Kenneth’s mystery is that he is a quiet but passionate creative collaborator who likes to remain behind the scenes of his interior design. He loves to work with like-minded artistic minds, which results in interesting collaborations - like the creation of an upcoming design book, together with Eugeen of the Verne photography duo.
Eugeen is a 26-year photography partnership between himself and Herman Van Hoey. A partnership that like the castles Kenneth loves, has stood the test of time.
Eugeen has such clear pleasure when talking about Kenneth and his inspiring qualities. Although he jokes that he is less interested in Kenneth’s abstention from alcohol and he laughs as he says, “You can’t consume an aperitif together”. Of course nobody’s perfect (some might actually see sobriety as a positive quality) but it is clear that Eugeen can’t find anything bad to say about Kenneth. There is warmth, admiration and a clear, professional affinity between the two men.
Kenneth first found Eugeen’s photography work of the renovated village Chateau Castigno while on holiday in France. He was as inspired by this work as Eugeen is by Kenneth. There is clearly a meeting of minds and a lingering fire beneath both their styles. That fire allows them to compliment each other in an appreciation of design, art and aesthetic beauty.
Kenneth has a particular passion for restoring castles. In so many villages across Europe they stand at the centre, steeped in history and holding hundreds of years of interesting stories in their walls. As many can tell you, a castle is the very notion of something timeless, a legacy in its own right often associated with the idea of fairy tales, heroes, princesses and dragons.
Although Kenneth is not from a fairy tale he is a man who wants to make the world a more beautiful place and what he does has its own kind of magic. He believes in bringing beauty not just to those who can pay for it, but also to the whole of the local community. Kenneth gives back to society by making the surroundings more beautiful to benefit everyone.
Video: Eugeen talks about how Kenneth approaches his projects — and how he inspires others with his vision.
Eugeen calls Kenneth a “creative entrepreneur” – a term that defines him not as an artist in his own right, but as a man of great artistic panache and appreciation. He tells stories with his renovating and restoring work, surrounds himself with tasteful art as creative inspiration. Eugeen cites Kenneth’s home as one of the better projects he has - depends if you want me to refer to Verne duo or Eugeen - photographed so far: “The home reflects the character and personality of Kenneth … and that is unique”. Eugeen believes that many people “copy and paste” to create their image, but concludes that Kenneth is his own man who truly creates a distinctive style - which makes him a rare find.
Pictures: A selection of Eugeen's intimate photos of the Borgwal castle.