FEW NAMES IN TODAY’S DESIGN WORLD carry the weight and prestige of Belgian architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen. With his signature timeless aesthetic, consistent authenticity, and uncluttered simplicity, Van Duysen’s influence stretches around the globe—from groundbreaking residential and retail space designs to furniture collections par excellence.

It was his quietly sophisticated design approach and sensitivity to natural materials that led to Van Duysen’s acclaimed first Franck Collection of dining and seating for Sutherland Furniture, launched in 2018.

Seven years later, this fall, the designer returns to breathe new life into the collection, aiming, in his words, to “give it a fresh energy while staying true to its spirit.”

Reworking the teak designs in sleek aluminum with mesh sling seats, Van Duysen instills a modernist quality in the furniture that resonates with both Sutherland Furniture’s aesthetics and the legacy of 1930s designer Jean-Michel Frank, whose work inspired the original collection. Compared to wood, the metal framing and seating introduce a new lightness, coupled with a more contemporary quality, that offers great durability and resilience in an outdoor environment.

“The new interpretation allows for a complete re-reading of the collection, both visually and stylistically,” explains Van Duysen. “It appears lighter, softer, and firmly anchored in the modernist universe that is so dear to me. The materials and proportions have been reconsidered to express a sense of quiet sophistication, while maintaining the timeless elegance of the original spirit.”

But it was not only furniture design that occupied Van Duysen in his collaboration with Perennials and Sutherland. This season sees the launch of an exciting first collection of wallcoverings by the designer. With six wallcovering designs for Perennials, Van Duysen explores texture and material with subtle sophistication. From the rhythmic interplay of texture in Filament, an organic stripe design woven from raffia grass, hemp, and cotton yarn, to Tableau, a striking wallcovering inspired by the weathered elegance of Old-World concrete walls, the collection marks a new departure—even for Van Duysen.

“This was my first time exploring wallcoverings, so I approached it as an opportunity to translate both my architectural language and personal sensibility into something expansive and textural,” says the designer. “I’m someone who is deeply drawn to the tactile nature of materials. I need to feel them, to connect with them. Each design in the collection expresses a different facet of that vision, playing with rhythm, structure, and materiality in a way that feels both intimate and architectural.”

Experimentation, openness, and trust were essential in the collaboration. “I was curious to explore as many material possibilities as I could,” the designer explains. “We tested different weaves, textures, finishes… always searching for the right balance between visual subtlety and tactile richness.”

The collaborative process was equally rewarding for the Perennials team, as Amy Williams, VP Creative of Perennials, recalls:
“Vincent is an extraordinary designer and architect—an encyclopedia of knowledge and insight. His ability to visualize the end result with clarity and excitement is truly inspiring. He brought thoughtful energy to every conversation, and his decisiveness, confidence, and ease made him an absolute pleasure to work with. Collaborating with Vincent has been such a privilege.

The ambition was to create a new collection of wallcoverings that felt elevated, but also grounded in Van Duysen’s understanding of materiality. The result is a versatile collection of quality textures and refined finishes. Each design has its own identity. Some, like Stitchery, with its printed pattern on vertical textile strings, are more graphic, while others like Ashlar, a luxurious design on handmade paper, inspired by the elegance of hand-cut stone, feel more artisanal. But much like the Franck Collection, they all share the essence of Van Duysen’s vision: a quiet, pure, and elegant language that transcends whims and trends to define future classics for homes the world over.

The Perennials upholstery palette, complete with six new fabric qualities, was carefully curated to bring a sense of warmth and intimacy to the designs, in earthy neutral and sun-washed shades. “I wanted the colors to feel natural and comforting, in tones that resonate with the softness of the new shapes and materials,” he adds. From the micro-chenille ottoman weave, Antwerp, to the small-scale herringbone, Parquet, his fabric designs ooze comfort.

Van Duysen complements the beautiful fabrics with four rug designs—Passer, Lignes, Brickwork, and Waffie—that embrace his passion for tactile appeal. For instance, a checkerboard pattern also available in fabric form, Waffie is a hand-tufted rug alternating between plush cut pile and loop. A flatwoven rug, Passer fuses craftsmanship and performance with a linear pattern.

“There is definitely a visual language that runs through the entire collection,” Van Duysen comments. “A quiet elegance, a focus on texture, rhythm, and material presence. But each design also stands on its own, with its own identity and atmosphere… some are more graphic, others more subtle and tonal. I wanted them to offer versatility, to speak to different spaces and sensibilities, while still feeling like part of the same thoughtful, textural universe.”