you are interested in design, make a note in your notebook – Lionel Jadot is in 1st place in the ”Belgian design’ section. In 2024 he was recognised as ‘designer of the year’ in the Hospitality section at the prestigious ‘Maison&Objet’ in Paris. Every year, he fires off a project that strikes with an idea and scope. Founder of Zaventem Atelier (a huge co-working space for designers – over 20 workshops from blacksmithing to weaving, in a former paper factory, near Brussels airport). A must-see. Last year, almost every one of these workshops contributed to the renovation of the MIX Hotel, which became a showroom of their capabilities, a hotel of the past and the future in one.
At the Brussels Design September festival in 2024 Lionel presented a new project, Passage Du Nord, this time a co-working space and co-living centre. Cohub (from English ‘cohabitation’) is active in Brussels – more than 50 houses for ‘cohabitation’, which is popular in the youth subculture. Renting flats in the 21st century has become so expensive in Europe that different types of cohabitation are developing with cosmic rapidity.
You have often passed by this mini Passage doing your shopping on rue Neufe without noticing it. The second entrance is at Place de Brouckère. This was once a theatre with dressing and costume rooms, and in the early 20th century its rooms were used by the staff of the Hotel Metropole. Lionel has kept the exterior of Passage Du Nord a la the 19th century, bourgeois – only the giant baby ‘putti’ in its aisle seems to mock the bourgeoisness of the passages as a form of elite shopping. Cohub’s interior is super modern, with an inherent industrial vintage touch to Lionel Jadot’s style. Recognisable to all fans of his work (myself included). Always in rough boots, the designer exudes testosterone, which is reflected in his designs. But let me emphasise – all his designs are a collective creation. He is just a leader showing the way.
Lionel Jadot likes to say he’s self-taught. But as a 6th generation furniture maker, he grew up in his father’s workshop and furniture design, along with furniture varnish and shavings, is certainly embedded in his DNA.
What’s available at Cohub ‘Passage Du Nord’? 60 fully furnished bedrooms (most with en-suite bathrooms) spread over 4 blocks. On the 4th floor, there is a magnificent rooftop with a beautiful view of the Brussels cityscape. A cosy cinema room perfect for watching films, a spacious gym, a quiet co-working space and even a bike storage room!
