Charles Vandenhove modernist office

Charles Vandenhove (1927–2019). Rare desk in solid Afzelia; the top is covered in black linoleum and fitted with a two-drawer plywood pedestal. Made in the 1960s.

• The piece has been restored by our restorer.
• W 110 CM X D 65 CM X H 74 CM.
• Drawers P 37 CM X H 9 CM.
• Useful P of the ‘briefcase’ section 64 CM.
• A small accident on the edge of the desk at coin level (normal wear, see photos).

Modernist desk by Charles Vandenhove for the Student House – Lucien Brull Residence in Liège, work from the late 1960s. Designed for an iconic place in student life in Liège, this desk illustrates the architect’s clear, structured vision: functional design, a strong line, and solid construction that highlights the natural beauty of the wood.

Charles Vandenhove desk and Belgian modernism of the 1960s

Although modernism emerged as early as the 1930s, it truly took hold in the 1950s and continued into the early 1970s. This desk fully belongs to that period. Its lines show affinities with certain models by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, whom Vandenhove met early in his career around 1951, as well as with figures such as Auguste Perret or Gio Ponti.

The desktop covering has been replaced with linoleum strictly identical to the original. The defects visible in the old photographs are therefore no longer present.

Bibliography: University of Liège booklet for the construction of the Lucien Brull University Residence, October 1967, Desoer Printer.

Excerpt from the Lucien Brull University Residence brochure

Excerpt from the Lucien Brull University Residence brochure

Excerpt from the Lucien Brull University Residence brochure