We spent 2 nights in Antwerp last weekend and I may have fallen in love with the city.
Though I try to avoid having expectations of places before I visit them, I had heard a lot about Antwerp’s rich design history so I was excited to explore the city. Let me tell you, it exceeded both of our expectations.
As we walked towards the historical centre from our hotel, I was transfixed on the architecture that lined the streets. From incredible stained glass windows on art nouveau terraces to modernist buildings with interesting tile patterns and homes with vertical gardens as their facade, each building felt unique yet none felt out of place.
This was the general sense I got from Antwerp - individualism, in design at least, is encouraged.
I was speaking to a local who owns a beautiful fashion label about the rich design culture of the city, and she explained that “Belgians tend to not care too much about what other people think, so they’re probably more willing to do things their own way than in other cultures”.
This was a good reminder of something I’ve been fighting with for a while - the idea that the best work happens when we act from a place of intuition rather than playing by the rules.
The deeper we got into the city, the more energy I felt to keep exploring. We clocked over 20,000 steps each days, zig-zagging between shops and galleries.
Something I was taken back by was the level of curation that went into everything. You could tell people cared about what the world you were stepping into when you entered their store or cafe.
An easy example were the collectable furniture stores that were all meticulously organised like galleries. You got an immediate sense of the value of each item and the importance they hold in the general design discourse.
The best street for furniture in Antwerp is Kloosterstraat, though my favourite was Modest Furniture, which is in a different area. I was also sad to not visit St Vincents as they were resetting their space for a new exhibition. While you’re on Kloosterstraat, make sure to check out Christiane de Bot, which is an incredible glassware store and sadly not on Google Maps, and grab a soup from Take 5 Minutes in Paris.
Another highlight was the KMSKA - Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which only recently reopened after 12 years (!) of renovations. Their modern masters collection was incredible, with so many artworks that felt familiar but were by artists that I’d never heard of. The gallery was honestly overwhelming as, unlike most large galleries, all of these pieces felt worth spending a few minutes in front of. By the time we got to the old masters section we were too exhausted to appreciate anything more. Sorry Rubens.
One final tip I’ll leave you with is if you’re planning a long weekend, go Friday - Sunday rather than Saturday - Monday. A lot of the shops and restaurants are closed on Sunday / Monday, so do your research ahead of time. The Axel Vervoodt gallery at Kanaal, for example, is only open on Saturdays between 11AM and 6PM. Madness.
So, it’s safe to say Antwerp is a world class city and you’d be mad not to go. If you want a detailed rundown of what to do and see, DM me or better yet follow my wife’s travel guides - she is the best travel planner I know.
Until next week.
Matteo x
MOOD
This weeks’ mood is a nod to the conversation I had with the owner of La Collection (mentioned above) who spoke about Belgians being willing to give things a go.
FINDS
This week’s finds is a summary of the 5 top places (in my humble opinion) to check out in Antwerp and 5 places I’m saving for next time.
Favourites
Food: Beni Falafel
Shop: Monar
Gallery: KMSKA
Furniture: Modest Furniture
Hotel: Hotel August
Next visit
Food: Blueness
Shop: Panoply Books & Records
Gallery: Axel Vervoodt Gallery at Kanaal
Furniture: St Vincents
Sight: Sint-Annatunnel