august Antwerp

HotelANTWERP

In the Antwerp district 'T Groen Kwartier' (the Green Quarter) you will find an eight-hectare complex that served as an Augustinian monastery as part of the military hospital until late in the twentieth century. Thanks to a collaboration between hotelier Mouche van Hool, architect Vincent van Duysen and top chef Nick Bril, the complex, which is one of the city's architectural gems, has undergone an intensive renovation to be transformed into august Antwerp.

August has 44 tranquil rooms and offers its guests a wide variety of facilities, including a shop, a library and four meeting rooms. In the impressive bar you can enjoy exclusive cocktails and a delicious selection of sharing dishes. In the restaurant, a four or five course seasonal menu is served accompanied by matching wines. The Passe-Partout tableware, designed in collaboration with Serax, completes the gastronomic experience. Finally, guests can retreat to the hotel’s wellness area or stroll through the gardens designed by Martin Wirtz.

As a fragrance partner, we were involved from early on in the renovation process. We were asked to match a scent that reflected both the historic and architectural features of the hotel. By spreading the fragrance composition in strategically chosen spaces, the fragrance should form an indispensable part of the concept’s total experience. In addition, a collection of interior essentials should provide a recognizable physical translation of august’s characteristic scent.

The complex’s historic function reverberates in almost all the facets of the hotel. To emphasize the mystical architectural features, the fragrance is characterized by balmlike notes of benzoin and smoky incense. The serene appearance of the interior is partly due to the use of materials and carefully chosen colours. With the addition of cedarwood and the earthy notes of angelica and vetiver, the fragrance composition leaves a sense of peacefulness to those who visit the hotel. Ingredients such as spicy pink pepper and musky ambrette are not only a modern counterpart to the earthy notes obtained from incense and cedarwood, but are also an ode to the restaurant with all its seasonal dishes.

To give physical shape to the characteristic scent of August, we developed two interior essentials, the room spray and reed diffuser, both of which have a timeless look with a contemporary touch. The colour of the outer box and the label on the glassware are characteristic of august and were devised following stratigraphic research during the renovation. The interior essentials are popular items in the shop, bought by guests and passers-by alike.