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Every two years, Kortrijk Interieur 2006 brings together a decisive overview of creative contemporary design. As one of Europe’s top interior design fairs, with numerous exhibitors and captivating side events, it’s the perfect opportunity to have a closer look at what’s hot (and what’s not) in Belgian design. Debbie Pappyn reports
Belgium has a long and diverse history of ground-breaking design and today a new generation of Belgian creative minds is blazing a trail. This 20th edition of the Interieur exhibition will be a festive one. More than 300 red flags will adorn the areas around the Xpo venue in Kortrijk, while 250 exhibitors will present 500 international design brands.
Alfredo Häberli, the well-known Swiss designer, will be guest of honor at the exhibition’s biennale.
Maarten Van Severen took minimalism to another dimension. Along with Henry Van De Velde, he represented some of the very best of Belgian design. A former recipient of the Van de Velde Award for his polyester, fibre-glass and aluminium Chaise Longue, his furniture was rapidly taken up by internationally renowned brands such as Vitra, Edra and Kartell, although some of his designs continued to be manufactured in Belgium by the design company Top Mouton. A year on from his untimely death, Interieur 2006 will be remembering the man and his work through new designs from him in collaboration with Vitra. During Interieur Vitra will present his Kast sideboard in an exclusive premiere.
Another Belgian architect and designer to be featured at Interieur 2006 is Vincent Van Duysen. As if it wasn’t enough to have his furniture made by Cappellini and B&B Italia, Vincent has a new range of comfortable sofas and chairs out with Arflex – under the name of Cosy. Also, Viccarbe does a stylish, sober umbrella stand of his, and there is the Dab lamp too. And last but certainly not least, are two entire kitchens. One was created with Italian design brand Poliform and the other with Belgian kitchen brand Obumex.
Belgian company When Objects Work is all about timeless objects, with real quality and simple character. The latest collection features a number of objects from renowned master of minimalism John Pawson, and will be presented at the show along with a bench (called Bench – how minimalist can you get?). WOW also features designs from Glenn Sestig, the interior designer behind Ghent’s Culture Club. Luxurious materials and a clever use of lines in the La Vie vase and Smoking ashtray typify the glamorous touch he brings to his work.
Interieur 2006 runs from 13 until 22 October in Kortrijk. www.interieur.be
Belgian creativity also excels when it comes to outdoor furniture. One pioneering brand is Extremis. Extremis’ goal is to manufacture “extraordinary” furniture and objects with a logical, timeless design at the service of innovation and functionality, using honest materials. The Serpentine plug and spray garden shower is one of the new additions to the Extremis range. Place the Serpentine wherever you want. Plug your regular garden hose into the end of the stainless steel tube and your shower is ready for use. Because the hose is exposed to the sun, the water inside the hose and the Serpentine heats up, giving it a nice warm temperature.
Outdoor furniture brand Tribù has also made great strides with a fresh range of chairs from up-and-coming designer Bram Bollen. Vintage, for example, is a fibre-glass indoor and outdoor stool on stainless steel feet. It will feel like you’ve owned one for years – and it’s available as a single seater or chaise longue, in six Chris Mestdagh colours.
But what if you want to give your walls some Belgian flair? Try the Wallpaper Collection, a series of innovative wall coverings produced by Arte, in collaboration with the design brand and shop Flamant Home Interiors. Names such as Bord de Seine, Absinthe, Black Tie, Tango and Lipstick definitely speak to the imagination. What immediately strikes the eye when seeing the new range of colours is the prominent presence of green tints. This colour has unfairly been rather unpopular for a while, because generally only the duller variants such as moss, mustard and olive green were offered, along with the conventional classic British dark green, of course. Very surprising and especially contemporary are the new, more daring colours from bright rose to purple and from cloud grey to swimming-pool blue. They might take a bit of getting used to, but these new shades are truly refreshing. Companies specialising in technical and interior textiles, such as Bodie and Fou (www.bodieandfou.com) have also asked designers to develop ideas, including the likes of Martine Gyselbrecht, Ann-Marie Jonckheere, Marie Mees, Claudine Piaget, Katrien Rondelez, Francine Van der Biest and Marc Vanhoe.
In the second week of September, Brussels is playing host to the Designer Weekend. During this event you can discover upcoming Belgian design talent and check out how Belgian-based companies work together with interior designers. You will be able to explore designs such as Kstok (a hallstand) by Sven Goemaere and Miel Cardinael. Also, during the Designers Weekend 2006, Design Flanders will present Design means Business: the latest products of four Belgian companies and their Flemish designers. Carpet manufacturer B.I.C. Carpets will exhibit The Mysterious Earth Collection, a surprising and new range, designed by Bart Goderis. With The Mysterious Earth Collection, B.I.C. follows a new avenue. Eos, Energy and Eclipse have their own unique structure and texture. The choice of materials leads almost automatically to natural tints. One carpet is softer, the other rougher with an interesting texture. They are all appealingly tactile.
Designer Weekend 2006, 8-10 September, Brussels. www.dwe.be and www.designflanders.be
A good place to start is Roodstop in East-Flanders (Deinzestraat 63, Oudenaarde, tel: + 32 (0)55 33 88 13 www.roodstop.be). This is a petrol station, bar and design shop. No grease and oil here though, just a small restaurant where you can eat good, honest food or enjoy a coffee while sitting at a Maarten Van Severen table, lounging on vintage chairs from Techno and drinking from Kaj Franck glasses. Everything is for sale, even the bowls and dishes, which are handmade by a local ceramist.
‘t Huis van Oordegem (Grote Steenweg 210 Oordeghem, tel: +32 (0)9 365 46 60, www..hvo.be) specialises in outdoor furniture. Almost every piece
can be seen in the oversized “toonzaal” garden. Brands represented here are Alias, B&B Italia, Extremis, Berga Form, Tribu, Ibens & Bataille, Quinze & Milan, Bonacina, MDF Italia, Gandiablasco, Moooi, Cappelini, Soho and Hugonet.
Tucked down a small side street of the Veldstraat in Ghent is one of the most interesting design shops in Belgium. Surplus (Zwartezusterstraat 9 Ghent, tel: +32 (0)9 223 52 94) is a shop whose owners really know what design is all about. They choose each design object based on a personal affinity with it and not just because it has a famous brand or name behind it. Belgian design is well represented: Philippe Allaeys, Alain Berteau, Jos Devriendt, Hans De Pelsmaeker, Marie Mees, Francine Van der Biest, and of course Maarten Van Severen. During October, Surplus will be hosting an exhibition together with Italian design brand DePadova, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Finally, if you don’t feel like spending too much on designer furniture, then you’ll definitely find something at Depot Design (19 Quai de Hainaut, 1080 Brussels, tel: +32 (0)2 502 28 82, www.depotdesign. be) in Brussels. The shop sells secondhand, end-of-line and sometimes slightly damaged furniture at bargain prices and is well worth a look.
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