Lazy (sun)days, don’t we all like them? Preparing for one is quite easy as they only demand a few ingredients. A good movie, finger food and a whole bunch of pillows. If you want to bring this recipe to a higher level, then the I Love Belgium team found the perfect solution. The Brussels based designers Linda Topic and Christiane Hoegner created pieces that will bring you to that highest level of laziness! Read the rest of this entry »
31
Aug
2010
Aug
2010
Lazy Design
24
Aug
2010
Aug
2010
The Reference – Les Filles
What do you get when you bring a chef, a musician and a dancer together? A brilliant lunch concept called “Les Filles – Plaisirs Culinaires“! These three girls: Jeanna, Pascale and Line, dreamed of a communal kitchen where you can get a healthy lunch, follow a cooking course or get a group lunch delivered to your office door. Read the rest of this entry »
16
Aug
2010
Aug
2010
Cinematic masterwork
One of the real masterworks of modern cinema is Belgian and has the quite blunt title of JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES. Director Chantal Akerman was was only 25, in 1975, when she captured (with an all female crew) this three-hour-and-20-minute film about three days in the life of a widow, mother and prostitute. Akerman follows Jeanne Dielmans day to day rituals: washing, straightening, cooking and turning on and off the lights when she enters a room. Her son comes home, they have dinner, they take a walk, she puts on the radio and knits. But during the day she has gentleman in and turns tricks, leading to an inevitable crack in Jeanne’s facade. It’s both a structuralist triumph and a stunning indictment of society’s gender roles. Read the rest of this entry »
4
Aug
2010
Aug
2010
Online Design
Where will you find a wide arrange of excellent vintage design in one place? Belgium! You name a memorable design piece and one of the many dealers will have it. Going from the wanted Eames, Colombo and Poulsen to the more rare Wabbes, Caprioli or Cuneo. And if you don’t have the time for vintage treasure hunting in Antwerp (Kloosterstraat) or Brussels (Marollen) then you still have the 24/24 online shops. The I Love Belgium team made a selection of the best out there (and yes, they ship internationally). Read the rest of this entry »
3
Aug
2010
Aug
2010
Chauncey
There are some labels you just fall in love with. Everything is just right. Not only the clothes but also the identity, lookbook, model,… One of those brands is the Belgian brand Chauncey by Nathalie Bouhana and David Sdika. Read the rest of this entry »
14
Jul
2010
Jul
2010
Hunted and Collected #1
Our friends over at Hunting and Collecting just launched there first magazine Hunted and Collected #1. It is the first edition of a series of books, accompanied by an exhibition, a poster and other material to keep an archive of what they collected each season. Read the rest of this entry »
13
Jul
2010
Jul
2010
Arne Quinze’s sculptures
Burning Man Festival 2006,Black Rock Desert, Nevada: the place where it al started for Arne Quinze’s wooden stick sculptures. It was there that Quinze decided to create and burn his first sculpture Uchronia, a 30m high and 60m wide wooden construction. Typical for Quinze’s strademark sculptures are the individual timbers scattered and suspended throughout the structure. An intricate elegance created by the thousands of delicate connections holding together the sculpture. Quinze’s artwork is mainly about contrasts, contradiction, evolution, speed and time. Read the rest of this entry »
9
Jul
2010
Jul
2010
Delvaux ‘Toujours’
What’s the oldest leatherwear brand in the world? Hermès? We don’t want to disappoint our French neighbours but it’s the Belgian house of Delvaux. In 1829 Charles Delvaux added a shop window to his Brussels studio. His handcrafted trunks quickly gained universal admiration. In 1883, Delvaux became a warrant holder to the Court of Belgium. And in 1898, the House was the first to patent a model (the Edison trunk). Spurred on by this success, the range was further extended to include luggage, boxes, suitcases, and more. Never forgetting ladies’ handbags, which the House has offered since the beginning of the 20th century. Read the rest of this entry »
4
Jul
2010
Jul
2010
Cinematek
Where do most people hide when it’s escrutiating hot? Preferably a black room without any windows. Add a good portion of entertainment and you’ll end up in the Cinematek. This newly renovated museum is a true cinema Valhalla. Since 1938, several curators have collected and archived inspiring, technical or just outstanding movies, resulting in an worldwide famed and praised movie collection. Amongst the 60.000 titles you’ll find rare cult movies, historical classics and experimental German cinema. Read the rest of this entry »
29
Jun
2010
Jun
2010
Raphaël Charles – 20/30
You know that we like our up-and-coming young designers! Raphaël Charles is one of those, earning a spot on the list by redefining the rug. By questioning the rug as a tufted textile floor covering, he decided to trick the eye by using lumps of foamy black coal. This resulted in the 20/30 rug, a name referring to the standard calibre of coal. Read the rest of this entry »
19
Jun
2010
Jun
2010
La Fille d’O collection presentation via chatroulette
La Fille d’O has always been a pioneer in social media. They were on Friendster (remember that people?), Myspace and of course now also on Facebook and Twitter. Tonight 19/06 La Fille d’O designer Murielle Scherre will be presenting her new collection via chatroulette. Read the rest of this entry »
27
May
2010
May
2010
Bonom: graffiti art
Britain has Banksy, Belgium has Bonom! Since 2006, Bonom showcases his own impressive style: going for big, remarkable, sketch-like, fluid lines that end up in animal and skeleton drawings. For these he searches grey and basic buildings in the city centre of Brussels. Hanging from a rope he paints the night away. This gave Bonom the past years the unofficial title of a town legend. Read the rest of this entry »
24
May
2010
May
2010
Le Fabuleux Marcel flagshipstore by B-ILD Architects
I Love Belgium announced it a few weeks ago as a new B-ILD Architects project and now it’s actually a fact: Le Fabuleux Marcel de Bruxelles’ first flagshipstore. Read the rest of this entry »
24
May
2010
May
2010
Pantone Hotel Brussels
Brussels has a Pantone Hotel, and it’s a world wide exclusive! Pantone’s claim to fame began 45 years ago with its revolutionary color matching system that allowed designers to reproduce accurate color anywhere in the world. Today the company is branching out and moving into lifestyle- oriented industries using the same color numbering system. As the company began expanding, Pantone decided to construct a hotel as part of the new “Pantone Universe” campaign. For this they revamped a sixties building in uptown Brussels. Designed by Michel Penneman and Oliver Hannaert, the hotel fully embodies the company, as “the hotel of colors… showcases the color of emotion with a distinctive hue on each colorous guest floor.” Read the rest of this entry »
22
May
2010
May
2010
Bram Boo – Designer of the year 2010
The board of the international Design Bienalle Interieur Kortrijk, the editorial team of Weekend Knack and Le Vif Weekend, the Design Museum Gent and the team of Grand-Hornu Images awarded Brussels born designer Bram Boo the title of designer of the year 2010. The official award ceremony will take place during Design Kortrijk in October where he will also be exhibited. Read the rest of this entry »
21
May
2010
May
2010
Hunting & Collecting till you drop
I hate the word ‘concept store’ but I’m 100 % sure Aude & Niels put a lot of thought in their concept when they opened Hunting & Collecting 28th of February this year. The opening was a big success and they’ve had nothing but compliments from all over the world. The interior, the collections, the atmosphere,… everything feels right. Now they’ve also launched their website and webshop. Yes, you can buy all that beauty online too now. Read the rest of this entry »
21
May
2010
May
2010
Customisez-Moi IV
Check out every flee market and vintage store, Customisez-moi is there again! It will be the 4th time that this crazy customizing contest is organized by Belgian secondhand king Bernard Gavilan. For the ones who haven’t heard of it: Customisez-Moi is a yearly competition that calls out to everyone who is creative with needle, thread and a sewing machine. The contest wants to question textile overconsumption and the organizers also want to support creative talent. Read the rest of this entry »
20
May
2010
May
2010
Top 10 Architecture
Where do we look when we want to see innovative architecture? The Netherlands… think again! The last years Belgium has seen an increase in young, talented and dynamic architecture firms coming out schools such as Sint-Lucas and La Cambre. A new generation that’s keen on going from the design phase to the actual realization of the project, pushed by architecture lovers who see talent and give possibilities. Read the rest of this entry »
19
May
2010
May
2010
Tenbosch House
Brussels’ hospitality industry contains one more rare pearl: Tenbosch House. The new exclusive guesthouse in the Ixelles neighbourhood of central Brussels, brings a new design aesthetic of Scandinavian style married with international contemporary art to the local hotel market. Read the rest of this entry »
17
May
2010
May
2010
Cupcake craze
They’ve been there for ages but now they’re also all the rage in Belgium: cupcakes! Apparently the term “cupcake” was first mentioned in 1828 in Eliza Leslie’s Receipts cookbook. In the early 19th century, there were two different uses for the name “cup cake” or “cupcake”. In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups or molds and took their name from the cups they were baked in. This is the use of the name that has persisted, and the name of “cupcake” is now given to any small cake that is about the size of a teacup.
So now one of the most popular treats in the world has motivated some sweet Belgian ladies to start baking. The I Love Belgium team has a real sweet tooth and gives you the best addresses. Read the rest of this entry »
