The Hotel Panorama Lounge renovation

The Hotel Brussels, an iconic landmark on Boulevard de Waterloo, is looking to reimagine its Panorama Lounge, an exclusive space offering breathtaking views of the city. In order to ensure a high-quality, contemporary approach that reflects Brussels' creative scene, The Hotel is partnering with MAD Brussels to coordinate an open call to select an architect or interior designer. 

The project seeks to transform the Panorama Lounge into a welcoming, contemporary, and inspiring space, in line with The Hotel's DNA: elegance, comfort, premium service, Brussels roots, and refined aesthetics. 

Mission

The mission consists of conceiving a new concept for the interior design of the Panorama Lounge, with the ambition of evolving and enhancing the 125 m² space, to better meet its current uses, its potential, and the contemporary identity of The Hotel.

The project will include: 

• A complete spatial proposal, integrating the functions, the circulation, the areas of use and the client experience, with the objective of improving the comfort and global coherence of space.
• An optimisation of the capacity of seating, aiming to increase it from the current 40 seats, to approximately 50, while avoiding overly dense or repetitive furniture, to preserve an ambiance in the lounge of elegance and high quality. The circulation must remain fluid and comfortable despite the increased capacity.
• A design concept placing the view at the forefront of the project, core element of identity of the Panorama Lounge, with seating mostly oriented towards the panorama.
• A minimalist, modern, and elegant aesthetic language, based on a restrained and contemporary palette, without decorative excess. The Panorama Lounge must be clearly identified as a space dedicated to experience, relaxation, and contemplation, and not as a multi-purpose or modular meeting space.
• A coherent choice of materials, furniture, lighting, textiles and colour palettes, in line with the high-end nature of The Hotel and the expectations of international customers.
• The integration of at least two elements of Brussels’ design, (lighting, furniture, ceramics, textiles etc), highlighting the creative locale scene. 

The ultimate goal is to create a warm, refined and contemporary space, in perfect cohesion with the Hotel’s DNA, which combines comfort, Belgian design and panoramic view of the city. 

What does this call for applicants offer?

• Total project budget: 100.000 € VAT, including fees and site supervision, covering all costs related to creation, design, production, construction, furniture etc. Production or furniture purchase will ideally be entrusted to Brussels or Belgian partners where relevant. The final budget will be subject to joint validation from The Hotel.
• The winner will lead the project design in collaboration with The Hotel and MAD Brussels
• A budget of €1,500 (excluding VAT) will be awarded to the two unsuccessful candidates as compensation for the time and effort invested in their preliminary project proposals.  

Selection Process

The call for applications will take place in two phases:  

 Phase 1  — Application & Pre-selection  

 The candidates will be invited to submit their dossier in English, French or Dutch, including: 

1. Candidate presentation (CV + portfolio/references)
2. Visual mood board of the project proposal + note of intent 

 Following this phase, 3 candidates will be selected based on their applications. They will be required to attend a mandatory visit of the site and space to be renovated on Wednesday, March 25th at 10:00 AM. 

Phase 2 — Developing the Concept  

The three shortlisted candidates will be invited to present a more in-depth proposal, in person, at MAD Brussels, that should include:  

• Detailed sketch and conceptual design
• Layout plans and intentions
• Atmosphere, materials, and selection of potential Brussels based designers
• Indicative budget estimate

The two unsuccessful finalists will each receive €1,500 in compensation. The winner will be commissioned to carry out the complete design of the Panorama Lounge. 

How to apply?

Applicants are invited to submit their application by completing this online form no later than Sunday, March 1st, 2026 (11:59PM).  

Applications will remain confidential and will be used solely within the framework of this call. Unsuccessful proposals will remain the intellectual property of the applicants. 

Meet the jury 

The jury will evaluate applications based on the relevance of the proposed concept and vision, the aesthetic quality of the project and its consistency with The Hotel’s identity, the integration of Brussels design, and finally the feasibility of the project, its sustainability and adherence to the budget.  

The jury will be composed of representatives from: 

• The Hotel Brussels
• MAD Brussels – Fashion and Design Centre
• Two independent experts from the sector  

Agenda

• 27/01/2026: Open call launched
• 01/03/2026: Application deadline
• 18/03/2026: Phase 1 — Jury review based on application files  
• 20/03/2026: Shortlisted candidates announced via email
• 25/03/2026 - 10:00 AM: Mandatory site visit to The Hotel
• 16/04/2026: Phase 2 — Jury review based on a presentation of the preliminary project at MAD (time to be determined)
• 17/04/2026: Final results announced via email
• 2026–2027 (time to be determined): Project development and implementation 

The final timeline will be confirmed with The Hotel and the selected candidates. 

Any Questions? 

 For any questions regarding this call for applications, please contact Juliette Huercano —  juliette.huercano@mad.brussels.