Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Spaced out

Some businesses aren’t satisfied with simply providing a setting for selling their products. Nina Lamparski checks out commercial spaces in Brussels where architecture and interior design merge to create pure aesthetics

Choc news

Sure, Belgian chocolates are delicious. But frankly, once you’ve been to one shop, you’ve pretty much seen them all. Except, that is, for Pierre Marcolini (1 Rue des Minimes, centre, tel. , marcolini.be) at the Grand Sablon and Zäabar (125 Chaussée de Charleroi, Saint-Gilles, zaabar.be) off Place Louise. Although the first still sticks to the traditional boutique formula, he has given his store a Cartier-worthy finish. The ultra-chic black and white interior displays the exquisite creations in elegant glass cases. The downside of this is that the ambience can be a tad too stiff. Zäabar, on the other hand, fully taps into the interaction between the customer and product. The concept of this in-store manufacturer is simple yet genius: the actual production machines stand in the retail front, and you can touch, smell and taste the sweet things on offer. In this intimate yet modern factory space, it’s all about providing visitors with a stimulating, sensorial experience. Hot tip: don’t leave without trying their spiced chocolates.

Floral formula

Poetic, playful, and visionary - the bouquets of elf-turned-florist Thierry Boutemy are ethereal works of art you’d want to last forever. A visit to his dreamy workshop (404 Avenue Louise, Ixelles, tel. ) will seem as if you’ve hopped down the rabbit hole: über-dimensional sculptures lend the magic place a fairytale feel. Boutemy is a free spirit, a fact reflected in the choice of flowers on offer: tulips, chamomiles, wild roses, and poppies are among his favourites. There’s nothing mainstream or artificial about the native Normand’s work: every bouquet is a unique, intuitive creation. The fan list of this lovely and still very affordable address includes fashion designer Dries van Noten and film director Sophia Coppola (Boutemy provided all the floral arrangements for the movie set of Marie-Antoinette), and now, most likely, you.

Modern oriental

Not all places need off-the-wall furniture or high-tech gimmicks to provide a great example of innovative thinking. In some, like the quirky Kif Kif Café (1 Square de Biarritz, Ixelles, tel. ), the designer seems to have tiptoed, rather than pranced around the room, adding a few dashes of colour here, some crystal sprinkle and teeny-tiny pastel lights there – et voila the magic’s done! What was once a 1960s petrol station is now a funky modern Middle Eastern restaurant where oriental influences meet a rock ‘n’ roll attitude. A huge bearded face made of sparkling mirror mosaics watches as chefs prepare delectable Tajines in the open-plan kitchen. The ambience is electric yet laid-back, it’s a melting pot space which hides many curious details, thereby inviting you to look around, absorb, and discover. A bit Casablanca, a bit Beyrouth, a bit Jerusalem… One cook is Israeli, the other is from Algeria, while the owner is Muslim. This is creative and culinary multiculturalism at its best, and a definite must-stop during your next visit to Brussels.

Mad hatter

Eccentric Belgian milliner Elvis Pompilio brought the hat back in the early ‘90s with alien-esque creations that looked like spiders and ghetto blasters. The void left by his departure from Brussels has since been filled by the brilliant and just-as-whacky Christophe Coppens (23 Nouveau Marché aux Grains, centre, tel. , christophecoppens.com). His quirky creations and accessories are worn by Belgian royalty, as well as on movie sets and the streets of Tokyo. The shop’s original mise-en-scène cleverly combines elegant design with good use of space: the avant-garde creations are placed on spiraling shelves and on round displays like marsipan roses on a wedding cake. Indeed some of them look good enough to eat.

Edible fiction

Books float above your head as you feast on magret de canard, vanilla tomatoes and fresh coriandre. Next door a Fiat 600 is parked in the middle of an Italian trattoria, while a leather throne featuring the Belgian flag invites you to become King for a few minutes of your life. Welcome to the wonderfully strange world of Cook & Book (1 Avenue Paul Hymans, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, tel. , cookandbook.be). A first not only in Brussels but also across the whole of Europe, Cook & Book has revolutionised the worlds of literature and cooking by combining the two concepts in a stunning and highly original setting. Within this unique space, culture rhymes with pleasure, and gastronomy with travel. Embark on an exotic journey as you browse through nine different book and music sections, each with unexpected, interior designs and creative themes aimed at stimulating both your mind and tastebuds. The various areas are respectively dedicated to comics, travel, fine arts, youth subjects, all things British, international literature, cooking and lifestyle. There’s also a music store, which specialises in jazz, classical, electronic and world music. The only thing you need here is time. Preferably lots of it.

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