When Studio Lionel Jadot began working inside the Royale Belge to shape the Mix hotel, the project immediately became more than an interior assignment. It became a live demonstration of how we work.

At the core of this transformation lies the Realistic Circle. Not as theory, but as practice. The Realistic Circle rejects the linear model of client, architect, contractor, supplier. Instead, it builds a horizontal ecosystem where designers, artisans, builders, and thinkers operate as equals. Each voice matters. Each contribution carries weight. Decisions are taken in proximity to the material and the maker.

The Mix allowed this structure to unfold at scale. Zaventem Ateliers was not a backdrop. It became the engine. Designers from the ateliers developed furniture, lighting, textiles, artworks, architectural details. Prototypes were tested, adjusted, rebuilt. Materials were sourced locally where possible. Existing elements were reconsidered, reused, transformed. The building’s strong brutalist presence demanded clarity. We responded with precision rather than excess.

The Realistic Circle also challenges authorship. The Mix is not a showcase of isolated objects. It is the result of continuous dialogue. Ideas moved between studios. Craftspeople influenced design decisions. Constraints became catalysts. What emerged is an interior shaped by many hands, yet coherent because it grew from a shared ethic.

For Zaventem Ateliers, the Mix represents something essential: proof that a large, complex project can be built without sacrificing individuality, without defaulting to standardized solutions, and without erasing the presence of the maker. It shows that collaboration is not decoration. It is structure.