FALL08 - Atelier Vierkant

FALL08
MAGAZINE
[ atelier vierkant, september 2008, BELGIUM ]
ateliervierkant.com
VALENCE | Maison Pic
MOUGINS | Royal Golf Resort
LONDON | Stephen Woodhams
PROVENCE | La Coquillade
BARCELONA | Majestic Hotel
LONDON | Alexander Armstrong

02 ateliervierkant

Hotel & Spa
at the
Royal Mougins Golf Resort
In may 2008, a new 4-star+ luxury Hotel & Spa was
opened at the Royal Mougins Golf Resort. The hotel
has 29 elegant suites with a private terrace designed
in a refined modern style by the famous architect Michela
Fabbri. On the terraces, the lounge chairs and
the garden room with pots of Atelier Vierkant, are
an invitation to relax and to enjoy the magical views
of the boundless countryside, the estate’s gardens
and the 18-holes golf course with its lakes, streams
and waterfalls. The hotel offers its clients access to
the practice range and the exclusive opportunity of
playing on the internationally famous golf course
normally reserved for club members only. In an au-
_michela fabbri
[ a space
dedicated to
relaxation and
exercise ]
thentic 18th century bastide, just steps away from the
golf course, an exclusive Spa has been added. The
Spa is completely dedicated to relaxation and exercise.
There is a turkish bath, jacuzzi, sauna, an ultra modern
beauty center offering a complete range of massages,
water therapy and other beauty and relaxation rituals,
and a fully equipped exercise center. The heated outside
pool is tucked away in the estate’s gardens and surrounded
by century old olive trees. It is equipped with lounge
chairs and protected by the shadow of the scented orangerie.
The architect Michela Fabbri took great care to
preserve and underscore the authenticity and serenity
of the site.
< www.royalmougins.fr >
ateliervierkant 03

04 ateliervierkant

ateliervierkant 05

e Forceful
06 ateliervierkant
but Simple
_stephen woodhams
‘Be forceful but simple’ is one of the devices of celebrity floral and garden designer Stephen Woodhams.
His eye for detail in flowers and design, from elegant contemporary to classical traditional,
continues to win him awards and a prestigious client list. Stephen Woodhams (born c. 1964) started
his career in horticulture as a trainee at the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley at the age of 16. He
was only 22 when he opened a tiny flowershop in his garden shed in Notting Hill in West-London, just
before this neighbourhood became uber-trendy as the setting for the 1999 film starring Julia Roberts
and Hugh Grant. He was one of the youngest designers ever to win a Gold Medal at the Chelsea Flower
Show in 1994. In 2002 he was awarded a second Gold Medal for his Sanctuary garden sponsored by
Merrill Lynch. He also won two Silver Medals in 1996 en 2000. In 2006, whilst working for Woodhams
Landscape ltd., he received a third Silver Medal for his Barnsley House Spa Garden. This garden showcases
the new spa garden at Barnsley House, a minimalist garden he designed in the grounds of the
famous Cotswold garden of the late Rosemary Verey. He planted succulents and tender perennials in
three huge pots of Atelier Vierkant in the typical Cotswolds mellow colour.
Also in the Cotswold, he just
completed the private Glebe Garden
where he used Vierkant pots
“because the association with the
traditional Cotswolds colours and
the texture of the clay is so beautiful.”
He particulary likes the Vierkant
pots as a very subtle way of
being contemporary. “I am maybe
the first person to use these containers
not only with contemporary
houses, but also with a more
traditional architecture as a kind
of contemporary layer. What I am
interested in is this fusion of the
classic and the contemporary.
Today’s most arresting designs
are often based on traditional
principles but the interpretation
- with contemporary materials
and a new approach to planting
- is radically different.” The Glebe
Garden also illustrates his ability
to unite the exterior with the interior,
to create a cohesive link with
the interior to help increase the
sense of space. ‘It’s about blurring
the boundaries,’ he says.
Stephen Woodhams is now widely
recognized as one of London’s
most exciting florists, high-profile
event organizers and innovative
garden designers. His portfolio of
corporate clients whilst working
for Woodhams Landscape Ltd.
included top fashion shops as
Max Mara and Joseph, the restaurants
at Claridges and Michel
Roux, the One Aldwych hotel and
the trendy Hempel Hotel. He also
styled nine Royal Opera House
galas and the re-opening of the
Royal Opera House at Covent
Garden, he made the décor for
the Centrepoint Ball at the Natural
History Museum, and did the
styling of the inaugural dinner at
the Tate Modern. He recently designed
‘The Flower Shop at The
Ivy’, at the entrance of the new
private members’ club of the grande
dame of London’s theatreland
restaurants on West Street which
was opened in september 2008.
Since a few years he works more
and more as a landscape designer
in large country estates in

ateliervierkant 07

Ibiza, Majorca and the south of
France. He also is involved in a
big project in Barbados and he
is redesigning and renovating for
the first time a London square.
“I am now gardening around the
world, which is a thrilling and
much enriching experience,” he
laughs.
He has been featured in many
interior decorating, home and
garden, and lifestyle magazines
internationally. He also has written
a number of books on flower
arranging and garden design. In
‘Flower power: innovative flower
arrangements for all occasions’
(1998) he shows how even the
simplest idea can make a powerful
impact, and how flowers
08 ateliervierkant
can complement a range of interiors,
from formal to informal,
contemporary to traditional. ‘Flower
Palettes: arranging flowers
using color as your guide’ (1998)
offers a breathtaking variety of
original and inspiring designs
and captures a new approach
to flower arranging. Arranged by
color, including sections on red,
yellow, blue, white, and green,
Woodhams includes all his favorite
elements: flowers, stems and
leaves, as well as finished arrangements.
‘Dried Flowers’ (1999)
illustrates how he has reinvented
the concept of dried flowers for
contemporary settings.
‘Flowers - Over 200 ways to use
flowers in your home’ (2004)
shows elegant arrangements
and stylish table centerpieces for
every occasion.
‘Portfolio of Contemporary Gardens’
(2000) offers a stunning
compilation of inspirational gardens
from all over the world. In
this book, he shows how modern
materials and the influence of
architecture and interior design
have revolutionised our approach
to gardens. A broad range of
themes is explored as the starting
point for creating a contemporary
garden: for the purist there are
minimal gardens while for people
with restricted space there are
ideas for roofs and balconies.
< www.stephenwoodhams.com >
“Using oceans of natural light and clever roof gardens, fashionable horticulturalist Stephen
Woodhams has managed to blur the boundaries between outside and in.”
Homes & Gardens
“In using (...) materials normally associated with interior design and architecture, Stephen
Woodhams is extending the style of the house into the garden, just as in the great gardens
of the past.”
Sunday Times

ateliervierkant 09

La Coquillade :
the Provence for connoisseurs
10 ateliervierkant
_werner wunderli
Situated on a small hill with an extraordinary view
over the Luberon and the Mont Ventoux in the
heart of the AURETO vineyard and a magnificent
forested park, the Domaine de la Coquillade has
everything to seduce the most sofisticated lovers
of Provence and the Luberon. For connoisseurs of
wine and those with a passion for big open spaces,
nature, peace and quiet, looking for serenity and
well-being, La Coquillade, Demeure de Prestige, is
the place to be.
photography: bart van leuven
La Coquillade is on the flight path of migratory birds, one of which, the crested cochevis, “Couquihado” in Provençal
(little cock), has given it its name. The oldest houses date from the 11th century, and generations have
produced wine here since the 13Ith century. Thanks to the Swiss designer Werner Wunderli, his wife Carmen
and the Swiss investor Andreas Rihs, founder of Phonak Hearing Systems, who bought the estate in december
2006, a new era has began for La Coquillade.
First of all, the cellar has been redefined following new growing methods and introducing the newest technology
and giving the highest care to the vinification, given to the vinification and blending. The production positions
itself on reasoned agriculture so that the terroir puts itself with respect into the wines. The plantings have
been reworked and 8 of a total of 32 hectares have been replanted with new vines.
The vineyard on a chalky clay soil oriented towards the rising sun, is planted with vines traditional to the Rhone
valley: Sirah, Grenache, Carignan for the red and rosé wines, Cinsault for the rosé, Clairette, Roussanne,
Marsanne and white Grenache for the white wines.

ateliervierkant 11

12 ateliervierkant

ateliervierkant 13

14 ateliervierkant

The first AURETO wines were produced in september
2007. According to Mr. Wunderli, in two
to three years, the Aureto wine will be the best of
the Ventoux region. In September 2008, a new
œnotouristic complex with a luxury hotel was
opened. It consists of six residences, the oldest
dating from the 11th century, converted into 28
characterful rooms and suites opening onto the
gardens or private terraces with unobstructed
views over the Luberon.
There is
also a wine tasting
cellar and a
first class restaurant
offering gourmet and traditional Provençal
dining. The rooms and the restaurant have been
restored respecting all the authenticity and refinement
of the site, and are decorated in a contemporary
and elegant style. The decorating of
the rooms was accomplished with the collaboration
of the well-known Provençal decorator and
antique dealer Catherine Auffret, while the bathrooms
were designed by Mr. Wunderli.
[ La Coquillade is state of the art ]
The furniture, bed-linen, fabrics etcetera were
selected from amongst the greatest European
designers. For the outdoor furniture on the private
terraces, in the gardens, around the swimming
pool, and on the terraces of the restaurant and
the lounge-bar, they selected for instance furniture
from ‘Tribu’, ‘Dedon’ and ‘Manuti’ and clay
pots from Atelier Vierkant. Also in this respect,
La Coquillade will be a referent in the business
both at a national
and an international
level. ‘Genuss
ohne Muss’, is
the device of the
place, ‘Enjoy without duty’. At the same time, Mr.
Werner Wunderli and Mr. Andreas Rhis, have
set new standards in environmental care and
sustainability. Reasoned agriculture, recycling
of the water, intensive use of renewable energy
sources, natural gas, solar and geothermal, are
the only energy resources. Also in this respect,
La Coquillade is state-of-the-art.
< www.coquillade.fr >
ateliervierkant 15

The terracotta
The Terracotta Firebowl was created a few years
ago by the British landscape architect Alexander
Armstrong, together with sculptor Cathy Azria. “Without
the contribution of Atelier Vierkant, it would not
have been possible,” Armstrong says. “I was designing
a garden with a huge deckspace that needed
something sculptural on it. I could have put a plant
on it, but I came up with the idea to do something
with flames. People like sitting around a barbecue
or a log. My clients were very keen and already had
a beautiful fireplace in the house – so I came with
the idea to make a gasfire. It took me about seven
16 ateliervierkant
Firebowl
_alexander armstrong
months to realize it. I had to find a suitable bowl and
a gas burner. In the beginning I was thinking of a
metal bowl - I even looked at the back of oiltankers
because they are curved. But metal workers told me
about all the difficulties to make such a bowl. At a
certain stage I thought that maybe Atelier Vierkant
could make something. I knew their pots, I use them
a lot and I also knew that they were always ready to
try something new. Willy of Atelier Vierkant agreed
immediatly. But it was not that easy. We went through
several variations and finally made a prototype. The
bowl always cracked when it went into the oven.

I think, Willy made four or five prototypes, and
every time they cracked. I begged him to try a last
one, we changed the design a little bit to make it
less vulnerable for cracking in the fire, and it worked
very well. It was really a relief, and I must say
that I have a lot of admiration for people like Willy
who are willing to experiment and to try over and
over again.” “The gas burner I found in a British
company that makes gaslights for more then 150
years. They did the lighting of the Embankment,
the Parliament... and they also make the kind of
torches you now find outside restaurants. They
changed it a bit to make the flames look more
like a bonfire. Once installed in the bowl, it was
beautiful. When my client saw it, she liked it, but
she wanted something on top of it. So, she asked
Cathy Azria who had done the fireplaces in the
house. Azria produced the sculpture which is now
on top of the bowl, the two go together perfectly.
We now work together everytime I have to install
such a firebowl.”Alexander Armstrong knew the
pots of Atelier Vierkant long before he made the
Firebowl. “I always try to use natural materials in
my gardens: timber, wooven hazel, natural stone,
terracotta... There are a lot of pot makers in the
UK, but they all work in the traditional way, using
Victorian models of more than 100 years ago and
they often have an orange color. Whereas the
pots of Atelier Vierkant have an integrity and a
freshness, a sculptural quality also that I like very
much in my gardens. I use them a lot, often in
rhythm with three or five in a line. When I studied
architecture, there was joke that symmetry in building
doubles the cost. The problem with rhythm is
that you need at least three or even more of these
pots... I have also learned to use less and less
plants in them. When I first started to work with
them, I used very small pots with huge plants in
them. Most of the time this was a disaster as the
plants run out of water very quickly what made
them vulnerable to die. Now I use more and more
big pots and small plants, as for instance small
Hebes and clipped box, preferably plants that
have a sculptural shape from themselves or who
just need a little clipping. I do not need the strong
geometric forms - the cubes and spheres and triangles
– I prefere the Japanese notion of topiary
with gently clipped, more organic forms.”
< www.alexanderarmstrong.co.uk >
ateliervierkant 17

London-based sculptor Cathy
Azria (above) was born in Tunesia
and grew up in the south
of France. When she came to
London 25 years ago, she did
not get used to the wheather. “I
was always staring to the fireplaces
which were so boring. When
I got married and had my own
house, I did not find a suitable
18 ateliervierkant
fireplace for my home. As I studied
sculpture at that time, I
decided to design one myself.
The idea was to recreate the
simplest and oldest fire in the
world, to take the fire back to its
roots: to collect and put together
wooden branches and make a
feu de joi. But you can not burn
wood anymore, so I made what
I call a ‘city fire’, a contemporary
version of the prehistoric fireplace
which can be used inside the
house. Instead of wood, I use
steel rods. Steel is also a natural
material that responds to heat,
transforming into glowing forms.
The ‘burning branches’ emit
crackling and popping sounds
as the steel expands, providing
a sensory impact that is unique
each time it is lit.” Cathy Azria is
now passionate about fireplace
design, blurring the distinction
between fireplaces and art. Fireplaces
are no longer just about
winter warmth, she says. Lit or
unlit, they become year-round
focal points in our living spaces.
“In the beginning I made fireplaces
for the inside. One day one
of my clients, who already had
two fireplaces inside the house,
asked me to make something
for her garden. That was completely
new to me. When I came
there, there was this magnificent
clay pot, designed by Alexander
Armstrong and made by Atelier
Vierkant. It was an opportunity
for me to create fire for such a
beautiful object. It triggered my
imagination to transfer my sculptures
to the garden. Since then I
made a lot of outdoor fireplaces,
but the Firebowl remains my
favourite.” Now she is working
with Atelier Vierkant on a new
project of an outdoor fireplace
for a famous football player. “We
are using a pot upside down and
you can sit on it. It will be very
beautiful.” Cathy Azria is in love
with the pots of Atelier Vierkant.
“As a sculptor who works with
clay, I love the material they are
made of. The pots of Vierkant
are to me almost as a human
being, for me they live. There is
an other aspect. For a sculptor,
the base, the pedestal, is an important
part of the sculpture, it is
complementary to the sculpture.
Working with the pots of Atelier
Vierkant I have the feeling that
they are in harmony with my
work. They are individual pieces,
made by hand, as is my work.
Every fire is different, created
for a particular place or client. I
think the pots and my fire are a
good marriage.”
< www. bd-designs.co.uk >

ateliervierkant 19
Taking fire back to its roots

woman of Taste
and Spirit
Aged 39, Anne-Sophie Pic is the sixth woman in the
world to receive three Michelin stars, and the first
French woman since Lyon’s Mère Brazier in 1933.
Also, for the first time in the history of Michelin she
scored a family hat trick: she is the third generation
of chefs with three stars, after her grandfather André
in 1934 and her father Jacques in 1973. In 2007, she
was the first woman ever to be elected ‘Chef of the
year’ by the 8.000 chefs of France’s Guide Michelin.
20 ateliervierkant
_anne-sophie pic
For the first time in more than 50 years, France’s prestigious Michelin restaurant
guide has given its top three-star ranking in 2007 to a woman chef:
Anne-Sophie Pic of La Maison Pic in Valence, between Drôme and Ardèche in the
south of France. She is regarded by many as the world’s foremost female chef.
No mean feat in
the macho world
of French gastronomy.
Ms Pic
is a self-made
woman who has
battled her way to the top. She had not originally
intended to go into the kitchen. Her father clearly
regarded his son, Alain, as his rightful heir. “Cooking
was always part of my life but I never learnt
to do a basic sauce. I tasted everything. The most
beautiful thing my father gave me was to train my
taste. He never guided my hand as a cook.” At 18
she left her family and went to business school, travelling
from Paris to the United States via Japan.
There she apprenticed in the world of luxury, working
with Yves Saint-Laurent and Moët et Chandon
champagne. “But I realised that there was still
something inside me that really wanted to create,
not just make cold money. Clothes or jewellery or
perfume or something. And then I realised what I
did have. Cooking. I could create through cooking.
It took me five years to acknowledge it, but it was a
... necessary five years,” she told The Guardian. In
June 1992, at the
age of 23, she returned
to Valence
and announced to
her father that she
wanted to devote
herself to her real passion. She started to work
with her father in the kitchen. Three months later
he unexpectedly died, what turned their plans upside-down.
Anne-Sophie stayed only nine months
in the kitchen and then took care of all the other
aspects of managing the family establishment. But
she knew that her future lay elsewhere, in the kitchen,
like her father. David Sinapian, her husband,
helped her to work towards that goal. In september
“When I develop a dish I start with the principal
ingredient and then try to
imagine what will best underline that ingredient.”

1997 she took over the kitchens, with the support
of her mother Suzanne. “I had to fight because I
was both the daughter of the boss and a woman,”
she says. “Cuisine has been a very male-chauvinist
milieu for a long time in France but things are
changing.” She immediately devoted herself to two
daunting tasks: regaining the Pic’s third Michelin
star, lost after her father’s death, and creating a
new kind of cuisine. “It was my goal in life to take
the restaurant back to the top.”
Self-trained and never having been through a catering
school, Anne-Sophie took a while before finding
her style which is characterized by pairings of
subtle flavours. “When I develop a dish I start with
the principal ingredient and then try to imagine what
will best underline that ingredient,” she told Reuters.
The Maison Pic’s website describes its chef’s
cooking style as being informed by a “particularly
feminine simplicity” which “asserts itself with direct
flavours”. She agrees that her food has a more feminine
edge: “I don’t like too many flavours on the
plate. I want to have the taste of every ingredient.
Everything has a purpose - I don’t put something
there simply to make it more beautiful.” Pic herself
calls her style “a true cuisine d’auteur”. She is famous
for her imaginative use of vegetables and
fish and seafood, which is a family tradition. Her
style is respectful of le terroir — the tradition of
local quality produce — yet adventurous.
Now that she has updated the family culinary heritage
and has her three stars back, she and her
husband have several projects on the go. “If you
have three stars, it is not the end but the beginning.
It means you want to give more,” she says.
She just published her Recipe book and has opened
‘SCOOK’, her cooking school, near the Maison
Pic to share her passion with a larger audience.
They have opened the cheaper bistro ‘7 by Anne-
Sophie-Pic’- a tribute to the legendary Nationale
7, the old road that winds its way from Paris to
Cannes, with dishes from the various towns along
the route.
ateliervierkant 21

Now, they are gradually refurbishing
and enlarging the restaurant
and the hotel. The hotel, a
member of the Relais & Châteaux
chain, is built around a courtyard
haunted by two old linden trees,
with a patio and a large summer
terrace. Behind the patio’s
arcades, a banquette stretches
out indefinitely, lined with small
tables made of dark wood. Successive
rooms lit by French windows
open onto the patio or the
adjacent gardens. Recently, the
hotel has been made over with a
contemporary luxury feel, all taupe,
mauve and brown. No ruffles,
no flourishes, but a calm, almost
minimalist or Zen-like spirit, bold
and gentle at once.
“I wanted a property that was
luxurious, soothing and serene,
with lots of light streaming in
through French windows, and
with contemporary furniture with
clean lines,” Anne-Sophie Pic
says.
22 ateliervierkant
< www.pic-valence.com >
Anne-Sophie Pic and David Sinapian
have created their own world in
Valence, one that is full of discoveries.
This is her way of recording herself in
the family history.

ateliervierkant 23

24 ateliervierkant

Hotel Majestic: a sense of place
Founded by the Soldevila family in 1918 in the Passeig de Gràcia, the main avenue of Eixample in Barcelona, the
Grand Luxe Majestic Hotel & Spa is today the flagship of the group. From its beginnings right up to the present day
the majestic has been a meeting point in the city, a place to see and be seen, and also to hide away from unwanted
observation. Here you can see Barça football players and bull fighters, or come across international actors and
actrices, singers, models, writers and politicians.
The Majestic is one of Spain’s leading hotels, awarded with the 5 Star Diamond Award from 2003 to 2008 and with
the Best Hotel and Best Suite in Spain in 2007. For many connoisseurs, the Drolma, the cuisine restaurant of the
Majestic, created and managed by the chef Fermí Puig, is the best in Barcelona. It has one Michelín star.
The hotel has been recently renovated. Co-ordinated by Isabel Planas, the interior design is the work of the hotel
design specialists GCA Arquitectes under the leadership of the architect Josep Juanpere. GCA is renowned for
respecting the character and uniqueness of each building and this is what it has done with the Majestic: a classic,
elegant and luxurious ambience to which a modern and functional touch has been added. Classic and modern at
the same time, contemporary without being fiercely trendy.
The Majestic is home of the most exclusive Penthouse in the center of Barcelona. It includes two parts: the “Apartment
Paseo de Gracia” and the “Suite Sagrada Familia”. Each of them have a private terrace with spectacular
views of the city icons that are their respective namesakes. The Dolce Vita, the panoramic terrace of the Pool Bar
located on the hotel’s tenth floor, is a magical place to relax and admire Barcelona in all its splendor. Philip Stark
furniture, pots from Atelier Vierkant and a large mural by Philip Stanton over the pool help to create a space with
personality.
< www.hotelmajestic.es >
photography: nuria vila
< www.murmuri.com >
ateliervierkant 25

26 ateliervierkant

ateliervierkant 27

The Kelly Hoppen Look:
Simple & Sophisticated
Kelly Hoppen’s is one of the world’s most influential
interior designers. Her simple but opulent
style, ‘restrained elegance’ as it is sometimes
called, has achieved an almost iconic status.
The Murmuri Hotel in Barcelona is just one of her
many international projects.
South African-born but London-based Kelly Hoppen
has design in her bones: her mother was an art and
antiquarian book dealer, while her father worked in fashion.
Having started her business at the age of only
28 ateliervierkant
16 – when she designed a kitchen for a friend of her
father – she is now one of the most sought-after and
lauded interior designers in the world. She has designed
almost everything from yachts to private houses,
ski chalets and apartments, restaurants and hotels,
numerous corporate spaces, private jets as well as
the interiors for British Airway’s first class cabins. Her
client base is very international, often very high jetset.
She recently was in charge of the redecoration
of Victoria and David Beckham’s new mansion in Los
Angeles.

Over the last 25 years she has developped a distinct
design vocabulary characterized by straight
lines, strict symmetry and a colour palette that
ranges from cream to dark brown. She defines her
style with these two words: elegant and aesthetic.
It is contemporary luxury, minimalistic but liveable
and not austere. She is well known for her subdued
style, that makes use of clear lines. She also has a
remarkable ability to combine Eastern and Western
elements and traditions with antique and modern
touches. “My design philosophy is to create Zenlike,
harmonious interiors,” she says. “Each one
has to have a tranquil essence, which is an Asian
influence. As you go East there is increasing emphasis
on the way that natural tones and textures
combine together, often working within a spectrum
that ranges from white and cream through all the
natural shades of wood, clay earth and stone.”
35 people work nowadays in her studio. She has
her own collections of paints (‘Perfect Neutrals’),
fabrics, rugs, carpets, furniture, bed linen, and personally
sourced accessories. She has designed ta-
bleware for Wedgwood, bathrooms for Waterfront
and fireplaces for Chesney. She has retail outlets
in London’s Brompton Cross and in Dubai, as well
as concessions within several top US stores. She
has her own Design School, is involved in television
projects and has published six books, most
recently “Kelly Hoppen, Home- From Concept to
Reality” where she writes about the process of decorating
a house step by step bearing in mind its
functionality, versatility and aesthetics. Her books
have been translated into numerous foreign languages
and her work has been on the front covers of
magazines worldwide.
Hoppen was the first designer to receive the Andrew
Martin ‘International Designer of the Year’
Award in 1997. In 2007 she received the European
Woman of Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship
(EWAA) and the Grazia Award in the Design &
Architecture category. In 2008 she has been rewarded
with the title of ‘Creator of the Year’ for Maison
& Objet.
< www.kellyhoppen.com >
ateliervierkant 29

30 ateliervierkant

Last year Atelier Vierkant introduced planters in
synthetic fibre to be used in our clay pots. The idea
is to have beautiful flowering pots all the time, by
just changing the planters. They are brought to the
nursery, where they are provided with fresh flowers.
Lieve Adriaensens explores the new possibilities of
these planters. Lieve is the owner of Silene, a smallscale
Belgian nursery specialized in unusual annuals,
biennials and non-hardy perennials. “Annuals
Lieve used the following plants:
A perfect match
are fascinating plants that are highly underestimated
and underused,” she says. “They are natural
and frivolous at the same time, refined and spontaneous,
more feminine one could say. They also
are extremely versatile and above all very long flowering.
I am always looking for new ways to use
them, in order to create beauty without pretension.
Working with the pots of Atelier Vierkant was a big
challenge but also a great delight.”
< www.silene.be >
[ Wangenheimia lima, a very decorative ornamental grass.
[ Gomphrena haageana ‘Strawberry Fields’, a steady blooming Globe amarant with cloverlike, bright-red
flowers on long, loose stems.
[ Begonia sutherlandii, a small trailing begonia with light green, toothed leaves with red veins and single
soft tangerine flowers.
[ Haloragis erecta “Melton Bronze” with bronze leaves with a serrated edge and tiny white flowers.
[ Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’, a vine-like, trailing plant with attractive glistening silver foliage and
stems Salvia farinacea, the Mealycup sage, with silvery white flowers and toothed silvery leaves.
[ Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’, a beautiful new Californian sage with white tinted lavender blooms and long-lasting
bracts.
photography: bart van leuven
ateliervierkant 31

32 ateliervierkant

A labour of heart photography: bart van leuven
Each pot of Atelier Vierkant is unique and tells
a different story. A story made of inspiration
and transpiration. Thomas Edison said it best:
“Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent
perspiration.” This is true also for the entirely hand
made clay pots of Atelier Vierkant. The starting
point is always creative inspiration which leads
to genuine, frankly contemporary designed pots.
But the execution requires a lot of perspiration.
This includes dedication, discipline, organization
and a lot of hard work. Blood, Sweat and Tears,
so to say. Inspiration and perspiration often work
together well. Inspiration strengthens perspiration,
while perspiration nurtures inspiration. We
have developed and perfected traditional skills
and special production techniques. This allows
us to realize the forms that creativity has imagined.
At Atelier Vierkant the art of craftsmanship is not
dead. Arts and crafts at its best.
< www.ateliervierkant.com >
ateliervierkant 33

34 ateliervierkant

“To give people
pleasure in the things
they must perforce use,
that is one great office
of decoration”
William Morris (Dec. 4, 1877)
ateliervierkant 35

Sint Jorisstraat 88a
B-8730 Beernem | BELGIUM
T +32 50 37 00 56
F +32 50 37 45 92
info@ateliervierkant.com
www.ateliervierkant.com
text: paul geerts
layout: ward janssens
ateliervierkant.com