I think gardening keeps me in balance, Van Noten says, and I think thats really important.
If I had continued the way I was working, my relationship with Vangheluwe wouldn’t have survived.
Though Van Notens father was a distinguished gardener, his young son was anything but.
The estate’s original plantings have been enhanced to suggest a whimsically overgrown woodland that frames both the lake and the 1840s Neoclassical mansion.
I hated it, he says.
Which was a little bit like, Oops!
When they discovered Ringenhof, it was in a dauntingly forlorn and parlous state.
This restored gazebo provides a tranquil sanctuary for Dries Van Noten.
(We are spoiled, says Van Noten.)
When the lindens blossom in July, the scent is intoxicating.
Further gardens were to follow.
A zigzag yew hedge designed by Erik Dhont leads from the Swiss Cottage guesthouse.
As unknowns, they were consigned to a far-flung corner behind the bridal section.
He made 36 of each style, and his womens line was born.
During the First World War, the house was shattered by shelling.
Peonies, avens, and geraniums in riotous colors lead the way.
Its our winter and our summer.
When he contemplates holidays now, he weighs them against the possibilities of missing his gardens unique moments.
As a designer, the maverick Van Noten always wanted to work independently of the traditional fashion capitals.
Lupines, poppies, and golden hop in full flower.
Antwerp, familiar and human-scaled, was a logical choice.
Its very strange, fashion: four times a year, being judged.
Its not always so easy to balance.
In the Victorian Rose Garden, creeping helichrysum spills from stone vases, and climbing vines of Blossomtime and Aloha roses garland delicate arches.
He takes another breath.
Belgian expressionist Léon de Smet’sNude and Bouquet(1922) greets visitors in the ornate oak entryway. Léon de Smet,Nude and Bouquet1922 / © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ASS), New York / Sabam, Brussels
Commanding terra-cotta Tritons, which once adorned a 19th-century Viennese bank, now guard the orangery.
Enchanting architectural treasures—like this knot-oak canopy—appear throughout the grounds.
A repurposed length of Mantero silk brocade dresses the dining-room table.
In the Red Salon, the original 1920s Franck paneling is hung with custom Lyonnaise silk.
A Venetian chandelier is reflected in the Hall of Mirrors’ Turkish panels.
