ARNO
DECLERCQ
Arno, born in 1994, is a Belgian designer and art dealer with a deep passion for design, atmosphere, history, and craftsmanship. Raised in a family immersed in the world of beautiful brands and objects, he inherited a love for aesthetics from his parents.
His father, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts Fashion Department, worked for prominent brands like Bikkembergs and established his own fashion brands. Additionally, he cultivated a passion for tribal arts over two decades. Arno's mother, collaborating with his father, acquired a shoe store in 2010, featuring brands such as Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, and Maison Martin Margiela.
Drawing inspiration from his parents' appreciation for beauty, Arno pursued studies in interior design. Armed with a profound understanding of materials and a rich knowledge of history, he ventured into designing interiors and later opened his own gallery specializing in ethnographic art and design. After a year, he transitioned to crafting bespoke items under his own brand, officially launched in May 2017.
Arno gradually built visibility through social media and collaborations with galleries. After almost two year he gained enough visibility to secured a gallery space during Milan Design Week in 2019 and held his first solo show in Los Angeles. The subsequent year, his collection was featured at art fairs like BRAFA and TEFAF.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arno and his team focused on existing clients and refining their workflow in privacy. In 2022, the war in Ukraine prompted Arno to participate in benefit auctions. He also co-founded Baranzate Atelier with the other designers of Zaventem Ateliers, where he met new clients such as Fendi (LVMH) and started to collaborate on custom designs and boutique interiors worldwide.
Arno's vision revolves around reviving elements of grand interiors from over a century ago, with a focus on large, static vases and candlesticks, tables and benches. Drawing inspiration from architecture, ancient arts, design, defense buildings (such as bunkers and fortresses), and tribal arts, his collections have reached over 40 countries. Each of Arno's designs incorporates a signature form from the initial collections, establishing not only an identity but also a language that enables the creation of entire interiors, preferably in black-burned wood.
As Arno increasingly shifted towards custom projects, targeting his market on social platforms became challenging. In response, he opened a private 500sqm showroom in Antwerp, Belgium, in November 2023. This exclusive space allows clients to immerse themselves in the unique identity that Arno has created. Since the official opening in February 2024 he started to schedule events where he invite other artist to show their work focused on only one our two evenings to really enjoy the maximum of a well selected audience.
