30 Years of Atelier Vierkant

On October 5 and 6 2023, Belgian pot manufacturer Atelier Vierkant gathered partners, clients, friends and press to celebrate their 30 years anniversary as a family business and the inauguration of their brand-new Clayworks Experience Space, Geia. The celebration included personal guided tours around the workshop and a festive reception with talks and music.

 

Willy, Annette, Bert, Dries and Ward are the five Janssens family members behind Atelier Vierkant. This year they celebrated the establishing, development and continuous expansion of their common creation, an unusually innovative clay workshop located in Ostend, Belgium. Together with their team of 60 dedicated craftsman, they run a growing business, renown in the international design and architecture field.

Throughout three decades, Atelier Vierkant has provided florists, garden designers and landscape architects, from across the world, with handmade pots and clay products. The 30 years celebration also marks the importance of these close partnerships which have been established thanks to a mutual ambition of creating beautiful spaces and landscapes together. To underline the value of these creative collaborations, Atelier Vierkant will be publishing a book titled, ‘The Vasologue – An Introduction’, during the opening of Geia. The book demonstrates in words and images both the imaginative and the pragmatic aspects of designing and arranging with pots. Besides a vast collection of inspiring photographs, 20 garden and landscape designers have contributed with their insights and approach.

During the two opening days, the new experience space, Geia, was open for the first time to indulge in a new architectural setting where pots and clay continue to play the leading role. Classics and new designs were presented across three floors, interacting with greenery, architecture, interiors and light in various ways. Members of the family and of the Atelier Vierkant team introduced guests to the different stages in designing, manufacturing, finishing, firing and packing, offering a close-up view to the innovation and craft behind the products. In the early evening, text writer Sisse Bro interviewed several landscape architects about their work with pots and plants, letting the professionals show examples of their appealing end-results and describe the way to get there. Live music was performed throughout the evening lead by Belgian musician and composer, Alexander Makay.