Antwerp #4 – Where to sleep

Hello everyone, I think nobody likes Mondays ... I think the best cure is to plan your next holiday and think back to your last holiday. While doing it, I realised I still wanted to give a last tip about Antwerp, where I spent a fabulous break last October. After telling you what to do in Antwerp by day and showing you the city by night, where to eat in Antwerp and where to shop, here comes my ultimate tip: where to sleep in Antwerp - and the answer is a beautiful Bed & Breakfast called Home @ FEEK. It is one of the most fantastic places I have stayed at in my life - it was the night of my birthday and it was definitely special!

It is located in the old house of the harbour master and five minutes walk from the MAS (Museum aan de Stroom).

The place is run by product designer Frederik van Heereveld. Frederik is known worldwide for his collection with FEEK and new materials, which he integrates into his interior designs. All the furniture in the rooms can be bought. Even the lift is really funky.

The changing colour lamp in the bedroom was also a highlight.

Hone @ Feek Website: www.http://home.feek.be Oude Leeuwenrui 23, Antwerpen

12 aus 12 by madame love

Dear readers,

My German blogger friend Ricarda, from the blog 23qm stil had this great idea to review your 2012 via 12 pictures. As I started searching my photo archive from 2012, there were far too many photos and great memories to only post 12 photos, so I decided to make 12 photo collages for the 12 topics that influenced me the most this year and which tell my story the best. The birth of my blog (on July 15th) was definitely my highlight and all the great projects I realised through the blog, the workshop and conferences I attended and the many more to come in 2013, and most of all, the brilliant people I met through blogging.

1- My year in flowers:

Flowers have been my main source of inspiration for my blog this year, they made me improve my photographic skills and transform my flat into a photo studio. I love working with flowers and will continue to do so in 2013. I love picking the right vase, waiting for the perfect light, before work or on Saturday morning and playing with colours and textures.

2- My year in shops:

My blog made me visit a lot of beautiful interior shops in Hamburg.  Each photo belongs to one shop: here are the links to the blogposts (from left to right and from top to bottom) Akiko, Palais 13, Küchenblume, Johanna Schultz, Lieblingsstück, Nordlys, Lieblingszimmer, my perfect Sunday, Manoir/Palazzo, Morgenthau,das 7te Zimmer,Richard, Eden Living, Lys Vintage, Human Empire, SmuukeStore.

3- My culinary year:

Even if food is not the main focus of my blog, this year I took part three times in the project Post aus meiner Küche (with the strawberry lollipops, the speculoos stars, and the mini-madeleines. I also took part in the food-blogger event France Bon Appétit. Here are some impressions:

4- My creative year:

I started sewing a lot at the beginning of 2012. I was seriously thinking about creating my own little label: L.O.D. Love On Delivery, and open my own Etsy store. In the end, I used my spare time for my blog and not pursuing my first project. I took part in the designer market -  Kleine Dachladen organised by my friend Merret in May, though, and I really liked it. What do you think, should I open my Etsy store in 2013?

5- My year in Hamburg:

Hamburg treated me much better in 2012 than in 2011. Especially because I found a job I like at DDB Tribal and my friendships grew deeper. Thanks Hamburg - you almost made me forget Berlin (but not my dear Berlin friends).

6- LOVEly white dinner

In August, I shared a beautiful white dinner with my dear friends from Girl Gone International.

7- LOVEly cruise

In May, just before starting my new job at DDB, I went on a cruise with Mr. Love. Venice, Dubrovnik and Corfu. Needless to say, it was lovely! 8- LOVEly Antwerp:

To celebrate my birthday, Mr. Love and I spent a couple of days in Antwerp, and as expected, I really enjoyed the city, its architecture and interior shops.

9- LOVEly Amsterdam:

On the way back to Hamburg, after leaving Antwerp, we stopped in Amsterdam to visit friends and I loved the city very much too. As another friend of mine just moved there, I will be visiting again soon. My blogpost about Amsterdam is coming up soon as well...

10- My star obsession:

Another thing I noticed while browsing through my pictures, is that I have been using a lot of stars this year in my sewing and DIY projects, as well as in my food projects.... 11- My year in red & pink:

...and that I have been using a lot of red and pink in everything I did.

12- My year with Cheddy

My cat Cheddar loves being the centre of attention, and while searching for photos, I found a least one picture of him in each album. So here comes a little collage - *cat content*

So I am ready! 2013 can come. I hope you enjoyed my little review. If you want to read what other bloggers think about 2012, here is a link to Ricarda's blog.

Only 7 days to go before Christmas!

xxx

Elodie

Emery & Cie - incredible decoration store in Belgium

Hello everyone,I have been wanting to post this for a little while. When I was in Antwerp in October, I discovered as I was walking in the city centre, the beautiful showroom of Emery & Cie. This is the decoration shop of the great Belgian architect Agnes Emery. You can find some incredible Moroccan inspired tiles, some fabulous lighting, tableware, paint and wallpaper. I was very lucky to be able to take pictures in this enchanting showroom. If I had to renovate a bath or a kitchen, I know where I would by my tiles. I am completely in love with the cement tiles. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of this very atmospheric shop:

Website: Emery & Cie Shop in Antwerp: Reynders Straat, 202000 Antwerp Shop in Brussels: 78 Quai des Charbonnages, 1080 Brussels

Antwerp #3 - Where to eat?

Hello everyone,I have got a restaurant tip for you from our holiday in Antwerp with Mr. Love. I already gave you an overview of Antwerp by day and of Antwerp by night and now I would like to give a nice address for lunch, dinner or even breakfast. The restaurant Hangar Eenenveertig is situated on the docks and we went there by accident, while looking for a place to eat lunch and I had the most amazing grilled sandwich ever with grilled tuna and tapenade! The place is also beautifully decorated with dark walls & ceilings (chocolate colour), a very original wooden floor and some fancy lamps over the bar. Here are a couple of photos.

If you have the chance of going to Antwerp, please visit this place for me! It is situated not far away from the Klosterstraat, the street with all the beautiful antique shops.

xxx

Elodie

Website: HANGAR EENENVEERTIG Sint Michielskikaai 41 2000 Antwerp

Antwerp #2 - The city by night

So I hope you enjoyed seeing this beautiful city by day, here are a couple of night shots to complete my impressions.I am lucky Mr. Love is very patient and shares my passion for photography! We had a lot of fun walking in the streets of pretty Antwerp with the Camera and the stand. Here is the result:

I will be back soon with the best Bed & Breakfast I ever stayed at.

xxx

Elodie

Antwerp #1 - The city by day

So, Mr. Love and I came back from our fantastic trip to Antwerp and Amsterdam on Tuesday and had to get back directly to our daily lives and jobs. I was looking forward to this weekend in order to be able to sort out my 800 pictures and prepare my blogposts. I will start with the beginning of our trip and the days we spent in the beautiful city of Antwerp in Belgium.The most interesting landmark in Antwerp is the train station. I completely fell in love with it - it is just spectacular. The perspectives and the lines are really breathtaking. It is these kinds of spaces that make you regret only having a 50 mm with you and not a wide-angle - but I tried my best!

What I also loved in Antwerp is the very pretty art nouveau district called Zurenborg which is full of beautiful houses - we stayed the first days in this neighborhood in the very cool and affordable hotel Sir Plantin. If you decide to stay there, you should insist on having a quiet room, not facing the main street. Apart from that the hotel is really good and the rooms are really stylish. You sleep under huge reproductions of portraits by Flemish masters.

Zurenborg and the gold and silver buildings:

The amazing architecture, the fashion scene and the many antique shops on the famous Klosterstraat are not the only interesting things in the city. Antwerp is also a famous harbour, and you can admire the big ships just a few steps away from the old town and the cathedral. I love harbours since I have been living in Hamburg and I think it really gives cities a special flair.

The old-town of Antwerp is also definitely worth visiting, with the beautiful cathedral, the guild-houses and the cobblestoned streets.

So this is the first post about Antwerp. I hope you can't wait to visit the city now! Don't worry, I have a lot more to tell you about the city: a couple of images by night, a hot Bed & Breakfast tip, a very cool restaurant and a lovely Belgian interior design showroom. So....stay tuned and talk to you soon!

Elodie

The best way to prepare a trip: Wallpaper City Guides

We are currently preparing a trip to Benelux at the end of October. Actually, we will not do the Lux part of it and will go and explore the Netherlands and Belgium.We will start in Antwerp, then go to Brussels and visit friends and then visit some other friends in Amsterdam. For me a city trip is always a good reason for buying a new Wallpaper City Guide from the fantastic "Phaidon Verlag". For me they are the best companion for visiting a new City. They take you to hidden and cool places and show you the favorite bars and restaurants from people actually living in the city. This is not the guide you need if you want a description of the Cathedral and other typical landmarks of a city - but thank to a Wallpaper guide, we discovered straight away the designer district of Kyoto and a fabulous boutique hotel in Barcelona.  The guides are very affordable, as they cost 7,80 € on amazon and are usually available in English and German. The format is ideal and fits in any bag. Last but not least, they look fantastic on your shelf and just make you want to have them all! The photos are very minimalistic and very stylish. Here are a couple of photos from the Amsterdam and the Antwerp guides. The one from Brussels is arriving next week. Yeah!