Virginie Steeland is a Belgian Interior Architect and founder of Kasanai. With a background in interior architecture and experience in yachting design, she creates sculptural, refined pieces that balance minimalism with warmth. Her work explores the tension between raw and polished—combining lime plaster, stainless steel, and burl wood to craft objects that are both functional and poetic. Inspired by travel, the ocean, and timeless design movements like Art Deco, she designs with a quiet sense of luxury. At the heart of her process is a love for beauty, simplicity, and enduring materials.

1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

I was born in Kortrijk but raised just outside Brussels.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

Going to museums with my mum and recognizing van Gogh’s.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

Sort of, I worked for real estate developers. So, in spirit, yes. Even before I formalized my path in design, I was drawn to shaping environments and aesthetics that evoke emotion through restraint.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

A need to bring serenity and intention into physical form. It began with a desire to live in beauty—and evolved into the creation of objects that carry that same essence.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

My process is intuitive and deeply sensory. It often begins with a feeling—evoked by a place, a material, or a memory from travel or the ocean—and evolves through reduction. I’m constantly editing, seeking the perfect tension between simplicity, soul and function.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

I always begin my day with a coffee and a workout. Some days are tactile – testing textures and pigments. Others are quite – spent sketching or in reflection.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

I’m drawn to materials that age gracefully and carry a certain raw honesty—lime plaster, metals, wood. They tell their own stories and don’t require embellishment.

“Start by listening—really listening—to materials. Don’t rush the process. Great design emerges when you remove everything that’s not essential.“

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

Each piece is handcrafted and unique, with a focus on materiality and form. I work with custom-made lime plaster formulas that allow for subtle tonal shifts and a tactile, organic finish. Our newest collection introduces stainless steel—chosen for its strength, purity, and reflectivity. The contrast between the raw, mineral softness of plaster and the sleek precision of stainless steel creates a dialogue between nature and structure, light and shadow.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

Start by listening—really listening—to materials. Don’t rush the process. Great design emerges when you remove everything that’s not essential.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

My work balances minimalism with sensuality.

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

Le Corbusier, Axel Vervoordt, Tadao Ando– for their clarity and vision and reverence for space.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

Rick Owens, Fay Toogood, John Pawson

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

James Turrell for his use of light, Agnes Martin for her restraint, and Georgia O’Keeffe for her ability to see the world with sensual simplicity.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

Silent Refinement shaped into form

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

 Less is more

12. Which talent would you most like to have?

To speak every language

13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To worry less

14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Creating a life that reflects my values.

15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A dolphin

16. Where would you most like to live?

Near the ocean

17. What is your most treasured possession?

My wedding ring

18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

A life lived without travel

19. What is your favorite occupation?

Creating Beauty

20. What is your most marked characteristic?

Eye for detail

21. What do you most value in your friends?

Presence

22. Who are your favorite writers?

Mell Robins, Eckhart Tolle, Phil Knight

23. Who is your hero of fiction?

Odysseus

24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Eileen Gray

25. Who are your heroes in real life?

Women who live with purpose and freedom

26. What are your favorite names?

Philine, Sam, Madoux Maxelle

27. What is it that you most dislike?

 Clutter – in spaces and in thought

28. What is your greatest regret?

Not starting Kasanai earlier

29. How would you like to die?

In peace, with the sound of waves nearby and before my partner

30. What is your motto?

Beauty is enough