Explore Belgium through the eyes of CPR
Discover fun moodboard ideas
Custom curated patterns
DESIGN & INSPIRE No.3
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October 2020
HI HI, This month at Talk Carpet Magazine, we’re swapping the South of Europe for a visit to the rainy North. We are taking an in-depth view of what Belgium offers in design, art, and architecture. As a country with only 11 million inhabitants, it is home to many famous designers in fashion, furniture, and interiors. In this issue, you will discover a huge variety of subjects and the rather minimal, at times even brutalist, design aesthetic of Belgium. We are complementing the design travels with a new series of custom carpet patterns and mood board concepts. We are convinced this third issue will get your creative minds flowing. Stay awesome,
Christophe Prosper Rammant, Creative Director
Belgium vlog
Spotify Playlist of Belgium
Talk Carpet Instagram
Talk Custom Carpet Instagram
table of contents
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Vincent Van Duysen transforms cloister into Zen Hotspot
“To See The Sky� staircase by Yoko Ono inspires this custom carpet pattern
Co-working that really does feel like a home
11 artists expressthemselves through animal Pop Art
Custom carpet pattern based on Madrid street art
Yellow Rock Trail creates an organic linear pattern
Our recap of September design month in Brussels
Comic book route in Brussels brings comics to life
Exhibit links colors from Flemish Masters to contemporary design
Focus on retail design in Belgium with three cool shops
Feature giant flowers custom pattern
Organic carpet tile inspired by weathered stone surfaces
Hotel, hostel, co-working and co-living combined at Yust Antwerp
Vibrant ege custom carpets at The Victor restaurant
Become an urban farmer on this rooftop in Antwerp
Happy colors at these three Belgian art galleries
Celebrating this legendary St-Tropez club as our mood board inspiration
Moodboards
Brussels city hotel brings the garden feel inside
Wild tapestries and designs at this Brussels co-working office
Custom Patterns of the month
Cool restaurant concepts of Belgium
Space Copenhagen designs latest restaurant by celebrity chef Sergio Herman
Celebrating plastic design from the past at ADAM Brussels
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Vincent Van Duysen transforms cloister into zen hotspot
The world-renowned architect and furniture designer Vincent Van Duysen completed his first hotel project in 2019 with this 19th-century cloister transformation. 4
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Hotel August, located in Antwerp, has become the new hotspot for the region thanks to the exquisite interiors, dining, and hospitality. The convent is part of a more extensive redevelopment of the area centered around an old military hospital that was left abandoned for the past 20 years. The nuns used to care for the wounded soldiers, and as such, the cloisters are part of this complex. Van Duysen approached the project with the utmost respect to the neoclassical building, which lets you sense the austere and minimal lifestyle of the original occupants of the complex. Only the entrance and chapel, which houses the bar, are designed slightly more elaborate. The winter garden houses the highly-rated restaurant, which features a minimal glass roof in black aluminum. This new addition merely adds light and lets the original architectural elements shine in their full glory. In perfect harmony with the building is the furniture, which is almost all custom design by Vincent Van Duysen and manufactured by Molteni&C. Flos lighting complements the custom furnishings in an ultra-elegant fashion.
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Co-working that really does feel like
a home
Many co-working concepts claim to make you feel at home; however, often, this remains an empty marketing message that isn’t backed up by space realities.
Fosbury & Sons is a co-working brand that really does deliver on that promise. After establishing their first Antwerp location, the three founders Serge Hannecart, Stijn Geeraets, and Maarten Van Gool, set their eyes on a modernist building in Brussels. The 1970’s building established the Italian-born architect Constantin Brodzki as one of Belgium’s most innovative architects. This office building’s architecture is unlike anything we have seen before with its oval-shaped windows and amber-tinted glazing.
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The interiors for this Fosbury & Sons location are designed by interiors studio Going East. Michiel Mertens and AnaĂŻs Torfs selected their palette based on the materials already present in the original design by Brodzki: the greys of the speckled concrete, the golden tones of the wood floors, and the cherry wood of cabinets. The result is an amazing balance between cool and warm materials. All furnishings have been handpicked by the designers, sourced internationally, and with the mindset of designing a home. 7
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Yellow Rock trail creates an organic linear pattern
We’re big fans of what long has been considered two contradicting terms in carpet design: an organic linear pattern. 8
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We’re true believers that linework can be very organic, which we prove with this carpet pattern by ege carpets which we recolored to the tones of Yellow Rock Trail. For this mood board, we used a standard ege pattern, which we recolored to translate our inspiration. If you would like to recolor some ege carpets patterns yourself, then check out talkcarpet.com/recolor. With the recolor tool, you can easily customize your carpets without the constraints of custom design. There is no order minimum on recolored patterns, and the sample turnaround is an average of 3 business days. Please reach out to one of our team members if you would like assistance or guidance recoloring patterns.
Watercolour Stripe RECOLORED by egecarpets
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Our recap of September design month in Brussels It is very encouraging to see industry events and design fairs slowly come back, adapted to new social distancing requirements.
We love that these have become smaller in scale, paired back to the core subject, and more intimate. September is a design month in Brussels, and we visited two initiatives we particularly enjoyed. The Brussels Design Market is a buyer fair for high-quality mid-century modern pieces from European exhibitors. For the second consecutive year, they co-host with the Contemporary Design Market, which showcases young upcoming talents. We very much enjoyed the mix of vintage and young creatives. 10
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These are our highlights of young talent exhibiting at the 2020 edition of Brussels Contemporary Design Market.
Atelier lef Spincemaille
Atelier de la Nuagerie
Daan De Wit
Maarten de Ceulaer
Axelle Vertommen
Uptown Design is a different initiative for Brussels Design September. Designers, artists, and students collaborate with retail stores to showcase their work in the store, accessible for anyone during store hours. We noticed that each store was very enthusiastic about the concept, providing us with extensive information on each installation.
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Exhibit links colors from Flemish Masters to contemporary design
The Design Museum Ghent is hosting an extensive exhibit on the innovative and diverse use of color. 12
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The exhibit starts from the paintings of Van Eyck, one of the Flemish Masters, and analyzes the different hues found in these historic works.
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The exhibit takes you on a walk through the eight color groups of Van Eyck paintings in a pigment walk. The itinerary takes you an inspiring story of color used in furniture, textile, ceramics, and glass. Over a hundred design pieces demonstrate how light, matter and patterns have a significant effect on color. This is one of the must-visit exhibits, we absolutely loved it!
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EXHIBIT IN MADRID’S RETIRO
GIANT FLOWER PATTERN
Petrit Halilaj turns Madrid’s Palacio de Cristal into a nest with giant flowers. 16
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The artist draws inspiration from the courtship ritual of bowerbirds, which make elaborate nests decorated with colorful objects to attract a mate. We in turn transformed his installation into an abstract carpet pattern.
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Hotel, hostel, co-working and co-living combined at
Yust Antwerp Yust is short for Young Urban Style and aims to attract young adults looking for a flexible lifestyle.
POLO Architects transformed an old industrial telephone factory into an innovative concept combining co-working with a hotel, hostel, and long-stay apartments. Yust Antwerp also features a restaurant, rooftop bar, event space, and an art gallery showcasing young talent. The interiors have been designed by Belgian designer Stephanie Parein in an eclectic style with a distinctive vintage aspect. We love the telephone booth which doubles as an ironing room, the laundry room, and the addition of bunk beds in the family rooms.
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Become an urban farmer on this rooftop in
Antwerp
PAKT is a unique ecosystem in Antwerp’s heart, where work is combined with urban farming, sports, and dining. 20
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PAKT is a unique ecosystem in Antwerp’s heart, where work is combined with urban farming, sports, and dining. In 2017 a mix of 25 creative businesses established themselves on the PAKT site. You can apply to become a rooftop farmer and grow your own vegetables, fruits, and even fish or chicken, supplying fresh eggs. The harvest is shared among all rooftop farmers. They also have a program to assist architects or developers in planning their own urban green space.
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Celebrating this legendary St-Tropez club as our mood board inspiration
One of the most iconic and legendary clubs in France is the Caves du Roy in St-Tropez. 22
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For over 50 years, this nightclub has welcomed the rich and famous, including Brigitte Bardot, who cut the official ribbon in 1967. The signature golden palm tree pillars have been the focal point in the design since it’s opening, and have remained a key feature in the 2017 redesign by Miami based François Frossard Design. We have such great memories at this place that this warrants a mood board. The ege carpets pattern used is Verge green, which we recolored as part of the super flexible Highline Express concept. 23
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Wild tapestries and designs at this
Brussels co-working office Throughout its history, Belgium was world-renowned for its tapestries and was the textile center of Europe during the middle ages.
Designers Erika and Justine established Krjst Studio, focused on unique made to measure tapestries or full projects. They believe in using colors to express what words fail to describe. The fast-growing European co-working brand Silversquare collaborated with Krjst Studio on their latest location Baillie. The co-working site is their seventh and opened right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. The design has unintentionally become very fitting for the new normal, where travel is massively restricted. The interiors take you on a trip through wild landscapes with a very ethnic and safari camp vibe. Tents covered in tapestries, meeting rooms as stand-alone cabanas, seats with a very rustic construction, and walls that look like earth-covered walls.
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Wall feature at Kaikaya Sushi inspires this custom pattern
We recently visited Kaikaya Sushi in Valencia, a Brazilian inspired Sushi restaurant. Aside from the exquisite flavors and spot-on fusion, we were equally amazed by the quirky interior design by Masquespacio. One of the wall features inspired us to create this quirky and fun custom pattern.
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Gaudi’s corridor design draws the lines for this custom carpet pattern
When visiting projects designed by Antoni Gaudi, there are many things to be impressed by. However, what really leaves the biggest impression on us are the architectural lines of his attic floors. We were so inspired by this attic corridor at Casa Batllo in Barcelona that we had to create a custom pattern honoring the beauty of Gaudi’s creation.
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Tribute to the movement and elegance of Spanish hand fans
At ege carpets, we can create carpets with very large pattern repeats, and we love to take advantage of that. XXL repeats or even no-repeat carpets provide a significant design impact on a space, which is something we aim for with this custom carpet. We are taking inspiration from the elegance and dynamic movement of Spanish hand fans.
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Gaudi’s La Pedrera roof chimneys translated into this cool custom carpet
When looking for design inspiration, then Barcelona definitely jumps to the top of the shortlist for many of us. The abundance of colors and patterns in the Catalan modernist architecture is truly remarkable. Personally, we absolutely love the architectural lines in the chimneys on the roof of La Pedrera by Antoni Gaudi. They appear to be warriors protecting the sky and are the inspiration for this custom carpet pattern. We selected vibrant colors, but can easily update these colors to match your project requirements.
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organic pattern with a minimal and modern approach At Talk Carpet, we love to take new innovative spins on existing norms and trends. There’s no doubt about it that we absolutely love organic carpets. However, we also see a future trend of making those more minimal and less textural. It creates an interesting blend between organic, geometric, and in our opinion, reads as very young and current. The starting point for our inspiration is the amazing patio’s of the Palacio de Viana in Cordoba, Spain. The renaissance palace is marvelous as a historic landmark, yet the “merchandising” of plants throughout their patios is what really left an impression on us.
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Stunning custom carpet with a futuristic modernist pattern
This pattern is exactly what we envision as one of the main interior trends for the upcoming years. Bold patterns with contrasting colors evoke happy feelings, a celebration of vibrance that will emerge at the end of the COVID-pandemic. We took inspiration from street art spotted in Valencia, Spain. The Ruzafa neighborhood is filled with really cool street art and definitely worth exploring.
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Space Copenhagen designs latest restaurant by celebrity chef Sergio Herman Three-Michelin-star chef Sergio Herman opened his latest restaurant Le Pristine in June of 2020, right when the government re-opened indoor dining. The building was left unfinished for quite some time and, as such, shows several patchy brick walls and worn concrete elements. Space Copenhagen was hired for the interiors and decided to display these aged features to give the space a historical reference. Dark color shades found in Flemish Masters, such as Rubens, have been used as the primary palette of Le Pristine’s main dining room. Musky green leather banquettes paired with black dining chairs and smoke-oak wood furnishings set a moody tone. The only two elements with vibrant color are a sculpture by Dutch artist Frederik Molenschot that hangs from the ceiling and the bar by Sabine Marcelis made from pink resin.
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At the front of the space, you can find a bar area for casual dining with a fresh and fun seating concept. A wood fire oven and large counter create a relaxed and cozy ambiance.
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“To See The Sky� staircase by Yoko Ono inspires this custom carpet pattern
We recently visited the Contemporary Art Center in Cordoba, where a Yoko Ono exhibit of three significant pieces is currently on show 34
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One of them is the staircase, “To See The Sky,” which MoMa first exhibited in 2015. She made a particular version for the museum in Cordoba, which has been on display since 2017. We felt very inspired by the blue ombré staircase and created a custom pattern mimicking the gradient and spiral into an organic linear carpet.
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11 artists express themselves through
animal pop art The museum is housed in a former brewery and brought together 11 artists. Through paintings and site-specific installations around animals, they provide an insight into how they view our current society zeitgeist. We absolutely love the obvious references to pop and the sense of humor brought by many.
The ZOO exhibit at Mima Brussels is one of our most favorite museum exhibits of 2020.
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Custom carpet pattern based on Madrid street art
This time around we’re creating street art carpet. We found this really cool wall in the Embajadores area of Madrid and got our creative juices flowing to get it translated to a custom carpet. 38
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If you love this pattern and would like to see it in different color options, then please reach out to one of our team members. As part of the ege carpets custom program, we can customize colors and scale to your requirements. You also have the option out of nine base qualities, such as Axminster-style wool/ nylon blends, recycled nylon, or regular nylon. The tremendous flexibility makes ege carpets suitable for a vast range of projects. Whether in the hospitality, corporate, or multifamily segment, we have the right commercial carpet solution.
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Comic book route in Brussels brings comics to life
Comic books have a special place in Belgians’ heart thanks to the incredible success of some well known Belgian authors.
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In 1929 HergÊ introduced the wildly successful Tintin series and has sold over 200 million copies worldwide since. Other well-known series are The Smurfs by comic artist Peyo and Spirou by Rob-Vel. As a tribute to its authors, a comic book route was established in 1991, which takes you through Belgium’s capital. Characters come to life on colorful murals on the walls of historic houses. The project started with one mural, but locals asked for more to brighten up their neighborhoods. Today there are well over 50 murals to be discovered.
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Focus on retail design in Belgium with three cool shops For this feature, we are zooming in on three retail concepts in Belgium. The already great products are lifted some great store design, focused on creating a unique customer experience.
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First up is the iconic cookie brand Maison Dandoy, synonymous with tasty cookies since its establishment in Brussels in 1829. A long-time favorite of locals and tourists, the brand has chosen to create a contemporary ambiance reflecting its modernization over the past two centuries. Base Design created unique concepts adapted to each location, yet recognizable by the new Maison Dandoy signature with the marble counter, the golden dot lighting fixture, and the hand-painted logo on the windows.
Continuing on the interiors trend of terrazzo, we visit the Antwerp location of trendy eyewear brand Ace & Tate. The brand pledges to become carbon neutral by 2030 and collaborated with Plasticiet for the store design in Antwerp. Plasticiet, founded by designers Marten van Middelkoop and Joost Dingemans, collects PE waste and turns it into sheets of material that look like terrazzo. The result makes for an extraordinary shopping experience.
Last up is the Aesop store in Brussels, designed by Bernard Dubois. He took terra cotta bricks, the signature Belgian construction material for most of all homes, and turned them 90° vertical instead of the typical horizontal installation. He then stacked and continuously covered the entire store, from front to back and back to the storefront.
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Organic carpet tile inspired by weathered stone surfaces
Weathered stone surfaces on floors, walls, or table surfaces can be a great source of pattern and color inspiration.
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Weathered stone surfaces on floors, walls, or table surfaces can be a great source of pattern and color inspiration. The wall in the picture below offers great textures and layers. The crumbling plaster, covered in green moss particularly caught our eye and set the tone for this mood board with an organic carpet tile by ege.
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Vibrant ege custom carpets at The Victor restaurant The Victor is the largest restaurant facility at Parq Vancouver, featuring contemporary and classic seafood, steak, sushi, and raw bar. The reign of Queen Victoria inspires the interior design by Lauren Borisoff for Sixteen Fifty Creative Intelligence. The interiors immerse diners in a rich and intimate decor with banquettes reminiscent of the green leather benches at the House of Commons in London. Throughout the space, ege carpets bring a soft and vibrant touch in the form of custom area rugs. Animal and insect features have been incorporated into an organic pattern.
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If you would like to work on a custom carpet, please check out all the information on talkcarpet.com/customcarpets or get in touch with one of our team members. Our custom carpet program has low minimums, fast lead times, and allows the use of more than 12 colors.
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Happy colors at these three Belgian art galleries
We forecast a strong future for happy colors in interiors, counterbalancing the negative emotions associated with the pandemic, and bringing happy feelings into interiors.
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First up is the Valerie Traan gallery in Antwerp, presenting furniture design by Muller Van Severen. The Belgian design duo Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen established their brand in 2011. She is a photographer, and he is a sculptor, yet have managed to launch a furniture line which is exceptionally balanced and sculpturally interesting.
The next stop in Antwerp is the Tim van Laere Gallery designed by Brussels-based architects firm KGDVS. The building features five blocks made from concrete, cast in a lighter pastel hue, with a single pink door.
The last stop is the coastal town of Knokke, home base to The Cappelleschi Gallery. They collaborated for their facade with Spanish urban artist Antonyo Marest. We love the addition of the giant ice pop.
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Minimal florals in this monochromatic mood board
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Betta fish color tones applied to this new contract carpet tile
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Blue caves in Croatia inspires this mood board
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Materials of a vintage radio set the tone for a warm mood board
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Color-blocking carpet as a tribute to Danish artist Malene Landgreen
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360° terrazzo interior sets a happy and warm tone
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Brussels city hotel brings the garden feel inside
What’s in a name? A whole lot at hotel Le Jardin Secret, translated as the secret garden hotel. 56
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In the midst of the Brussels shopping district, a hotel is hiding in plain sight. An unassumingly tiny plant shop is, in fact, also the access to a surprisingly green hotel environment. Centered around a large garden patio, this hotel is an oasis in the busy city environment. It is immediately clear why the hotel identifies as an “Incognito hotel.� The interiors have been designed in a minimal yet cozy fashion. A lot of references to natural materials enhance the relaxed oasis feel of Le Jardin Secret. You have the option of booking family rooms which feature Robinson Crusoe style bunk beds.
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Cool restaurant concepts of Belgium Belgium is a tiny country, so it is no surprise that its cuisine is highly international and takes cues from many different cultures.
Brussels is filled with amazingly tasty restaurants, yet three of them satisfy our taste buds and our design eye.
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First up is Buddy Buddy café, which recently opened in a side street of the main Brussels shopping avenue. The space has a double function since it is both a café and a nut butter shop. Amsterdam based HOP Architects created a two-tone interior to create two cohesive sections, giving a spotlight to both sides of the business.
Cantine is a café concept part of the Firma co-working space in the historic city center of Brussels. Interestingly, this is a pop-up location, so the goal for the entire design is to be inspiring yet low-budget. In 2021 they will make space for the new offices of Axel Vervoordt and Fosbury & Sons. We love the walls from polycarbonate plates, the furniture designed by Anne van Assche and lighting by Muller Van Severen.
Last up dumpling restaurant Dam Sum in the trendy Chatelain area. We love the contrast between the old black brick walls and the artwork’s vibrant colors, set in a geometric ceiling structure. All dumplings are made onsite in an open kitchen, which adds a nice ambiance.
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Celebrating plastic design at ADAM Brussels The Brussels Design Museum has a permanent exhibition entirely dedicated to plastic design. Philippe Decelle started the collection in 1987 when he rescued a Universale chair by Joe Colombo from a trash container. He realized that yesterday’s iconic items become tomorrow’s trash and launch his Plasticarium collection. The entire collection contains around 2000 plastic objects, and 500 of those are on permanent display. We also visited the Standing Stones exhibit, which runs until 1/17/2021, exploring the dialogue between art and contemporary design. The installation is designed by the Greek duo Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukos from studio Objects of Common Interest. The translucent inflatable objects are made from biodegradable acrylic and are reinterpretations of ancient Cycladic forms and figures. Mirrors are used throughout the installation to submerge the visitor in a dreamy illusion.
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Belgium vlog
Spotify Playlist of Belgium
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