Best Hotel Design of the Year

MB Design Studio, founded by Berlin-based interior designer Merav Bustan, is a boutique design studio specializing in hospitality, commercial, and residential interiors across Europe. The studio is known for creating concept-driven spaces that combine strong narrative with thoughtful spatial planning and sensory experience. At VIA Antwerp, MB Design drew inspiration from the surrounding Zurenborg district - known for its rich Art Nouveau and Art Deco heritage - to craft a contemporary hotel that reflects the character of the neighborhood while offering a playful, immersive guest journey for hotel guests and locals alike. The project demonstrates the studio’s approach of blending local context, atmosphere, and carefully curated design details. 

The design is based on contrast: hard and soft, narrow and long, open and secure. The architecture by MKA | Marc Koehler Architects is raw and pure. We respected this rawness and softened it with natural materials, subtle lines, and rich upholstery. 

Raw materials formed the starting point. Concrete remains visible in the walls and perceptible in the ambiance. The structure of the building is not hidden, but rather enhanced. Sightlines play a key role. Anything that disturbs is concealed in wooden portals. Not as camouflage, but as part of the whole. This way, the views of the sea and dunes remain untouched. At the same time, these portals create a sense of security, like in a cabin, with the view always close at hand. 

The details make the interior unique: subtle boat lights that bring the atmosphere of the sea indoors, boat hooks that are both functional and decorative. 

The Brand Guys is a Belgian concept and brand development studio known for creating distinctive hospitality and lifestyle brands. Their work focuses on building places with a strong identity, where strategy, storytelling and spatial experience come together. For The Ostendian, they developed the full concept and brand universe, defining the positioning, identity, guest journey and overall creative direction for the hotel. Interior designer Bart Balcaen translated this concept into a rich and refined interior design. Known for his hands-on approach and strong aesthetic sensibility, he helped bring the spatial experience to life. His work blends hospitality thinking with strong aesthetics, creating spaces that feel as good as they look. Together they created a hotel that celebrates the soul of Ostend and proves that hospitality design can be both deeply local and internationally distinctive.

Our hotel is situated in a stunning Bauhaus-style monument constructed in 1938, and now accommodates 20 rooms and suites, a penthouse, a spacious restaurant, a cocktail bar, and a covered terrace.

All areas of our building are uniquely decorated with modern design elements, such as comfortable furniture, contemporary lighting, and abstract art, while still preserving the original woodwork, moldings, flooring, and tile work.

This successful blend of contrasts not only empowers an atmosphere of inspiring comfort and easy-going charm, but also complements the initial concept of Morgan & Mees: bringing together global citizens (Morgan, always open to new, eye-opening experiences) and locals (Mees, happy to keep things real, pure, and no-nonsense).

We are HD+VK. We are a Dutch award-winning interior design studio specialized in: Workspace Design + Wellbeing + Leisure + Smart Living + Hotels & Hospitality.

We don’t settle for ordinary. Every space is a blank canvas. A place to explore, challenge and surprise. We design with our heads and hearts, blending logic and intuition to create interiors that feel alive and unforgettable. Details matter: textures, light, color, corners, every element tells a story. Grounded, fearless, and collaborative, we turn ordinary spaces into extraordinary experiences.