Swooping ‘Streamline’ curves and a rich coffee-bean colour palette combine inside Ghent’s Petit Grand Cafe ’t Kanon, which has been revamped by an all-female team on its 35th anniversary.

The cafe is located in heart of the Ghent, a stone’s throw from the medieval market square, and is a well-loved local spot. Its owners turned design practice Altu and creative directors Studio Stories to take ’t Kanon into a new era – while nodding to the ‘golden age’ of European cafes from which it’s born.

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Photography: Eefje De Coninck

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Original terrazzo floors and ‘guillotine’ windows have been expertly restored, while the interiors have been dressed in rich mahogany wall panels and ceilings ’borrowed’ from the 1950s. A new horseshoe shape bar, inspired by the building’s original curving facade, has a hand-polished metal front and mirrored back anchors the space.

The furniture inside Café ‘t Kanon is similarly simple: think wooden tables and Parisian chairs and buttery leather banquets. Meanwhile, globe lighting scones and eclectic tiles add a 1970s touch, while the bathroom sink and fixtures are vintage.

Meerseniersstraat 17, 9000 Gent, Belgium

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