Fucking Perfect

Official Trailer Sergio Herman, FUCKING PERFECT from TRUEWORKS on Vimeo.

Sergio Herman, chef of 3 Michelin star Oud Sluis decided to close the restaurant last year to follow his dreams. In March, a documentary Fucking Perfect will be screened for the first time at the International Film Festival of Berlin. The film is included in the Culinary Cinema programme with others including a documentary on Italian chef Massimo Bottura.

The documentary shows the pressures of a 3 Michelin star kitchen and the chef’s search of perfection. It  is a story of ambition, perfection and sacrifices.

In the trailer, you can see why Sergio Herman decided to close Oud Sluis. He says: “And then you are not kind, you are not the father you should be or the friend or the husband you know.”
The visuals of the film are stunning.

The documentary also shows the preparations for the opening of The Jane which Herman opened together with chef Nick Bril in Antwerp. In November, the restaurant, which has become incredibly popular since its opening, earned its first Michelin star.

Story by Ivan Brincat via http://www.foodandwinegazette.com/?p=2617



Just because this came out a year ago doesn't mean it's "old" news if you are just discovering this now!  This documentary is a powerful story of ambition, creativity, perfectionism, pressures of success, self doubt and re-questioning what is important and the price(s) we are willing to pay for our dreams.  Chef Sergio Herman is Dutch, not Belgian. But he came on board to open THE JANE in Antwerp ... which we blogged about here ... highly recommended!

https://www.thejaneantwerp.com/


Old-fashioned light switches








Have you ever been moved by the beauty and simplicity of old-fashioned European light switches? Well, for those lucky enough to reside in Europe, you can have access to those little practical gems. This Belgian-based company specializes is classic yet timeless lighting. You can see a multitude of stylish hospitality and retail design projects on their website.


March 22, 2016




I am Charlie.

I am Brussels.

I am Syria.

I am Lebanon.

I am Istanbul, Ankara, Somalia, 

Tunisia, Jakarta, Kenya, 

Nigeria, Mali, 

Mexico, Honduras ...

I am ... planet earth!

 

To ALL who lost a close one
no matter the circumstance
our thoughts are with you!


Love & Light

 

 

Magazyn - simplicity at its best!







Stumbled upon this store on the ever so elegant blog REMODELISTA. A stunningly curated selection of clean and organic designs, this little shop has a big impact on the ever so stylish city of Antwerp, Belgium. With a palette of neutrals and raw textures - Magazyn showcases objects with clean lines allowing the beauty of the chosen materials to shine in harmony with its surroundings. This store is minimalism at its best!

"Owned by Thomas Haarmann, a former art director from Düsseldorf, Germany, Magazyn sells a range of tableware, furniture, and objects—everything from Astier de Villatte ceramics and Lobmeyr glassware to basic cotton laundry bags. Back in 2012, Haarmann moved the store from a location within Antwerp's central mall to a spot near Nationalestraat, a street featuring the likes of Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester. The store is more spacious with a palette of concrete and white walls cast in low lighting from Michael Anastassiades." - Remodelista

MAGAZYN
Steenhouwersvest 34A
2000 Antwerpen
Belgium
011-32-(0)3 226 66 06 

Savonnerie Bruxelloise










I discovered Savonneries Bruxelloise after receiving one of their elegant boxes as a gift, and just had to find out more about these exquisite soaps! Their sophisticated scents are Ginger & Lime, Calendula, Green Tea, Peony, Lilly of the Valley, Black Rose, Olive Flower, Lavender and more ...

Established in 1926, Savonneries Bruxelloises has over the years, established itself as Belgium’s premier soap maker. Located in the heart of Brussels and still in the original building where the compagny was founded, they still use traditional methods of manufacturing and only the finest of fragrances. At this time, they are exporting more than 75% of their production to almost all European Countries, to the Middle East, the Far East and to North America.

Adress : 27, Ed. Tollenaere street
B-1020 Brussels
Belgium
Tel : +32 2 426.46.40
http://www.savonneriesbruxelloises.com

Getting Lost In a Steel Maze










Artists Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout van Verenbergh of Gijs Van Vaerenbergh designed a huge maze with five-meter-tall steel corridors at the C-MINE Art Centre in Genk, Belgium. Around a kilometer of pathways of this installation are surrounded by steel panels booleaned to create huge geometric shapes that cut through the entire structure.

Labyrinth comprises tunnels and corridors that unveil unexpected perspectives of large portions of the composition and help visitors better orient themselves. Differently-shaped voids and cut-outs create surprising views of the steel walls that transform the idea of a maze from a structure that focuses on horizontality and corners into a true three-dimensional experience. Parts of the installation are reminiscent of vaulted cathedral ceilings, halls of mirrors and art installations.

Walls reveal other parts of the structure and create a spatially exciting environment. Viewed from certain perspectives, the cut-outs look fragmented, while from other points visitors can see the entire shape. Labyrint also interacts with the C-mine by allowing visitors to ascend the old mine shafts and have a look at the entire structure from above. This perspective is generally reserved for the creator of the project. 

This post by Lidija Grozdanic @ INHABITAT and THE CONTEMPORIST

Belgium’s Mythical Hallerbros Forest






This fairytale forest turns into a mesmerizing sea of blue flowers every year. Located just outside of Brussels, Hallerbros, also known as Bois de Hal in French, the 552-hectare forest is consumed by a thick layer of bluebell flowers sometime during April or MayKilian Schönberger, a German landscape photographer, recently captured some stunning images of the spectacle.

This post by Ross Brooks via INHABITAT

The magical hats of Christopher Coppens








 


A Belgian artist living in Los Angeles, Christopher Coppens - designer, artist of all trades - from visually offensive (for some) to shocking to funny to smart to sophisticated .... Christopher's work is extremely eclectic and includes many different mediums. Usually very colorful, cringeworthy and sarcastic "in your face" visuals ... I have to admit a weakness for the more sophisticated and toned down poetry of his hats.

Trained initially as a theater director, Coppens started his own label as an accessories designer at the age of 21, a career that would span over 20 years with several outlets, international press following and buyers the world over, and that he would combine and nurture with his first stunts and solo shows as an artist. For more on his incredible journey, click here

But 2012 would mark a very important episode in his career, when, after 21 years of making work on the edge of art and fashion, Coppens decided to close his company to focus exclusively on his work as an artist. At this point his label was sold in 140 shops worldwide, his name was heard among fashion connoisseurs and he had become arguably one of the most celebrated milliners in Japan.

Part of this post via Wikipedia



GREAT GIFT IDEAS - BELGIUM RELATED