The ADW Must-Visit: Inside Moonler

Antwerp Design Week is officially here. If you want to escape typical "trade show" fatigue and experience design slowly, intentionally, and with a glass of natural wine in hand, head straight to the edge of the Stadspark.

AXIS, the city’s striking new cultural hub (housed in the iconic former Capital building at Rubenslei 37), has transformed into the official ADW main hub. Their headline act? The breathtaking, hand-shaped wooden world of Thai design house Moonler.

Beyond the Showroom: A Lived-In Living Room

AXIS and Moonler are throwing out the traditional exhibition playbook. Instead of a sterile showroom, they have com

It has completely taken over the building, spanning two floors, a hidden cellar, and an outdoor terrace to create a fully curated, lived-in environment.

Every corner is furnished with Moonler’s collections, inviting you to touch and experience the materiality of the pieces in a space that feels like a dream apartment. To elevate the experience, AXIS is fusing this high design with a refined farm-to-table culinary concept. Chef Wesley D’Abord has designed a contemporary, seasonal menu to accompany a curated natural wine bar, turning a design viewing into an act of true hospitality.

The Materiality: Chiang Mai’s Fluid Woodwork

Hailing from Chiang Mai, Thailand, Moonler operates on a poetic principle: craft holds memory, and time breathes through wood.

Their medium of choice is solid Chamchuri wood. Every piece is hand-shaped, allowing instinct and raw material to converge. Rather than forcing the wood into rigid perfection, Moonler’s artisans celebrate natural cracks and shifting grains. The result is heavy, sculptural furniture that somehow feels completely fluid, dissolving into the architecture and altering the atmosphere.

A major highlight is the KENA Collection by Ratthee Phaisanchotsiri. Blurring the lines between fine art and functional design, these low-slung chairs and fluid tables act as striking functional sculptures that bring mid-century nostalgia into the modern era.

your adw plan

Make sure to center your Antwerp Design Week route around Moonler's immersive takeover.

• The journey kicks off this Saturday, May 31st, at 16:00 with an intimate preview presentation in the building's atmospheric cellar.

• The Main Event: The full immersive installation runs for four days (Sunday through Wednesday) across all levels and the park-view terrace.

Come for the craft, stay for the wine, and experience design at its finest.