34 DEPARTURES TRAVEL METRO STOP The shop at Hotel Pilar, which sells a range of goods, from ceramics and cushions to artworks A certain freedom here has bred a talent for stripping away artifice and distilling a space down to its essence tenants, the city touts it as an example of sustainable planning. The same creative energy buzzes through Graanmarkt 13, a concept store, restaurant and residences spread out over a five-floor neoclassical townhouse designed by Van Duysen. (The top two floors house an apartment you can rent.) Since it opened eight years ago, Graanmarkt 13 has remained one of Antwerp’s most popular lifestyle stores. Last year, however, co-owners Ilse Cornelissens and Tim Van Geloven decided that they would no longer mark down their inventory at the end of the season and, instead, ask clients to clean out their closets and sell treasured old pieces at a weekend-long sale. “We want to challenge people to streamline,” says Cornelissens. “To buy less, but better quality.” A few years ago she and Van Geloven challenged Graanmarkt 13’s renowned chef, Seppe Nobels, who re-engineered the menu at his wildly popular restaurant to source exclusively from North Sea fishermen, Flemish farmers and his own rooftop garden. Cornelissens talked about the evolution of Antwerp’s style. “Creatives here have the luxury of focusing on quality,” she explained, pointing out the city’s low cost of living compared with, say, Paris or London. “It’s less about commerce.” This freedom seems to have bred a particular talent for stripping away artifice and distilling a space down to its essence – which is the genius of designers like Vervoordt and Van Duysen. In fact, it’s the common denominator of many of the best creatives in Antwerp: they are helping to define – globally – a new idea of luxury that includes a respect for authenticity, quality and history, as well as a compulsion to reinvent abandoned spaces rather than build new ones. “Simplifying is the purest form of elegance,” says Van Duysen. “Luxury has nothing to do with abundance.” Antwerp’s Fashionable Industrial Complex STAY Hotel Pilar Designer Sam Peeters oversaw the renovation of this three-storey Belle Époque building. His husband, Christophe Ysewyn, runs the place. hotelpilar.be Graanmarkt 13 A stunning, Vincent Van Duysen-designed apartment sits atop the beloved concept store. graanmarkt13.com EAT The Jane A former chapel on the grounds of a military hospital, now a Michelin two-star restaurant where chef Nick Bril also occasionally DJs. thejaneantwerp.com Roji A medieval cellar reimagined as a Japanese restaurant by Axel Vervoordt. roji.be Pakt Drink, eat, work, and farm your own microgreens at Antwerp’s latest industrial reclamation. pakt-antwerpen.be VISIT Kanaal Axel Vervoordt’s arts complex features works by Anish Kapoor and James Turrell. kanaal.be SHOP Copyright Bookshop Two houses converted into an art and architecture bookshop by Vincent Van Duysen. copyrightbookshop.be PHILIPPE CORTHOUT
FELIX 07 From £7,500 to £125,000 Wigmore Street W1 · Harrods SW1 · Chelsea Harbour SW10 +44 (0)20 7493 4444 SLEEP BEAUTIFULLY A collaboration with The National Gallery, hand made in London savoirbeds.co.uk London Paris Düsseldorf Moscow Shanghai Hong Kong Seoul Taipei New York
