Once upon a time, Patrick wanted to build a new house in the woods of Flanders. He met the brave team of Low architecten who took on the quest to design easy and livable spaces with one square window positioned towards the house of the sister next door. No, we wont continue with a Hans and Gretel-like story, instead we’ll talk serious architecture! Read the rest of this entry »
21
May
2013
May
2013
Patrick’s House
13
May
2013
May
2013
Frietkot Painting
We all know the not-so-secret recipe for Belgian fries: we double fry. But do you know where we serve them? At one of the many frietkots found on main highways and town squares (reportedly over 5000 in our little country). These traditional fries shops are slowly disappearing from the street view due to strict food regulations and urban planning. Luckily we have the paintings of Gillis Houben to remember us of the strange beauty of a patched up van alongside the road. Read the rest of this entry »
7
May
2013
May
2013
Bridging the Gap
No, we’re not speaking proverbially, instead we take it literally: to make a bridge that reaches across a space! But it takes more than that to make a great bridge. Advances in design software, construction techniques and innovative materials have given engineers opportunities to focus on original, striking and sometimes whimsical designs that impress, while keeping function in mind. The best fit to this description is Brussels-based engineer office NEY+Partners. Read the rest of this entry »
6
May
2013
May
2013
Thierry Boutemy
Finally we start seeing flowers everywhere in the street and on the fields so that’s why we dedicate this post to master florist Thierry Boutemy who just moved and opened a new shop in Brussels next to our favorite bakery Le Saint-Aulay (remember the gayest bakery in town?). Read the rest of this entry »
4
May
2013
May
2013
The Sound of Spring
Finally Spring arrived in Belgium and everywhere else in Europe. People are in a good mood which seems to make life so much easier. Bars and restaurants all over our country can put out their terrace because that’s what Belgians like: have an ice cold beer, a glass of wine or why not, a gin & tonic (getting more popular by the day ) and this all in good company, listening to good tunes. On this sunny day we would like to share some of our favorite Belgian tunes of the moment. Because the weather is great, because we are in a good mood and just because we love music. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »
2
May
2013
May
2013
Suitcase Love
What happens with an empty suitcase? Option number 1: you’ll throw it somewhere in a dark corner of a room and let it gather some dust. Option number 2: you reinvent it into a multifunctional desirable and stackable design object. That’s exactly what designer Maarten De Ceulaer did for his Design Academy graduation project four years ago. Today he continues ” The Leather Collection” with brand new edition titled “Chest of Suitcases”. Read the rest of this entry »
1
May
2013
May
2013
VII Sept-Bruxelles
We discovered VII Sept-Bruxelles through the Nationa(a)l Store, a pop-up project by two Belgian-lovers last year in December. A quirky pineapple-shape handbag caught our eye. What was it? Who was this? It was Sept Bruxelles, the accessory label created by Cécile De Jaegher. Read the rest of this entry »
28
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
I Love Belgium interviews Natalie Joos
Fashionistas will know immediately who Natalie is, but for our readers who are less interested in fashion: Natalie Joos is a Belgian casting agent who has been living half of her life in New York. Maybe her last name will ring a bell, the I Love Belgium team already interviewed her sister Evelien who is also living in New York. With her sense of style Natalie was noticed by The Sartorialist, Tommy Ton and other streetstyle photographers. Read the rest of this entry »
22
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
Five questions for Liv Vaisberg
Next up is Poppositions founder and director Liv Vaisberg. Conceived as an experiment with the art fair format, Poppositions is a pop-up fair changing location for each edition and featuring artists proposed by galleries and organisations working with site-specific exhibitions. They want to provide an alternative to the white cube environment of standard fairs while nurturing high artistic standard. Read the rest of this entry »
18
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
Five questions for Aude de Bourbon Parme
This time of the year Brussels is flooded with art lovers and art collectors from all over the world. Yes, it’s Art Brussels and thanks to the success and reputation of Belgium’s art mothership a whole series of art events is organized around the city. Thanks to SLICK, the biggest off art fair of Art Brussels, who came to Brussels for the first time last year, the area around WIELS in the commune of Forest has become the real off neighbourhood of Art Brussels. Read the rest of this entry »
15
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
Beastly Jewelry
Every I Love Belgium reader knows we like statement jewelry (I’m sure your remember our posts about IL by Isabelle Lenfant, Belgian statement necklaces and Mouton Collet) and we just discovered another gem. Read the rest of this entry »
11
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
De Gris by Léa Peckre
Attentive followers of I Love Belgium will recognize Léa Peckre’s name immediately. She was part of our Fashion Young Bloods article. And Léa is a busy bee. Not only did she start her own collection, but now she also became the artistic director of De Gris, a French luxury leatherwear house. Read the rest of this entry »
10
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
Maria goes Milano
Design circus to it’s fullest, that’s how you can describe the design week during the Salone Del Mobile. Star designers introduce their new products, of course edited by desirable design brands, and show their profitable smiles for the gathered international press. That’s why the I Love Belgium team is keen on talking about young Belgian design talents represented in the city of design and aperitivo! One of those is Ghent-based Maria Scarpulla who’s work are represented at Venture Lambrate. Read the rest of this entry »
9
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
Beautiful Decay
We played their as kids, spooked the hell out of our little sister or even stole our first kiss behind a wall overgrown with ivy. Empty buildings can be found everywhere. Sometimes they’re there because they belong to a noble family who cannot decide what to do with it, or they belong to a promoter not getting the right permissions to renovate, or they belong to the city who can’t find the funding or can’t decide what to do with it. But let’s be honest, they’re beautiful in their emptiness so why change them. Read the rest of this entry »
8
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
You’re a DOLL
“Can you hand over my pill box? You’re a doll”. Do these words ring a bell? Grandfathers and grandmothers all over the world use these exact phrases to keep their general health going. We all know these less-then-exiting organizers: cheap-looking, industrial plastic containers who help with the organization, timing and intake of pills. That’s why designer Quentin de Coster reinvented the pill box for an everyday use of medication in a fun and logical way! Read the rest of this entry »
29
Mar
2013
Mar
2013
Interior Magic
If you know the American reality show Million Dollar Decorator, you know that the taste of some self-proclaimed interior designers can be doubtful. By showing you the work of Belgian decorator Lionel Jadot, we want to erase all bad memories of over-designed and super-sized Los Angeles homes. Instead you’ll see the work of a guy who’s passionate about story telling through materials, compositions and colours! Read the rest of this entry »
21
Mar
2013
Mar
2013
Cabinets Of Curiosities
A cabinet of curiosities is an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorial boundaries were yet to be defined. Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history, geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, art works and antiquities. Read the rest of this entry »
20
Mar
2013
Mar
2013
City Centre Revitalization
What defines a city centre? Back in the day, the most prestigious building adorned and defined the face of a city’s central square. This face would have fixed elements such as a grand church, a great city hall and a prestigious bank. Elements which represent the religious, political and economical aspect of a city. So what if, by coincidence, these elements get an update? You create a city centre revitalization! That’s what happened in the small city of Harelbeke, in the west of Flanders. The city hall and Dexia bank, which overlook each other, both got a contemporary extension! Read the rest of this entry »
18
Mar
2013
Mar
2013
Lespagnard Swag
People who read our latest article about Belgian fashion will have noticed that there was someone missing from the list. We’re talking of course about Jean-Paul Lespagnard, one of our favorite young Belgian designers. The trucker son from the Belgian city of Liège who has been praised by the likes of Suzy Menkes and Lele Acquarone presented his Fall/Winter collection two weeks ago in Paris in a packed Gaité Lyrique. Read the rest of this entry »
13
Mar
2013
Mar
2013
Office Fun
Every morning, thousands of people walk into their office without noticing the architecture of the building. Nothing could be further from the truth for the employees who work in the recently refurbished Alpha Tower. Credits go to LOW architects who transformed the boring 60′s office building situated near the Brussels-north railway station into a remarkable energy friendly landmark! Read the rest of this entry »
