Combining PR and Social Media Strategy for Belgian Design Brand Atelier Vierkant
Archae Campaign shot for Atelier Vierkant by CafeineAtelier Vierkant is a Belgian family-owned design company specialising in sculptural, high-end ceramic planters for indoor and outdoor architecture. Working with clay and traditional production techniques, the company has built an international reputation around craftsmanship and a deliberately understated approach to luxury.
In early 2026, ahead of the launch of its Archae and Petrae collections during Salone del Mobile in Milan, Atelier Vierkant appointed COVERED to develop a communication framework and manage both its international PR and social media communications. The objective was to establish one coherent strategy across earned and owned media while protecting the restraint that characterises the brand.
The Challenge
For family-owned companies, communication often depends on knowledge that has never formally been documented.
At Atelier Vierkant, the brand identity had developed organically, with knowledge, aesthetic judgement and ways of speaking about the work passed from one generation to the next. Its communication was intentionally discreet, in keeping with a quiet-luxury positioning.
Bringing in an external communications partner therefore presented a double challenge: capturing internally held knowledge and translating it into an overarching PR and social media framework. The goal was to increase visibility without making the brand suddenly feel more commercial or outspoken.
Atelier Vierkant’s Archae collection shot by CafeineObjectives
translate Atelier Vierkant's internally cultivated brand identity into a clear external communication framework
increase international visibility around the Archae and Petrae launch at Salone del Mobile without compromising the brand's understated positioning
coordinate PR and social media around the same narratives, tone of voice, visual direction, launch dates and geographical priorities
Craftsmanship-led article in Damn magazineStrategy: Developing PR and social media from one narrative
COVERED first created an overarching communication strategy, where Atelier Vierkant was considered in relation to other craftsmanship-rooted luxury brands outside the design sector. The resulting framework defined the core narratives for Atelier Vierkant, established a tone of voice, as well as visual guidelines that could be applied across different formats,
Once this framework was established, it was translated into two complementary communication streams.
For PR, COVERED developed the press materials, target media list and outreach strategy around the Archae and Petrae launch. For social media, the same strategic foundation informed content creation and copywriting. This allowed Atelier Vierkant's own channels to reinforce the themes introduced through editorial coverage without simply reproducing press communication. Both streams followed a synchronised timeline based on launch dates and geographical relevance.
This coordination matters because PR and social media perform different roles within the same communication ecosystem. International PR creates third-party editorial validation and introduces a brand to new audiences, while social media allows the brand to develop that narrative continuously through its own channels. When the two are planned together, each can strengthen the effect of the other.
Results
Within three months, the PR campaign generated 30 press clippings with a combined media value exceeding €150,000 and an estimated reach of more than three million people. Coverage included Belgian publications such as Trends, Sabato and Villas, alongside international titles including Business of Home, AE Magazine and Signature.
Social media communications ran simultaneously with the PR campaign. During the same three-month period, Atelier Vierkant gained almost 3,000 new followers, representing 6.6% audience growth, while achieving an engagement rate of 6.5% and more than 16,000 engagements. For a premium design brand whose communication strategy deliberately prioritised restraint over volume, the combination of audience growth and engagement showed that greater visibility did not require abandoning its established identity.
What Design Brands Can Learn From This Project
Define the communication framework before increasing communication output.
For founder-led and family-owned design companies, much of the brand identity may exist as tacit knowledge. Translating that knowledge into messaging, tone of voice and visual principles makes it possible for external partners to communicate consistently without flattening the character of the brand.
Quiet luxury does not require quiet communication.
A restrained brand can increase visibility without becoming louder or more commercial. The distinction lies in what is communicated: craftsmanship, material knowledge and process can create depth without relying on overt promotional messaging.
PR and social media are stronger when they start from the same strategy.
Developing earned and owned media around one positioning and editorial narrative creates consistency while still allowing each channel to perform a different role.
For architecture and design brands, this is ultimately the value of combining communication strategy, international PR and social media management: not producing more communication for its own sake, but ensuring that every external expression of the brand contributes to the same long-term positioning.
Clippings secured by COVERED in Business of Home, Signature and AE Magazine