That vocabulary of material honesty, experimentation and craftsmanship announces itself before a guest has even crossed the threshold. The custom ceramic tile façade is conceived as a tactile counterpoint to Bruges' familiar brick and pitched-roof vernacular. Inspired by sun-dried soil, the façade was first mapped out in clay on a horizontal surface, then divided into abstract, puzzle-like fragments. Each piece was hand-painted in a deep teal hue, fired, and installed one by one, lending the building a handwrought surface that feels both geological and crafted.

Inside, the six suites, each around 75 square metres, are defined by a soothing, cocooning atmosphere underpinned by a tactile palette of clay and plaster. Organically plastered walls, showcasing a technique developed by the studio, imbue the spaces with a raw, sculptural sensibility, as do the studio's signature clay bathtubs, washbasins and free-standing pod-like shower cubicles. Cast floors incorporating graphic motifs made from clay residues, built-in beds, and a sparse selection of minimalist furniture, also by the studio, further deepen the sense of monastic immersion, while ceramic switches developed with Maison Kallis attest to the holistic reach of an approach in which no detail is too small to design.

While they share the same soothing sensibility, each suite has its own identity, shaped through muted tones ranging from beige and grey to green and terracotta. The exception, and the most adventurous room in the building, is the ROKU suite. Here, a sinuous bamboo-slat structure winds through the space like a woven organism, its warm, fibrous texture set against slate-grey walls, exposed brick and terracotta-toned floors, its bolder register an exception that still speaks the same material language.