Stable Wins Gault&Millau Award for Most Beautiful Restaurant Design 2025

Five years after the opening of Stable in the beautiful eastern coach house of the lush castle estate at Hof ter Linden in Edegem, the gastronomic restaurant received recognition for its unique interior. In 2024, Gault&Millau awarded Stable the prize for ‘Most Beautiful Restaurant Design 2025’. For co-founder and chef Njegoš Kaličanin, the award is a well-deserved reward for his hard work.

Everything Had to Feel Right

Before Stable, interior design was never a priority for Kaličanin. “I never paid much attention to interiors. My job is the kitchen,” says the Serbian chef. “In the past, a restaurant visit was all about the flavors, the food, and the plating for me. But Stable changed everything. Suddenly, lighting, acoustics, and ambiance became important too. I fell in love with the space and wanted only the very best for the building. Everything just had to feel right.”

The very best for Stable turned out to be architect Dieter Vander Velpen. “I spoke to at least seven or eight other designers, but there was never a real connection. Those other guys didn’t have the necessary respect for the building. I was about to give up the search when I met Dieter. He shared my love for the space and immediately came up with a whole range of great ideas. Dieter introduced me to Luyten Interiolizers. From that point on, everything went incredibly smoothly.”

What followed was an intense process of designing and fine-tuning, led by project manager and managing director Kurt Luyten. “Take our seating benches, for example: Dieter must have redrawn them six or seven times until everything was just right. The effort he and Kurt put in truly paid off,” says Kaličanin. “Today, everything in Stable is in harmony with the historic character of the building. Every decision was made in function of the space, not in terms of how many covers we could fit in. Together, we wanted to honor the space.”

A place where experience takes center stage

For Kaličanin, the Gault&Millau award for ‘Most Beautiful Restaurant Design’ is the ultimate recognition that Stable is a place where experience is central. “It’s such an inspiring place to work. The interior brings a sense of calm. Like looking at a beautiful painting that reveals something new every time you see it – that’s how I feel every time I walk into the restaurant. And that’s exactly what makes Stable so timeless.”